No. 18/17 Ohio State vs. Minnesota Game Notes – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Buckeyes have won six straight and 22 of 23 against the Gophers
#18/17 Ohio State (5-2, 3-1) vs. Minnesota (4-3, 2-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009 – Noon ET
Ohio Stadium (102,329), Columbus, Ohio
The Broadcasts
Television: Saturday’s game will be televised live on ESPN with Dave Pasch (P-by-P), Chris Spielman (analyst) and Bob Griese (analyst) in the booth.
Radio: WBNS (FM 97.1 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 with former Buckeye Jim Lachey in the booth and Marty Bannister on the sidelines. The game can also be heard on Sirius satellite radio Channel 129 .
FIRST AND 10
• This will be the 49th meeting between these Big Ten conference opponents
• Ohio State leads the all-time series with Minnesota 41-7
• Coach Jim Tressel is 88-21 in nine seasons at Ohio State; 223-78-2 in his 24th season overall
• The Illinois win was the 500th for the Tressel family as head coache`s, second only to the Bowdens
• Ohio State is 63-19-5 in Homecoming games
• Ohio State is 18-2 after a loss during the Tressel era
• Terrelle Pryor needs two yards on the ground to become the fifth Ohio State quarterback to rush for 1,000 career yards
• Kicker Aaron Pettrey leads the Big Ten in scoring with 8.0 points per game
• Ohio State is 51-0 when scoring 30 points or more since 2001
• Ohio State has won 4 Big Ten titles in a row, won at least 10 games in each of the last four years, played in the national championship game twice and two other BCS bowls
MINNESOTA AT A GLANCE
The Gophers are coming off a 20-0 loss to Penn State Saturday in State College. They are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten after posting wins at Northwestern (35-24) and Purdue (35-20) with losses to Wisconsin (31-28) at home and the Nittany Lions. They are 2-1 in non-conference games with wins at Syracuse (23-30 ot) and Air Force (20-13) and a loss at home to California (35-21).
Senior wide receiver and Biletnikoff candidate Eric Decker leads the Big Ten and ranks 10th nationally with 104.4 yards receiving per game. He has 47 catches for 731 yards and five touchdowns on the season and averages a league-best 15.6 yards per catch. Junior quarterback Adam Weber averages 189.3 yards through the air.
Defensively, seniors Lee Campbell (77) and Nate Triplett (70) rank first and second in the Big Ten in tackles, respectively.
The Gophers are led by head coach Tim Brewster who is 12-20 and 5-15 in his third season in Minneapolis. Last season he led Minnesota to a 7-6 record and a trip to the Insight Bowl where they lost to Kansas.
SERIES RECORD
The Buckeyes and Gophers are playing for the 49th time; Ohio State has a 41-7 advantage in the series, with a 21-3 mark in Columbus. The Buckeyes have won the last six games in the series, including a 34-21 OSU victory last season in Columbus.
Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 1913, Ohio State is 453-190-28 all-time in Big Ten games, and 257-112-18 in conference home games. The Buckeyes’ all-time conference win percentage of 69.7% is the best of any Big Ten school.
AT HOMECOMING
Ohio State’s record in Homecoming games is 63-19-5; 2009 will be the 88th Homecoming celebrated at Ohio State. The Buckeyes have only faced four non-conference teams (3-0-1) in Homecoming games: San Jose State (2002), Penn (1932), Navy (1931), Princeton (1928). Coach Jim Tressel is 6-2 in Homecoming games at Ohio State.
Tressel’s Teams At Homecoming:
2001: Wisconsin 20, Ohio State 17
2002: Ohio State 50, San Jose State 7
2003: Ohio State 19, Iowa 10
2004: Ohio State 30, Indiana 7
2005: Ohio State 35, Michigan State 24
2006: Ohio State 44, Minnesota 0
2007: Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17
2008: Penn State 13, Ohio State 6
BOUNCING BACK
During the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State, in the games following the Buckeyes’ 20 losses, OSU has an 18-2 record. Twelve of those games were at Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes under Tressel are 11-1 in the game following a loss. Only once during the Tressel era has Ohio State recorded back-to-back losses, a three-game stretch with losses at Northwestern, to Wisconsin and at Iowa in October, 2004.
THE SILVER BULLETS
- Ranked ninth nationally in rushing defense, the Buckeyes are giving up just 87.9 yards per game on the ground this season, allowing just 2.7 yards per rush. OSU’s opponents have scored only five rushing touchdowns in seven games. During a three-game span, Ohio State allowed just 13, 82 and 18 yards rushing vs. Toledo, Illinois and Indiana, an average of only 37.6 yards/game.
- Ohio State’s defensive squads have held opponents to fewer than 21 points 45 times since 2006, the best among FBS teams. The Buckeyes are 42-3 in those games. Ohio State’s defense has allowed fewer than 10 points 22 times since the start of 2006.
- The Buckeyes have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 17-consecutive games. The last to do it was Joe McKnight at USC in 2008. The 17-game streak ranks second among FBS schools. Alabama is first with a 27-game streak. (see chart)
- Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Buckeyes have allowed only seven 100-yard rushers during a span of 59 games. That mark is the best by FBS schools during that time period. (see chart)
- Wisconsin running back John Clay was averaging 134.7 yards on the ground over his last four games heading into the Badgers game with Ohio State, but was limited to 59 rushing yards against the Buckeyes.
- Ohio State ranks among the NCAA Top 25 in five categories in 2009: rushing defense (9th), scoring defense (11th), total defense (16th), pass efficiency defense (19th) and sacks (25th).
- The back-to-back shutouts of Toledo and Illinois were the first time since 1996 that the Buckeye defense recorded consecutive shutouts.
- The Buckeye defense had a nine-quarter scoreless streak stopped at Indiana; the Buckeyes have allowed only four touchdowns over the past 19 quarters.
- The 38-0 shutout of Toledo (which had averaged 42.5 points in its first two games) was the first by the Buckeyes since a 43-0 shutout of Youngstown State in the 2008 season opener and the fourth shutout of the Tressel era. The Buckeyes held the Rockets to just 210 total yards, only 13 of those on the ground.
- Against the USC Trojans, Ohio State’s defense did not allow a first down until the 13:15 mark of the second quarter and held the Trojans to only 5 yards of total offense on their first three possessions. The previous week, USC totaled 620 yards against San Jose State.
- The Ohio State defense is averaging 5.1 three-and-outs per contest this season. The Buckeyes forced both Toledo and Indiana to go three-and-out seven times. OSU recorded five three-and-outs against both Southern Cal and Illinois, and four against Navy, Purdue and Wisconsin. Ohio State has 36 total three-and-outs for the 2009 campaign.
FORCING TURNOVERS
The Buckeyes have forced 17 opponent turnovers through the first seven games, an average of 2.4 per contest. Ohio State has forced 12 interceptions and recovered five opponent fumbles; the Buckeyes also scored a defensive two-point PAT on a Brian Rolle pass interception and runback versus Navy.
Kurt Coleman (89 yards) and Jermale Hines (32 yards) each returned interceptions for touchdowns against Wisconsin. That was the first time since Sept. 23, 2006 vs. Penn State, when Malcolm Jenkins (61) and Antonio Smith (55) each returned picks for TDs, that Ohio State had two interception returns for a score in a single game. Coleman’s return was the fifth longest in Ohio State history.
Three defenders – Brian Rolle, Lawrence Wilson and Hines – had interceptions against Illinois. The last time the Buckeyes had three interceptions in a game was Sept. 6, 2008, against Ohio.
Chimdi Chekwa: INT (Pur)
Kurt Coleman: INT (Navy, Wisc/TD); FF (Navy, Tol, Illi); FR (Pur)
Todd Denlinger: INT (Ind)
Thaddeus Gibson: FF (Navy, Illi)
Cameron Heyward: FR (Navy)
Jermale Hines: INT (Illi, Wisc/TD)
Ross Homan: INT (USC); FF (Wisc); FR (Tol)
Brian Rolle: PAT INT (Navy); INT (Illi)
Anderson Russell: INT (Ind), FR (Ind)
Andrew Sweat: INT (Tol); FF (Ind)
Devon Torrence: INT (Pur); FF (Ind)
Lawrence Wilson: INT (Illi)
Doug Worthington: FR (Navy)
TOTAL OFFENSE
Midway through his sophomore season, Terrelle Pryor has eclipsed 3,000 total offense yards for his career. He is now in 15th place on Ohio State’s all-time list with 3,471 yards; his Purdue numbers moved him past Keith Byars (3,235) and Chris Wells (3,382). Next on the list are Tim Spencer (3,553) and Eddie George (3,768).
Pryor’s 372 yards of total offense against Toledo marked a career high for the sophomore signalcaller, and the best total offense game of his career. His previous high was 232 against Penn State last season. The Toledo win was the first time an Ohio State player had 300+ yards of total offense since Troy Smith had 328 against Michigan in 2006. Pryor’s performance was the fifth best total offense game in OSU history.
412 – Art Schlichter (Florida State, 1981)
408 – Troy Smith (Notre Dame, 2005)
388 – Joe Germaine (Penn State, 1997)
386 – Troy Smith (Michigan, 2004)
372 – Terrelle Pryor (Toledo, 2009)
Against the Rockets, Pryor recorded career highs with 17 completions, 27 attempts and 262 yards. He also rushed 12 times for 110 yards, including a career-long 43-yarder in the third quarter. It was the second 100-yard rushing game of his career; he rushed for 110 yards at Illinois last season.
Pryor’s 200-Yard Total Offense Games
| Tot (Run/Pass) | Opp |
| 372 (110/262) | vs. Toledo, 2009 |
| 255 (34/221) | @ Purdue, 2009 |
| 232 (6/226) | Penn State, 2008 |
| 230 (33/197) | @ Northwestern, 2008 |
| 222 (63/159) | @ Indiana, 2009 |
| 213 (36/177) | USC, 2009 |
| 205 (66/139) | Troy, 2008 |
| 204 (30/174) | Navy, 2009 |
PRYOR ON THE RUN
Sophomore Terrelle Pryor needs just two rushing yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for his career. With 998 rushing yards to date (averaging 4.5 yards per carry during his career), Pryor would become just the fifth Buckeye quarterback ever to rush for more than 1,000 career yards.
| Cornelius Greene | 2,066 from 1972-75 |
| Rex Kern | 1,714 from 1968-70 |
| Art Schlichter | 1,303 from 1978-81 |
| Troy Smith | 1,168 from 2003-06 |
| Terrelle Pryor | 998 from 2008-present |
SCORE BY QUARTERS
This season in the first quarter, the Buckeyes have outscored the opposition 58-17. In the second quarter, the Buckeyes are ahead 54-26, and Ohio State holds a 38-24 advantage in third-quarter scoring. Ohio State has outscored its 2009 opponents 46-31 in fourth-quarter play.
Ohio State has held the opposition scoreless in 14 quarters this year (50%).
The Buckeyes are outscoring opponents by 14.0 points per game (28.0-14.0) this season.
OHIO STATE CAPTAINS
Seniors Kurt Coleman, Austin Spitler and Doug Worthington were elected as 2009 captains of the Ohio State football team. An offensive game captain will be selected each week.
Jim Cordle served as captain against Navy and Purdue; Jake Ballard was the fourth captain for the USC and Wisconsin contests. Bryant Browning was offensive captain for Toledo, and Dane Sanzenbacher was captain for Illinois. Brandon Saine and Dexter Larimore served as game captains at Indiana.
The last time Ohio State had only defensive players as permanent captains was in 2002, when Mike Doss and Donnie Nickey were captains of the national championship squad.
TRESSEL VS. FIRST-YEAR COACHES
Since coming to Ohio State in 2001, Jim Tressel has faced coaches in their first year at the opposing school 14 times. In those games, the Buckeyes hold a 13-1 record. This season, Toledo’s Tim Beckman, Purdue’s Danny Hope and New Mexico State’s DeWayne Walker are in their first campaign as head coach at those schools.
2002 vs. Indiana (Gerry DiNardo) 45-17
2003 vs. Washington (Keith Gilbertson) 28-9
2003 vs. BGSU (Gregg Brandon) 24-17
2004 vs. Cincinnati (Mark Dantonio) 27-6
2005 vs. Miami (OH) (Shane Montgomery) 34-14
2005 at Indiana (Terry Hoeppner) 41-10
2005 vs. Illinois (Ron Zook) 40-2
2006 vs. Notre Dame (Charlie Weis) 34-20
2006 at Northwestern (Pat Fitzgerald) 54-10
2007 at Minnesota (Tim Brewster) 30-7
2007 vs. Michigan State (Mark Dantonio) 24-17
2008 vs. Michigan (Rich Rodriguez) 42-7
2009 vs. Toledo (Tim Beckman) 38-0
2009 at Purdue (Danny Hope) 18-26
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Ohio State is 128-104-12 all-time when facing a ranked opponent, and 39-41-7 on the road against ranked teams. Under Coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are 34-13 overall and 12-6 on the road against ranked teams.
BUCKS WIN 77 PERCENT OF OHIO STADIUM GAMES
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 388-107-20 (.773) in Ohio Stadium since that facility opened in 1922.
The crowd of 106,033 against Southern California was the largest ever to watch a game at Ohio Stadium, besting last year’s crowd of 105,711 against Penn State. The attendance of 105,092 against Navy was an opening day record for Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State has hosted 52 consecutive crowds of 100,000 or larger at Ohio Stadium; three of last year’s crowds ranked among the top 10 all-time. Ohio State’s all-time record in Columbus is 531-154-35 in 720 games.
DOWN THE STRETCH
During the Jim Tressel era, the Buckeyes are 76-6 (.926) when winning or tied at the half. Ohio State is 81-6 (.931) when winning or tied going into the fourth quarter of a game under Tressel.
| W/T at Half | W/T into 4th | |
| 2001 | 6-2 | 7-3 |
| 2002 | 9-0 | 11-0 |
| 2003 | 10-0 | 10-0 |
| 2004 | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 2005 | 9-1 | 8-1 |
| 2006 | 11-0 | 12-0 |
| 2007 | 10-0 | 11-0 |
| 2008 | 8-2 | 9-1 |
| 2009 | 5-1 | 5-1 |
| Total | 76-6 | 81-6 |
FOR STARTERS
When the Ohio State-Minnesota game kicks off, the Buckeyes will have a total of 36 players with at least one game of starting experience.
Those are: Anderson Russell (33); Kurt Coleman (30); Doug Worthington (29); Jim Cordle, Cameron Heyward (27); Bryant Browning, Chimdi Chekwa (20); Jake Ballard, Mike Brewster, Thaddeus Gibson, Terrelle Pryor (17); Ross Homan, Jermale Hines (13); Todd Denlinger (10); Lawrence Wilson, Dane Sanzenbacher (9); Dexter Larimore (8); Justin Boren, Brian Rolle, DeVier Posey (7); Dan Herron, Austin Spitler, Zach Boren (6); Rob Rose, Ray Small, J.B. Shugarts, Devon Torrence (5); Brandon Saine, Rob Rose, Mike Adams (4); Andrew Miller (3); Andre Amos, Tyler Moeller, Jake Stoneburner (2); Aaron Gant, Duron Carter (1).
Getting their first Ohio State start against Navy were six players: Andre Amos, Justin Boren, Zach Boren, Andrew Miller, DeVier Posey and Brian Rolle. Jake Stoneburner made his first start against USC. Devon Torrence, Duron Carter and J.B. Shugarts were first time starters vs. Toledo. Mike Adams was a first-time starter against Illinois.
The Boren brothers – Justin and Zach – products of Pickerington, Ohio, are the first siblings to start in the same game for the Buckeyes since John (LB) and Mike (NG) Sullivan from Mentor, Ohio, started nine games together during the 1988 season.
IN OCTOBER
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 358-126-28 in October games. Ohio State is 245-63-20 in October home games and 114-63-8 on the road that month.
Eleven members of the Buckeye roster have birthdays during October: Jordan Whiting, Joe Bauserman, Orhian Johnson, Grant Dziak, Dane Sanzenbacher, John Simon, Connor Smith, Nathan Williams, Thaddeus Gibson, Austin Spitler and J.B. Shugarts.
OHIO STATE W/L RECORDS
Seasons: 120th
All-Time Record: 813-309-53
Big Ten: 453-190-28
Ohio Stadium: 388-107-20
Bowl Games: 18-22
AVERAGE PER DOWN
Here’s a breakdown of how the 2009 Ohio State offense is operating on first, second, third and fourth down.
On first down, the Buckeyes have run a total of 184 plays, gaining 1,145 yards for an average of 6.2 yards per play. On second down, OSU has tried 139 plays for 704 yards, a 5.1 average. On third down, the Buckeyes have run 86 plays, gaining 575 yards for a 6.7 average. Ohio State has tried only five fourth-down attempts, gaining 8 yards.
Ohio State’s touchdowns this season have come four times on first down (three rushing and one passing TD), nine times on second down (three passing and six rushing), five times on third down (all passes) and once on a fourth-down pass.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Ten true freshmen have seen action for the Buckeyes in 2009. Seven Ohio State true freshmen made their first collegiate appearance in the opener against Navy: DB C.J. Barnett, FB Zach Boren, WR Duron Carter, TE Reid Fragel, FB Adam Homan, LB Storm Klein and DT John Simon. Tailback Jordan Hall, another true freshman, saw his first action against Toledo, and LB Jonathan Newsome played for the first time against Illinois. OL Marcus Hall played for the first time at Indiana.
1954 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS REUNION
Members of Ohio State’s 1954 national championship squad will hold their 55th anniversary reunion around the Minnesota game. Team members will celebrate at the Faculty Club Friday evening, and will be introduced at Saturday’s game. The 1954 Buckeyes posted a 10-0 record, and defeated Southern Cal 20-7 in the Rose Bowl.
ON SCHOLARSHIP
Three Ohio State seniors received scholarship aid for the 2009 autumn quarter that began Sept. 23: Marcus Williams, who is in physical therapy school; Andrew Moses, who is working toward a second bachelor’s degree after earning his first in political science; and Jon Thoma, who is completing his degree in communication. Three additional seniors – Ryan Schuck, Joe Gantz and Tom Ingham – will receive scholarship aid for the winter quarter.
THE GRADUATES
Six members of the 2009 Buckeye squad have already earned their bachelor’s degrees: Andrew Moses (political science), Aaron Pettrey (social and behavioral sciences), Anderson Russell (communication),
