COLUMBUS (AP) - Authorities say 17 people were arrested on Ohio State's campus after the Buckeyes' big football win over Texas on Saturday night.  Columbus firefighters say couches, mattresses, trash bins and cars were set on fire late Saturday and early yesterday. Police say five people were arrested on arson charges, with the others facing disorderly conduct and alcohol-related offenses.

Authorities say Barbara Rich, Ohio State's assistant vice president for student affairs, her husband and a city fire official were struck by a car amid the commotion, said Ohio State Assistant Chief Rick Amweg.  The car drove through a temporary command post set up in the driveway of a university student union, said Battalion Fire Chief Kevin O'Connor, who received minor bumps and bruises.

Rich and her husband were treated at Ohio State University Medical Center for minor injuries. A hospital employee said Rich was discharged from the emergency room. No information was released about her husband.

The driver of the car, George Karadimas, 22, a student at the school, has been charged with vehicular assault, Amweg said. He declined to comment on whether alcohol was involved.       Karadimas was being held in a Franklin County jail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning for an arraignment, said sheriff's deputy Travis Carter.

Most students haven't returned to campus because fall classes don't start until Sept. 20, Howson said. Still, police concentrated their patrols on the campus area Saturday night.  "This happens on big games, so we were prepared for it," Howson said.

The victory kept the Buckeyes (2-0) in perfect position for a run to a college football national title. Texas, which saw its 21-game winning streak snapped, is the defending national champion.

Posted by AEB

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ohio State student accused of hitting 3 with car posts bond
Tuesday, September 12, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio State University student accused of hitting an administrator and two others with his car as students celebrated the Buckeyes’ win over Texas posted bond and was released from jail Monday, a jail official said. George Karadimas, 22, was charged with aggravated vehicular assault. Authorities said the car went through a temporary command post set up in the driveway of a student union early Sunday. Barbara Rich, assistant vice president for student affairs, and her husband were treated at Ohio State University Medical Center for minor injuries, and Battalion Fire Chief Kevin O’Connor was treated at the scene for bumps and bruises, O’Connor said. Karadimas’ bond was set at $45,045 at a hearing Monday, according to court records. The celebration of the top-ranked Buckeyes’ 24-7 win over then-No.2 Texas also sparked fires near the campus. Burning couches, mattresses and trash bins were among the about 40 fires set in student neighborhoods, police said. Columbus police arrested 17 people, charging five with arson and the rest with disorderly conduct and alcohol-related offenses. The fire department charged three people with open burning. One man also was charged with arson because the couch fire he was accused of setting damaged a vehicle. Most students hadn’t returned to campus because fall classes don’t start until Sept. 20. The victory Saturday kept the Buckeyes in perfect position for a national title run. The Longhorns, who saw their 21-game winning streak snapped and fell to No. 8, are the defending national champions.