Football: Ohio State’s Milestone Victories – Ohio State Buckeyes

With a victory Saturday against Ohio University, Ohio State became the fifth major college football program to reach 800 all-time wins. The Buckeyes have an all-time record of 800-304-53 in their 119th season. The top 10 schools in terms of total program victories:

Rank	Wins	School	Rank	Wins	School
1.	869	Michigan	6.	791	Penn State
2.	824	Notre Dame	7.	788	Alabama
3.	821	Texas	8.	777	Oklahoma
4.	818	Nebraska	9.	771	Tennessee
5.	800	Ohio State	10.	754	Southern Cal

Head Coach A.E. Herrnstein

Win No. 100
Nov. 14, 1908
Ohio State 14, Vanderbilt 6
Nashville, Tenn.
OSU was coming off its third loss in four games. Led by head coach A.E. Herrnstein and captain W.D. Barrington, the Buckeyes were in Nashville, Tenn., to take on Vanderbilt. Ohio State came away victorious, winning by a score of 14-6, capturing the 100th win in school history. The Buckeyes finished the season 6-4. The winning season was the 10th-consecutive winning season of a streak that would reach 19 years.

Head Coach John Wilce

Win No. 200
October 6, 1928
Ohio State 41, Wittenberg 0
Columbus, Ohio
Leading up to the start of the 1928 season, head coach John Wilce announced his resignation effective at the end of the season. The Buckeyes opened Wilce’s last fall with a bang, defeating Wittenberg 41-0. The win provided Ohio State with win No. 200. It was also the third consecutive season the Buckeyes opened the season by shutting out Wittenberg. They would do it again in 1929 and to Mt. Union in 1930. Ohio State’s record now stood at 200-103-25. Following the season, sophomore end Wesley Fesler was selected by Grantland Rice for his first All-America team, the highest honor that could be attained by a college football player. Fesler would later serve as head coach at Ohio State from 1947-1950.

Head Coach Carroll Widdoes

Win No. 300
October 27, 1945
#12 Ohio State 20, at #5 Minnesota 7
Minneapolis, Minn.
In 1945, Ohio State was coming off an undefeated season, Big Ten championship and unofficial “national civilian championship.” Ohio State also had its first Heisman Trophy winner the previous season, Les Horvath. Before the beginning of the season, Carroll Widdoes was named as permanent successor to coach Paul Brown. Widdoes had coached the Buckeyes the previous year while Brown was serving in the Navy during World War II. The Cleveland NFL franchise (later known as the Browns) hired Paul Brown as their coach after his arrival back to the U.S. There were high hopes for the Buckeyes as the 1945 season approached. Ohio State carried a 12-game win streak going into a week four showdown versus Purdue. The Boilermakers beat Ohio State soundly, 35-13. Ohio State traveled to Minneapolis the following week to take on No. 5 Minnesota. Led by running back Ollie Kline’s 80 yards and a touchdown, the Buckeyes defeated Minnesota, 20-7, for the school’s 300th victory. Ohio State would end the season at 7-2. Kline went on to win Big Ten MVP honors.

RB Bob Ferguson

Win No. 400
November 25, 1961
#2 Ohio State 50, Michigan 20
Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Buckeyes’ 400th win is one of the most memorable in Ohio State’s storied history. Entering the season finale with Michigan in 1961, Ohio State had a 7-0-1 record and national championship hopes on the line. Behind Bob Ferguson’s 152 yards rushing and four touchdowns, the Buckeyes beat Michigan by a score of 50-20. Ironically, it was Buckeye assistant Bo Schembechler calling the plays that afternoon. Ohio State would not travel to Pasadena, however, as the faculty council voted not to play in the Rose Bowl. To this day, it is one of the most controversial decisions involving the Ohio State football program. The Football Writers Association of America voted Ohio State as its national champion. Ferguson was named a consensus All-American and finished second to Syracuse’s Ernie Davis in the Heisman voting.

RB Archie Griffin

Win No. 500
September 27, 1975
#2 Ohio State 32, North Carolina 7
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State was in the midst of one of the most successful four-year periods in school history in 1975. The Buckeyes had won the conference and represented the Big Ten at the Rose Bowl the previous three years. The first two weeks of the season, the Buckeyes defeated No. 11 Michigan State and No. 7 Penn State. In week three, North Carolina came to Columbus. Pete Johnson had a record-setting day, scoring all five OSU touchdowns in a 32-7 victory (equaled by Keith Byars against Illinois in 1984). The win was Ohio State’s 500th in school history and the 20th consecutive at Ohio Stadium. Archie Griffin became Ohio State’s all-time leader in total offense after rushing for 157 yards, surpassing Rex Kern’s 4,518. Ohio State once again won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl, with Griffin winning his second consecutive Heisman Trophy. The Buckeyes fell to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 23-10, dashing hopes of a national championship.

QB Jim Karsatos

Win No. 600
September 27, 1986
Ohio State 64, Utah 6
Columbus, Ohio
The fans in Ohio Stadium saw the Buckeyes rack up a Big Ten record 715 yards against the Utah Utes. The Buckeyes won the game, 64-6, for their 600th win. Ohio State had 394 yards on the ground and 321 through the air. It was the first time in school history an Ohio State team had over 300 yards passing and rushing in the same game. Vince Workman led the Buckeyes with 168 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Jaymes Bryant also eclipsed the 100-yard mark with 145 yards. Fullback George Cooper scored four touchdowns. Perhaps the most impressive stat of the day was Tom Tupa’s one punt. Jim Karsatos had 224 yards passing and one touchdown.

RB Pepe Pearson

Win No. 700
November 15, 1997
#4 Ohio State 41, Illinois 6
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State captured win No. 700 against Illinois. Led by Pepe Pearson’s 111 yards rushing and two touchdowns, the Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Illini 41-6. Quarterbacks Stanley Jackson and Joe Germaine had 189 yards between them and three touchdown passes. The game is most remembered for being played in sub freezing temperatures and a snowstorm. Illinois had not scored a touchdown against Ohio State in 11 quarters until the final play of the game when Trevor Starghill returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown. The Buckeyes ended the season with a 10-3 record.

WR Ray Small

Win No. 800
Sept. 6, 2008
#3 Ohio State 26, Ohio 14
Columbus, Ohio
No. 3 Ohio State came from behind in the second half to earn its 800th gridiron victory, a 26-14 win over Ohio in the latest “battle of Ohio.” It was the 34th-consecutive win against Ohio schools dating back to the 1921 season.

The game was truly a battle. Ohio, a tough team led by a tough coach – former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich – led 7-6 at halftime and 14-12 entering the fourth quarter. Only 18 total yards and two first downs separated the final team stats. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by Ohio State, including a 69-yard punt return by Ray Small, sealed the win.

Dan Herron and Maurice Wells combined for 98 rushing yards to lead an attack. Quarterback Todd Boeckman was 16-for-26 for 110 yards with no interceptions. Small led the receivers with five catches. James Laurinaitis and Ross Homan led in tackles with nine and eight, respectively.

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