Buckeyes, Irish to Battle in Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 21, 2005
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GAME FACTS
Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, 5:12 p.m., EST; Sun Devil Stadium (73,471), Tempe, Ariz.
THE BROADCASTS
Television – ABC will televise the game nationally. Brent Musburger will call the play-by-play with Gary Danielson providing the expert analysis. Jack Arute will be on the sidelines.
Radio – WBNS (AM 1460 The Fan) is the flagship station for the 73-station Ohio State radio network. The Jim Tressel pregame show airs 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Paul Keels will call the play-by-play and will be assisted by former Buckeyes Jim Lachey in the booth and Jim Karsatos on the sidelines. ESPN Radio will broadcast the game nationally.
BUCKEYES BOWLING AGAIN
This year’s appearance in the Fiesta Bowl will be the 37th bowl appearance by the Buckeyes, whose first bowl outing was in the 1921 Rose Bowl. Over the years, the Buckeyes have fashioned an overall record of 17-19 in postseason play and have participated in 11 different bowl games. Ohio State is 3-0 in BCS bowl games, including a pair of wins in the Fiesta Bowl (following the 2002 and 2003 seasons) and has won its last three bowl games under head coach Jim Tressel.
OHIO STATE TRAVEL INFO
The Buckeyes will depart for Tempe on Dec. 26 and will stay at the Scottsdale Princess. The team will practice at Pinnacle High School.
PRACTICE AND INTERVIEW INFO
Unless otherwise noted, all practices will be closed. All coach and player interviews should be cleared through either Steve Snapp, Todd Lamb or Tim Stried of the Ohio State Athletics Communications Office and should be made at least a day in advance.
SEVEN PLAYERS HEADED FOR ALL-STAR ACTION
Seven Ohio State football players have been selected to participate in post-season all-star games. Nate Salley, Anthony Schlegel, Rob Sims and Josh Huston will play in the East-West Shrine Game which, after 80 years in San Francisco, will be played for the first time at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m., EST. One week later, on Jan. 28, A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Nick Mangold will travel to Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. ESPN will televise that game live beginning at 4 p.m., EST.
HAWK WINS ROTARY LOMBARDI AWARD
Linebacker A.J. Hawk was named the recipient of the 36th annual Rotary Lombardi Award Dec. 7 in Houston, becoming the fifth Buckeye to win the prestigious award, which goes to the top lineman or linebacker, a record six times. Hawk beat out Paul Posluszny (Penn State), Elvis Dummerville (Louisville) and Rod Wright (Texas) to join Jim Stillwagon (1970), John Hicks (1973), Chris Spielman (1987) and Orlando Pace (1995 & 1996) as Buckeye Lombardi winners. Hawk has led the Buckeyes in tackles each of the last three seasons and nine of the 11 games this year. Hawk, the senior co-captain and team MVP was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and also was a finalist for the Butkus and Bednarik awards as well as the Lott Trophy.
RUBBER GAME WITH THE IRISH
This year’s match-up between Ohio State and Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl will be the fifth meeting between the two schools. The series is deadlocked at 2-2, with Notre Dame wining the first two (1935 & ’36) and Ohio State winning the last two (1995 & ’96).
MORE ON THE SERIES
Notre Dame won the first game of the series with a dramatic 18-13 win in 1935 in Columbus. The Irish also prevailed the following year in South Bend, turning back the Buckeyes 7-2. The two teams did not play again until 1995 when Ohio State downed the visiting Irish 45-26. The Buckeyes tied the series in 1996, recording a 29-16 triumph at Notre Dame.
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 fourth in the polls and 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 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 and 3-1 in bowl games, including a 2-0 mark in BCS games. He is 7-2 in the last two games of the season.
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.
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 broke 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.
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.
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, won the 2005 Lombardi Award.
18 BUCKEYES EARN ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
A total of 18 Ohio State football student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. The figure tied for the conference lead with Indiana, Michigan State and Penn State. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letter winners in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a career grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better. In all 55 Buckeye football student-athletes carried a 3.0 during the 2005 fall quarter, led by sophomore flanker Anthony Gonzalez, who recorded a 4.0 for the third straight quarter.
| Name | Yr. |
| Alex Barrow | So. |
| Doug Datish | Sr. |
| Marcus Freeman | So. |
| Roy Hall | Sr. |
| Derek Harden | Jr. |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | So. |
| Anthony Gonzalez | Jr. |
| Dionte Johnson | So. |
| Curt Lukens | Jr. |
| Nick Mangold | Sr. |
| Drew Norman | Sr. |
| Nick Patterson | So. |
| Joel Penton | Sr. |
| Steve Rehring | So. |
| Brandon Schnittker | Sr. |
| Jon Skinner | So. |
| Antonio Smith | Sr. |
| Stan White Jr. | Gr. |
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 134.5 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.
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 WAS GROZA SEMI-FINALIST
Senior kicker Josh Huston was 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.
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.
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.
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.
2006 SCHEDULE
| Sept. 2 | Northern Illinois |
| Sept. 9 | at Texas |
| Sept. 16 | Cincinnati |
| Sept. 23 | Penn State |
| Sept. 30 | at Iowa |
| Oct. 7 | Bowling Green |
| Oct. 14 | at Michigan State |
| Oct. 21 | Indiana |
| Oct. 28 | Minnesota |
| Nov. 4 | at Illinois |
| Nov. 11 | at Northwestern |
| Nov. 18 | Michigan |
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.
