Ohio State Caps Season with Share of Big Ten Title – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2005
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RECAPPING THE 2005 SEASON
Ohio State posted a 9-2 record and shared the Big Ten title with Penn State with a 7-1 conference mark. The Buckeyes closed out the season with six consecutive wins and are currently seventh in the polls and sixth in the BCS standings. Jim Tressel’s squad was 5-2 against teams ranked in the top 25. The Buckeyes were 6-1 at home and 3-1 on the road in 2005.
THE BUCKEYES UNDER TRESSEL
In his five years at Ohio State, Coach Jim Tressel has led the Buckeyes to a combined record of 49-13, including a Big Ten record of 30-10 and a pair of co-championships. This year marks the third time that OSU has won at least nine games in the regular season. Under Tressel, OSU has played in four bowl games, including two BCS contests. The Buckeyes, who are in the running for another BCS invitation this year, have won six games in a row, defeating four ranked teams in that span. Their current winning streak is the second longest under Tressel. His 2002 team won 14 straight en route to the national championship and then stretched that streak to 19 the following year before finally losing. Tressel is 21-7 against ranked teams and 17-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less. He is 12-8 in Big Ten road games and 30-4 at home in all games. He is 15-3 in the month of November.
BUCKEYES SNAG 30TH TITLE
With their 25-21 win over Michigan in the regular-season finale, the Buckeyes claimed a share of their 30th Big Ten title. Since beginning league play in 1913, Ohio State has won 15 titles outright and shared 15 others. The Buckeyes have an all-time Big Ten record of 425-162-24.
SMITH LEADS BUCKEYES PAST MICHIGAN
For the second year in a row, quarterback Troy Smith saved his best for last. Smith threw for a career-high 300 yards (27 of 37) and one touchdown and rushed for 37 more and another score in Ohio State’s 25-21 win over Michigan that guaranteed the Buckeyes a share of the 2005 Big Ten crown. With his team trailing 21-12 with 7:49 to play, Smith engineered touchdown drives of 69 and 88 yards to snatch victory from defeat. He completed 7-of-8 passes on the game winning drive. In the 2004 win over Michigan, Smith amassed 386 yards in total offense, 241 passing and 145 on the ground. He threw for one touchdown and rushed for another in that game.
Sophomore Ted Ginn had a career-high nine receptions for 89 yards in this year’s victory, while Santonio Holmes had six for 72 yards. Holmes’ 26-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter cut the Michigan lead to 21-19 and set the stage for the dramatic final drive capped off by Antonio Pittman’s 3-yard run with 24 seconds left in the game. Pittman’s scored was set up by an acrobatic Anthony Gonzalez reception that put the ball on the Michigan 4-yard line.
The Buckeyes rolled up 418 yards in total offense against Michigan, including 185 in the final period.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, limited Michigan to 255 yards, including just 32 rushing. Michigan had 103 yards in total offense at halftime.
The Buckeyes played the game without senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who suffered a broken right ankle on the first play of the game. With Carpenter out, Anthony Schlegel turned in his best performance of the year with 10 tackles.
HAWK NAMED BIG TEN’S TOP DEFENDER
Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in voting by both the league’s coaches and a panel of media representatives. Hawk, who was one of six Ohio State players to receive first-team All-Big Ten honors, is also a finalist for both the Butkus and Lombardi awards.
EIGHT BUCKEYES WIN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Linebacker A.J. Hawk, defensive end Mike Kudla, free safety Nate Salley, offensive guard Robbie Sims and kicker Josh Huston head up a list of eight Ohio State players named to the 2005 All-Big Ten teams selected by the league’s coaches and a panel of media representatives. Joining those five seniors as first-team selections are junior wide receiver Santonio Holmes, junior strong safety Donte Whitner and junior cornerback Ashton Youboty.
Hawk, Huston, Youboty, Salley, Kudla and Holmes were consensus first-team picks. Sims and Whitner were named to the Coaches’ team.
Senior center Nick Mangold received second-team honors on both teams, as did linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock was a second-team pick by the coaches.
Marcus Green, Anthony Schlegel, Troy Smith, Antonio Pittman and Ted Ginn all received honorable mention recognition.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes closed out the 2005 season with six consecutive wins and a share of the Big Ten title. During their winning streak, the Buckeyes averaged 33.4 points and 446.5 yards per game, outscoring their opponents 234 to 95, including a 68-10 edge in the fourth quarter.
Led by quarterback Troy Smith, the OSU attack passed for 200 or more yards in five of the last six games, including 300 yards against Michigan. The Buckeye rushing attack was equally impressive during that stretch, topping the 200-yard mark in four of the last five regular-season outings.
The Buckeyes finished the season averaging 404.6 yards in total offense, running for 189.5 yards per game and throwing for 215.1. Ohio State led the league in passing efficiency and was fifth in both rushing and scoring offense.
Defensively, the Buckeyes were once again one of the top units in college football. Led by All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk, OSU led the Big Ten in rushing, scoring, passing and total defense. Ohio State finished first nationally against the run, allowing an average of 74.5 yards per game. The Buckeyes were fifth nationally in total defense at 275.3 yards per game and seventh in scoring defense at 14.8 points per game.
On the season, the Buckeyes held five opponents to less than 200 yards in total offense and limited seven to less than 100 yards rushing, including Michigan which managed just 32 yards on 24 attempts in the season finale.
The Buckeyes also led the Big Ten in sacks with 39.
Individually, Smith led the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a rating of 158.4, a figure that ranks seventh nationally. Smith has accounted for 25 touchdowns and is averaging 248.5 yards per game in total offense. He needs 60 yards passing to become the first Ohio State signal caller to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 500 yards in one season.
Smith’s favorite targets have been split end Santonio Holmes and flankers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez. That trio has combined for 118 receptions, 1,857 yards and 16 touchdowns. Holmes is the pacesetter in all three categories with 48 receptions for 853 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Tailback Antonio Pittman is the Buckeyes’ leading rusher with 1,195 yards and six touchdowns on 222 carries. The speedy sophomore finished the regular-season with six 100-yard games, including four of the last six. All six of his touchdowns came in the last four games. Pittman finished fifth in the Big Ten rushing derby with an average of 108.6 yards per game.
Hawk paces the OSU defense in tackles with 109, including a team-high 13 tackles-for-loss. Fellow linebacker Anthony Schlegel is second in tackles with 75, followed by strong safety Donte Whitner with 64. Linebacker Bobby Carpenter has a team best eight sacks and cornerback Ashton Youboty leads the team in passes broken up with eight.
In the special teams department, Ohio State kicker Josh Huston led the Big Ten in field goals made with 20 (of 24) and kick scoring at 9.1 points per game.
PITTMAN JOINS SELECT CIRCLE
Sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman recorded his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the year against Northwestern, gaining 132 yards on 18 carries against the Wildcats. In doing so, Pittman became the 23rd Ohio State running back to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season. Pittman, who joins Archie Griffin and Keith Byars as the only OSU sophomores to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau, has 1,195 yards on 222 carries. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 108.6 yards per game. The 5-10, 195-pound speedster has scored six touchdowns on the year, all of those coming in the past four games. He is fifth in the Big Ten in rushing.
HOLMES THIRD IN TD CATCHES
Split end Santonio Holmes has 24 career TD grabs to rank third in Ohio State annals in that department. Only David Boston (34) and Cris Carter (27) had more touchdown receptions as Buckeyes. With 135 career receptions, Holmes ranks fifth on the all-time OSU receiving list. He is sixth in career receiving yardage with 2,171 yards. The 5-11, 190-pound junior has caught two or more passes in 29-consecutive games.
SMITH FINDS THE END ZONE
Junior quarterback Troy Smith has been on a touchdown tear of late, accounting for 17 touchdowns in the last six games. Smith, who now is 12-2 as a starter, has passed for 11 scores and run for six more in that span. On the year, he has accounted for 25 touchdowns – 14 via the pass and 11 via the rush. He leads the Buckeyes in total offense with an average of 248.5 yards per game. In addition to completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 1,940 yards, he is the Buckeyes’ second leading rusher with 545 yards and an average of 4.4 yards per carry. Smith has topped the 300-yard mark in total offense three times this year, joining Joe Germaine and Art Schlicther as the only other Ohio State players to accomplish that feat. His 11 rushing touchdowns represent the fourth-highest single-season total in OSU history by a quarterback.
Ohio State Single Season
QB Rushing TDs
| Total | Name | Year |
| 14 | Les Horvath | 1944 |
| 13 | Art Schlichter | 1978 |
| 12 | Cornelius Greene | 1973 |
| 11 | Troy Smith | 2005 |
| 9 | Art Schlichter | 1979 |
| Cornelius Greene | 1974 | |
| Rex Kern | 1969 | |
| 8 | Cornelius Greene | 1975 |
| Donald Lamka | 1971 | |
| Rex Kern | 1968 |
GINN TIES BIG TEN RECORD
Sophomore speedster Ted Ginn Jr. has tied the Big Ten career record for punt returns for touchdowns. The explosive Ginn had a 62-yard runback for a score at Indiana, Oct. 22, giving him five career touchdowns on punt returns. That ties the mark set by former Iowa standout Tim Dwight (1994-97). On the year, Ginn is averaging 12.2 yards per punt return on 21 attempts. He also averages 29.6 yards per kick return (18 attempts including a 100-yard touchdown) and 16.1 yards per reception. Ginn leads the Buckeyes in all-purpose yardage with an average of 128.0 yards per game. He had scored touchdowns in four consecutive games leading up to Northwestern.
HAWK FIFTH IN CAREER TACKLES
Senior linebacker A.J. Hawk has moved into fifth place on the all-time Ohio State tackle list with 382 career stops. Hawk was credited with seven tackles in the win at Michigan, allowing him to surpass Pepper Johnson who had 379 career stops. Only Marcus Marek (572 tackles), Tom Cousineau (569), Chris Spielman (546) and Steve Tovar (408) have had more stops as Buckeyes. Hawk’s high game this year is 19 stops in the win over Michigan State.
BUCKEYE NOTES
Ohio State now has an all-time record of 774-300-53, includinga Big Ten mark of 425-162-24. Ohio State has won 27 of its last 29home games. Under Tressel, the Buckeyes are 36-3 when leading atthe half and 38-3 when ahead after three quarters. Ohio State is12-8 in Big Ten road games under Coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyeshave scored at least one touchdown in 112 consecutive games.
COACH Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel is now in his fifth season as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is 49-13 and includes a national championship and two Big Ten co-championships. His career record is an impressive 184-70-2 (.722) as he completes is 20th season.
Tressel took over the Buckeyes in 2001, directing them to a 7-5 record that year. In 2002, he led Ohio State to a 14-0 record and the school’s first consensus national championship since 1968 and was nearly everyone’s choice as National Coach of the Year. In 2003, the Buckeyes won their first five games to extend their winning streak to 19 and finished with an 11-2 record. The squad last year, which had to replace 14 NFL drafted players, won five of its last six games en route to an 8-4 finish.
Tressel’s teams have appeared in four Bowl games and are 3-1 in those contests, including back-to-back BCS wins in the Fiesta Bowl. They also are 4-1 against Michigan in one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all of sport.
Eight of Tressel’s players have won first-team All-America honors and three have won major awards, including kicker Mike Nugent, the recipient of the Lou Groza Award last year as the best place-kicker in college football.
Tressel is a master in close games. Since coming to Ohio State, he is 17-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 4-1 in overtime games.
He is at his best against the best with an impressive 21-7 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 and a 5-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The 52-year-old Tressel is a 1975 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College.
BUCKEYES SET SACK RECORD
In the win over Michigan State, the Ohio State defense recorded a school-record 12 sacks, breaking the old mark of 11 set against Iowa in 1998. The Buckeyes have 39 sacks on the year. The Ohio State single-season record is 47, set first in 1998 and later matched in 2000.
HUSTON IN THE RECORDS BOOK
After five years of waiting his turn, Josh Huston has etched his name in the OSU records book. The sixth-year senior tied the school records for most field goals in a game and most field goals in a game at Ohio Stadium by booting five treys against Texas. Huston converted from 45, 36, 25, 44, and 26 yards out against the Longhorns, staking OSU to a 22-16 lead. He also narrowly missed from 50 yards away. The five field goals in Ohio Stadium equals the record set by Bob Atha against Indiana in 1981 and matched last year by Mike Nugent, the school’s all-time leading scorer. Atha kicked his five in Ohio Stadium. Nugent’s five came at North Carolina State. Huston’s six field goal attempts against Texas is a school record.
HUSTON GROZA SEMI-FINALIST
Senior kicker Josh Huston was as one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. Huston, who is in his first year as the Buckeyes’ starting field goal kicker, has come from virtually out of nowhere this year to project himself into the national spotlight by hitting 18 of 21 field goals, including a school-record tying five against Texas. He also has 45 touchbacks on 64 kickoffs, including a string of 18 in a row at one point. Huston leads the Big Ten in kick scoring, field goals made and field goal percentage.
INJURY UPDATE
Offensive tackle Steve Rehring is out for the year after contracting pneumonia. The 6-foot-8-inch, 330-pound true freshman had played in three games before becoming ill. Linebacker Marcus Freeman and tight end Rory Nicol remain sidelined with injuries and are not expected to play this season. Freeman played in the opener; Nicol has not played this year. Senior running back Brandon Schnittker is out for the remainder of the regular season after undergoing back surgery. Linebacker Bobby Carpenter suffered a broken leg at Michigan. His status for the bowl will be evaluated on a weekly basis.
THREE PLAYERS RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS
Seniors Steve Winner, John Conroy and Rob “Chic” Harley have been put on scholarship by Coach Jim Tressel.
“They have worked hard and deserve it,” the Ohio State coach said. “It is nice to be able to reward players for their work ethic. All three have a passion to be here, so I know this is special for them.”
Winner is from Dublin, Ohio, Conroy from Bay Village, Ohio and Harley from Elmhurst, Ill.
HUSTON GETS DEGREE
Kicker Josh Huston was one of 23 Ohio State student-athletes to receive an undergraduate degree Aug. 28. With a degree in real estate and urban development already completed, Huston began work on another undergrad degree in psychology when fall classes started in late September.
THE BUCKEYES ALL-TIME
Ohio State concluded the regular season with an all-time record of 774-300-53 since first fielding a football team in 1890. That includes a Big Ten record of 425-162-24 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium slate of 361-102-20 since 1922 and a bowl mark of 17-19.
BUCKEYE CAPTAINS
Linebacker A.J. Hawk, center Nick Mangold, safety Nate Salley and offensive guard Robbie Sims are the 2005 captains. The four seniors were elected by a vote of their teammates. Hawk and Mangold are both from Centerville, Ohio (as is Mike Nugent who was one of last year’s co-captains and Kirk Herbstreit, who captained the 1992 team). Salley is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Sims from Macedonia, Ohio.
SEVEN ROOKIES SEE ACTION
Seven true freshmen – offensive tackle Alex Boone, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, linebacker James Laurinaitis, safety Jamario O’Neal, flanker Brian Robiskie, tailback Maurice Wells and defensive end Lawrence Wilson – have seen action this year for the Buckeyes. Jenkins and Boone are currently starting.
COACHING STAFF ADDITIONS
There are two new faces on the Ohio State coaching staff this year, both on the defensive side of the ball. Tim Beckman has taken over as the cornerbacks coach and Paul Haynes has assumed the role of safeties coach. Beckman comes to Ohio State from Bowling Green, where he spent the past seven seasons. Haynes, who grew up in Columbus and played at DeSales High School, was at Michigan State the past two years.
OTHER COACHING CHANGES
With the departures of defensive coordinator Mark Snyder for Marshall and Mel Tucker for the Cleveland Browns, veteran OSU assistant Jim Heacock has been elevated to defensive coordinator and Luke Fickell to co-defensive coordinator. Additionally, wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell will now serve as assistant head coach. This marks the second-consecutive year the Buckeyes have started the season with a new defensive coordinator, but Heacock is a former head coach who is in his 10th season at Ohio State and Fickell is in his fourth year on Tressel’s staff.
COACHING RESPONSIBILITIES
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels will be in the press box for the Buckeyes during the game, as will cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
GAME 1 – MIAMI (OHIO)
| Miami | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Ohio State | 10 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
The Buckeyes opened the season with a 34-14 win over the RedHawks before an Ohio Stadium crowd of 104,695. The Buckeyes led 20-0 at the half and 34-0 after three quarters before giving up two late touchdowns.
Quarterback Justin Zwick completed 17 of 23 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown and Antonio Pittman rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries to pace a balanced OSU attack. Four different receivers caught five passes from Zwick and backup Todd Boeckman, including Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr., both of whom were on the receiving end of touchdown tosses.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, was its same aggressive and productive self, limiting Miami to just 159 yards through the first three periods, recording five sacks and scoring on a 26-yard interception return by Donte Whitner that put the Buckeyes ahead 20-0 with one minute, 21 seconds to play in the half and took most of the starch out of the visitors.
Linebacker A.J. Hawk led the defense with 10 tackles. The Buckeyes’ starting linebacker corps of Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel all had sacks. So did Whitner and defensive end Mike Kudla, who forced a fumble that led to OSU’s final touchdown – a 42-yard Boeckman-to-Ginn pass. The Buckeyes ended the afternoon with 382 yards (220 passing, 160 rushing) on offense. Miami finished with 298.
GAME 2 – TEXAS
| Texas | 10 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 25 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 22 |
The first meeting between the two football giants was everything it was supposed to be and then some. With a national television audience looking in and a record Ohio Stadium crowd on hand, the teams battled back-and-forth in an epic struggle that will go down in history as one of the classic games ever played in the Horseshoe.
After falling behind 10-0 at the end of the first period, the Buckeyes led 16-13 at the half and 22-16 after three quarters. But the Longhorns took a 23-22 lead with 2:37 to play and then added a safety with 19 seconds remaining to close out the scoring.
Led by All-America linebacker A.J. Hawk, the Buckeye defense forced three turnovers, including a pair of interceptions. Hawk, who seemed to be everywhere, had one of those picks and also recovered a fumble. The Buckeyes’ starting linebacker trio of Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel combined for 31 tackles.
Josh Huston tied the school record with five field goals and narrowly missed on a sixth. The Buckeyes’ only touchdown came on a 36-yard pass from Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes, tying the score at 10-all with 8:11 to play in the first half. In addition to catching four passes for 73 yards, Holmes also returned three kickoffs for 109 yards.
Sophomore Antonio Pittman led the Buckeyes in rushing for the second-consecutive week, finishing with 75 yards on 17 carries and repeatedly picking up additional yards with extra effort.
GAME 3 – SAN DIEGO STATE
| San Diego St. | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ohio State | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
After San Diego State registered a 6.0 on the Ohio Stadium Richter scale by scoring on an 80-yard pass on its first play from scrimmage, it was all Ohio State defense the rest of the way. Led by the brilliant linebacking corps of All-American A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel, the OSU defense completely shut down the Aztec offense for the next 59 minutes and 49 seconds. After their opening drive, the Aztecs could manage a meager 99 yards the rest of the day, including just 44 in the second half. Eleven of their 14 possessions ended with a punt – the other three were the lone score, the end of the half and a fumble. SDSU managed just 13 yards rushing.
Hawk again led the team in tackles with eight, including a tackle-for-loss. Carpenter had two sacks and Schlegel was credited with half a sack and also recovered a fumble. It was Schlegel’s pressure that forced the Aztec fumble, which he recovered on the SDSU 1-yard line on the final play of the third quarter. Brandon Schnittker scored on the next play to put OSU up 24-6.
Quarterback Troy Smith accounted for 235 yards in total offense and ran for a pair of touchdowns. Seven different receivers caught at least two passes, led by Santonio Holmes and Roy Hall with four catches each.
Kicker Josh Huston added a pair of field goals, connecting from 25 and 39 yards out to complete the scoring.
A number of young players saw their first extended playing time, including true freshmen Mo Wells, who carried the ball nine times for 32 yards, and Brian Robiskie, who gathered in his first career reception and then spun his way up field for 13 yards. Redshirt freshman Erik Haw made his debut and responded with one carry for 6 yards and two receptions for another 6.
The Buckeyes rolled up 375 yards in total offense on 82 plays.
GAME 4 – IOWA
| Iowa | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Ohio State | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
The Buckeyes were masterful on both sides of the ball against the Hawkeyes. With junior quarterback Troy Smith and sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman both enjoying their best outings of the year, the Buckeyes amassed a season-high 530 yards – 314 rushing and 216 through the air. Smith completed 13 of 19 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 127 yards and a pair of scores on 18 carries, rolling up 318 yards in total offense. Pittman sliced and diced his way through the Hawkeye defense for 171 yards on 28 carries, both of which were career highs.
The OSU defense, meanwhile, limited the Hawkeyes to 137 yards and an average of 2.4 yards per play on 57 plays. Iowa had 13 yards at halftime, compared to Ohio State’s 331. The Buckeyes also converted 13 of their 18 third down opportunities, including nine-of-10 in the first half. Iowa converted just one-of-12 third downs.
As he has all year, A.J. Hawk led the Buckeyes in tackles with 10. Safety Donte Whitner had seven stops and an interception, and end Mike Kudla, a disruptive force all afternoon, had a sack and a half. Bobby Carpenter and Tyler Everett added sacks for the Buckeyes, who had five on the day.
The Buckeyes led 17-0 at the half and put the game away by scoring on their first possession of the third quarter on a 4-yard run by Smith, who scored earlier on a 16-yard jaunt. Both of Smith’s touchdown passes went to Anthony Gonzalez, who enjoyed his best day as a Buckeye with six receptions for 90 yards. Santonio Holmes had five receptions for 95 yards in a balanced OSU attack.
The 300-yards rushing was the most by the Buckeyes since the 2002 season opener against Texas Tech and the 530 yards in total offense marked the first time OSU had topped the 500 mark since 2002.
The minus-yardage figure by Iowa was the first time since 2003 that an opponent (Indiana, -12 on 32 attempts) had finished on the negative side of the ledger.
GAME 5 – PENN STATE
| Penn State | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
The Buckeyes dropped a hard-fought 17-10 decision to unbeaten Penn State in an old-fashioned defensive struggle. The Buckeyes held the Nittany Lions to 195 total yards, including just 74 in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome an early 14-3 deficit and a pair of costly turnovers. A 30-yard Josh Huston field goal and a 10-yard run by Troy Smith accounted for all of the OSU scoring.
Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn combined for seven receptions and 81 yards and Antonio Pittman had 58 yards on 15 carries for the Buckeyes who wound up with 230 total yards.
Linebackers A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel led the team with nine tackles each and Hawk had three of the Buckeyes 11 tackles-for-loss. Hawk has led the Buckeyes in tackles in all five games this year.
GAME 6 – MICHIGAN STATE
| Michigan St. | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Ohio State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
The Buckeye defense had its hands full with Michigan State’s high scoring offense, but still held the Spartans well below their season average of 45 points per game. Spartan quarterback Drew Stanton threw for a career-high 340 yards, but was sacked a school-recrod 12 times by the relentless Ohio State defense. Michigan State entered the game first in sacks allowed with five through its first five games. They left dead last.
Linebackers A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel all recorded double figures in tackles for the Buckeyes, as did safety Donte Whitner. Hawk finished the game with 19 stops, while Carpenter had 11 and tied the school record for sacks in a game with four. Whitner matched his career high with 11 tackles, one more than Schlegel. Defensive tackle David Patterson had a career high three tackles-for-loss.
Cornerback Ashton Youboty finished with six tackles, a blocked field goal and a 72-yard return for a touchdown on another MSU field goal attempt. Ohio State trailed 17-7 until Youboty scooped up a blocked field goal and scored with no time left on the clock to make it 17-14 at the half.
Offensively, the Buckeyes hurt their own cause with four lost fumbles, but scored on pass plays of 51, 57 and 46 yards to dig themselves out of a 17-7 hole. Troy Smith threw for a career high 249 yards and enjoyed the first three-touchdown-passing-game of his career. Two of those tosses went to Santonio Holmes, who sandwiched catches of 51 and 46 yards around Ted Ginn’s 57-yard scoring reception. Ginn’s catch is the longest play of the year for the Buckeyes.
Antonio Pittman recorded his third 100-yard day of the year, finishing with 101 yards on 18 carries to lead all rushers.
The Buckeyes had the ball for just over 19 minutes against the Spartans, but made the most of their opportunities, averaging a whopping 9.4 yards per play on 41 plays.
GAME 7 – INDIANA
| Ohio State | 7 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
| Indiana | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
The Buckeyes jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on a 23-yard pass from Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes and never looked back. OSU led 17-3 at the half on a 1-yard Smith run and a 23-yard field goal by Josh Huston. Indiana cut that lead to 17-10 on a fumble runback, but the Buckeyes answered immediately with a five-play, 79-yard drive that required just 56 seconds and was capped off by a 23-yard scamper by Smith. Nickel back Brandon Mitchell’s 57-yard interception return for a touchdown put the game out of reach at 31-10. The Buckeyes added a Huston field goal and a dazzling 62-yard punt return by Teddy Ginn in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring and head home with a 41-10 win.
The Ohio State defense simply smothered the Indiana offense, allowing the Hoosiers 137 total yards on 57 plays. IU, which entered the game averaging 410 yards a game, was held to 42 yards rushing and 137 passing. Besides the fumble return, Indiana’s only other score came following an interception.
Sophomore Antonio Pittman rushed 26 times for 133 yards to pace the OSU rushing attack. Smith accounted for 281 yards in total offense and found favorite receiver Santonio Holmes five times for 104 of those yards.
For the second week in a row, the Buckeyes blanked their opponent in the fourth period.
GAME 8 – MINNESOTA
| Ohio State | 17 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
Troy Smith threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns, Ted Ginn Jr. scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and Antonio Pittman rushed for a career high 186 yards as the Buckeyes downed the Gophers 45-31. In addition to scoring the most points on the road since 1998, the Buckeyes rolled up 449 yard in total offense, including 216 on the ground. Minnesota, which had entered the game averaging 299 yards rushing, finished with 182, including just 45 in the second half. The Gophers’ talented tailback Laurence Mauroney finished with 127 yards to become the first back this year to rush for 100 yards against the Buckeyes, but he was held to 13 yards on 11 carries in the second half.
Smith, who has had a hot hand of late, gave the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead on their first possession with a 41-yard scoring strike to split end Santonio Holmes, one of two TD receptions on the day for Holmes. With OSU leading 10-7, Ginn sprinted 100 yards untouched on a kickoff return to put the Buckeyes on top 17-7. Pittman snapped a 17-17 tie with a 67-yard run on the Buckeyes’ first possession of the second half that gave OSU the lead for good. Smith made it 31-17 on a 27-yard pass to Anthony Gonzalez on the Buckeyes’ next possession.
The Gophers, who threw for 396 yards and had 578 yards in total offense, closed the gap to 31-24, but a 4-yard Pittman run and a 30-yard Smith-to-Holmes pass salted things away.
Donte Whitner led the Buckeye defense with 10 tackles, one more than A.J. Hawk and Ashton Youboty.
The Buckeyes had no turnovers in the game and recovered a Gopher fumble that set up Pittman’s second score. Nate Salley forced the fumble which was recovered by Quinn Pitcock.
GAME 9 – ILLINOIS
| Illinois | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 10 | 20 | 7 | 40 |
The Buckeyes ran their record to 7-2 with a 40-2 win over Illinois. Troy Smith threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns and Antonio Pittman ran for 96 yards and a pair of scores to pace the OSU attack. Linebacker A.J. Hawk had 10 tackles, one more than defensive end Mike Kudla and two more than strong safety Donte Whitner as the Buckeye defense held the Illini to 160 yards of total offense, including just 68 rushing.
Josh Huston put the Buckeyes ahead to stay with a pair of early field goals and a 41-yard Smith to Santonio Holmes pass made it 13-0 at the half. The Buckeyes put the game out of reach in the third quarter with 20 points, including the second TD catch of the day by Holmes and a season-long 73-yard strike from Smith to Ted Ginn Jr. Antonio Pittman rushed for 96 yards on 22 carries and for the second week in a row scored two touchdowns.
Smith’s 298 passing yards were a career high. Ginn also had a 65-yard kick return and a 52-yard reception. The Buckeyes scored on four drives of 80 or more yards and had four plays of at least 40 yards.
For the second consecutive week, all eight of Huston’s kickoffs were touchbacks.
GAME 10 – NORTHWESTERN
| Northwestern | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Ohio State | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
The Buckeyes spotted the Wildcats a quick touchdown, then put up 48 unanswered points to record their eighth win of the year. Quarterback Troy Smith rushed for a pair of first quarter scores to give Ohio State a 14-7 lead and it was all downhill from there. The Buckeyes rushed for a season-high 317 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns, also a high-water mark. Josh Huston added a pair of field goals and All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk scored on a blocked punt to complete the scoring. Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock got the block.
While the OSU offense was rolling up 422 yards, including 132 on the ground by tailback Antonio Pittman, the Buckeye defense allowed the normally explosive Wildcats to a meager 251 yards in total offense. It was the lowest point total of the year for the Wildcats and the fewest since a 20-0 loss to Ohio State in 2003, a span of 30 games.
The game marked the final home appearance of 16 Ohio State seniors.
2006 SCHEDULE COMPLETED
Ohio State has completed its 2006 football card with the addition of Bowling Green. The two teams will play Oct. 7 in Ohio Stadium, giving the Buckeyes seven home games next year. The Buckeyes and Falcons have met three times previously. Ohio State leads the series 3-0. All three games have been played in Columbus. The most recent game was in 2003.
WATCHING THE BUCKEYES
In seven home games this year, Ohio State drew an average of 105,017 to Ohio Stadium, eclipsing the previous best single-season attendance average of 104,876 set in 2004. The 105,565 fans who attended the Texas game on Sept. 10 of this year eclipsed the single-game record set against Michigan in 2002 (105,539). With road games at Penn State and Michigan this year, the Buckeyes have played in nine games where the crowds exceed the 100,000 mark.
