Fiesta Bowl Flashbacks
12/12/2019 5:00:00 PM | Football
The Buckeyes are once again headed back to the Fiesta Bowl for the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinal. Ohio State is no stranger to Arizona or the Fiesta Bowl.
This will be the Buckeyes’ ninth Fiesta Bowl appearance and seventh since 2003. Ohio State is 5-3 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl and also played for the BCS National Championship in Glendale, Ariz., in 2006.
Join us for a flashback to the Buckeyes run through the desert …
1980 Fiesta Bowl: No. 10 Penn State 31 – No. 11 Ohio State 19
Dec. 26, 1980: A record crowd of 66,738 had hardly settled into its seats when Penn State’s Curt Warner ran 64 yards for a touchdown on the Nittany Lions’ first play from scrimmage. The rest of the first half, however, belonged to the Buckeyes as quarterback Art Schlichter threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns to stake OSU to a 19-10 lead at intermission.
Flanker Doug Donley was on the receiving end of two of those scoring passes and split end Gary Williams hauled in the third. But after rolling up 339 yards in the first half, the Buckeyes were held to just 73 in the second by a fired up Penn State defense. And while the Nittany Lions’ defense was pitching a shutout in the final two quarters, their offense tallied three touchdowns to win the second half and the game.
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1984 Fiesta Bowl: No. 14 Ohio State 28 – No. 15 Pittsburgh 23
Jan. 2, 1984: The teams combined for 897 yards and scored 30 of 51 points in the final 15 minutes of play to keep everyone in their seats. Trailing 23-21 after a 37- yard field goal by Snuffy Everett had given Pitt its first lead with 2:39 to play, Ohio State marched 89 yards for the winning score. Split end Thad Jemison hauled in a 39-yard pass from Mike Tomczak with 39 seconds left on the clock.
Still it wasn’t over. Pitt had one more at bat and quarterback John Congemi marched the Panthers to the OSU 24 before an injury. He watched helplessly as sub Chris Jelic failed in his two tries to produce the winning score before time ran out. Keith Byars scored two touchdowns, one on a 99-yard kick return. Jemison, who tied a Fiesta Bowl record with eight catches, was the game’s MVP
2003 Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State 31 – No. 1 Miami 24
Jan. 3, 2003: Ohio State worked two overtimes to rip the national championship from Miami. Maurice Clarett ran 5 yards for the winning score, and the OSU defense turned back one final Miami bid to tie. The Buckeyes completed an unbeaten run to their first title in 34 years. Down 24-17 in the first OT, OSU converted a 4th-and-14 on a pass by Craig Krenzel.
The Buckeyes then faced a 4th-and-3 at the 5 when Krenzel threw to the right corner of the end zone for Chris Gamble. A flag was thrown for pass interference and three plays later Krenzel scored from the 1. The Buckeyes took a 14-7 halftime lead, turning two turnovers into touchdowns and extended the margin to 10 on a 44-yard field goal.
The Hurricanes closed to 17-14 on Willis McGahee’s 9-yard run to set the stage for Todd Sievers’ 40-yard kick at the end of regulation.
2004 Fiesta Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State 35 – No. 8 Kansas State 28
Craig Krenzel improved to 24-3 as a starter as the Buckeyes claimed a 35-28 victory over Kansas State. Krenzel overcame two first quarter interceptions to complete 11-of-24 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns. OSU stormed out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, scoring first on special teams before Krenzel hit Holmes and Jenkins to pad the lead, which slipped to 21-7 at the half.
The Wildcats pulled within seven, but Krenzel and Jenkins teamed up to again to reclaim a two-touchdown lead. Holmes then caught his second TD to make the score 35-14. Kansas State added two more scores. Jenkins finished with five receptions for 96 yards. Kansas State out-gained Ohio State 378-337 in total yards, but the Buckeye defense held the Wildcats to 84 yards rushing. Defensively, Robert Reynolds and Defensive MVP A.J. Hawk, each had 10 tackles.
2006 Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Ohio State 34 – No. 5 Notre Dame 20
Led by Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. on offense and All-American A.J. Hawk on defense, Ohio State ran roughshod over Notre Dame, downing the Irish in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. After Notre Dame opened with a 20-yard run by Darius Walker, it was all Ohio State.
Smith and Ginn hooked up on a 56-yard scoring pass. Then Ginn gave the Buckeyes the lead for good on a dazzling 68-yard reverse. Smith connected with Santonio Holmes on an 85-yard pass that gave the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead at half.
Had it not been for two fumbles and a blocked field goal, the margin might have been greater. A 60-yard TD run by Antonio Pittman sealed the win. A.J. Hawk was the defensive MVP with 12 tackles, including 3.5 TFLs.
2006 BCS Championship: No. 2 Florida 41 – No. 1 Ohio State 14
Jan. 8, 2007: Ohio State’s Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, but it was all Florida from there as the No. 2 Gators upset the No. 1 Buckeyes, 41-14, in the BSC National Championship Game. Ginn was injured in the celebration of his opening kickoff return for touchdown and the Buckeyes could not recover offensively.
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith completed 4-of-14 passes for 35 yards and an interception and was sacked five times by the Gators (13-1). Junior tailback Antonio Pittman rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries and his 18-yard touchdown run with 13:32 left in the second quarter brought the score to 21-14 in favor of the Gators, but it would be all the closer the Buckeyes would get.
OSU linebackers James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman both collected 15 tackles in the game.
2009 Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Texas 24 – No. 10 Ohio State 21
Jan. 5, 2009: Ohio State scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough. Colt McCoy hit Quan Cosby on a 26-yard pass for the winning score with 16 seconds left. Texas trailed 6-3 at the half after being held to minus-9 yards rushing and giving up 140, 96 to Chris Wells, who missed most of the fourth quarter.
McCoy set records vs. Ohio State with a 41-for-58 showing for 414 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive MVP found Cosby for a 7-yard touchdown pass for a 17-6 lead. Ohio State scored the next 15 points and took a 21-17 lead on Dan Herron’s 15-yard run with 2:05 remaining. Texas then covered 78 yards in 11 plays. Cosby broke free at over the middle and had nothing between him and the end zone.
2016 Fiesta Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State 44 – No. 8 Notre Dame 28
Jan. 1, 2016: Ezekiel Elliott ran for 149 yards and matched a Fiesta Bowl record with four touchdowns to close the curtain on his college career, sparking No. 7 Ohio State’s prolific offense in a 44-28 win over Notre Dame on Friday.
Ohio State rolled past the Fighting Irish (10-3), quick-hitting its way to one scoring drive after another and 496 total yards.
J.T. Barrett gave the Buckeyes some balance, throwing for 211 yards and a score with 96 yards rushing in the highest-scoring game against Notre Dame’s defense this season.
Ohio State’s seniors finished 50-4, tying the FBS record set by Boise State’s 2011 class for most wins in a four-year span.
2016 Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Clemson 31 – No. 3 Ohio State 0
Dec. 31, 2016: Deshaun Watson ran for two touchdowns and threw another and No. 3 Clemson defeated No. 2 Ohio State 31-0 in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes were shut out for the first time since 1993 against Michigan and Urban Meyer had one of his teams held scoreless for the first time in 194 games as a head coach.
