Football Flashback 1993: No. 16 Buckeyes Upend No. 12 Washington, 21-12, at Home – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Ohio State kicked off a three-year series with Washington with a 21-12 victory in a nationally televised contest in front of a sold out Ohio Stadium crowd Sept. 11, 1993. The Buckeyes subdued a stacked Husky offense that included a pair of future NFL first-round draft picks and the current starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Huskies, ranked No. 12 nationally, featured one of the nation’s top multi-threat running backs in Napoleon Kaufman, who went on to become a two-time All-American and was drafted No. 17 by the Raiders in 1995. UW also boasted an All-American at tight end in Mark Bruener, the 27th pick overall in 1995 by Pittsburgh and current member of the Houston Texans. Damon Huard, now the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, called the signals for that Washington team.
The Buckeyes had talent, too, and it showed. Ohio State took a 14-3 lead in the second quarter when quarterback Bobby Hoying found flanker Joey Galloway for a 35-yard touchdown strike. Washington closed to within five at the half (14-9) on an 8-yard Huard scoring pass.
After a scoreless third period, Washington trimmed Ohio State’s advantage to just two points at 14-12 on a 21-yard field goal from Travis Hanson. That would be the closest the Huskies would come to knocking off the Buckeyes at home. Just a minute and half later speedy tailback Butler By’not’e, a Big Ten champion sprinter for the track and field team, raced 49 yards with just more than 11 minutes to go to seal the win.
The Ohio State defense limited Kaufman to just 88 yards of total offense, including 51 yards on 18 carries, an average of less than three stripes per attempt. Kaufman ended the 1993 season with nearly 1,300 yards rushing and 5.7 yards per carry.
The Buckeyes, on the other hand, amassed 183 yards on the ground behind 102 from Raymont Harris, 80 from By’not’e and another 20 from future Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George. Harris scored the first points of the game on a 2-yard run with less than five minutes elapsed in the game.
That season, Ohio State finished 10-1-1 and shared the Big Ten title with Wisconsin. The Buckeyes held off BYU, 28-21, in the Holiday Bowl.
