Ohio State vs. Purdue Game Notes – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 7, 2011
Ohio State (6-3, 3-2) at Purdue (4-5, 2-3)
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011
Noon ET
Ross-Ade Stadium (62,500) – West Lafayette, Ind.
The Broadcasts
Television: BTN will televise the game with Tom Hart and Derek Rackley in the booth and Lisa Byington on the sidelines.
Radio: WBNS (FM 97.1 The Fan) is the flagship station for the 73-station Ohio State radio network. The Luke Fickell 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 137 and XM channel 192.
First and 10
- The Buckeyes are 15-1 in November games since the start of the 2005 season and 8-0 on the road that month (not including 2010).
- Braxton Miller set an Ohio State record for the longest rush by a QB with his 81-yard TD run against the Hoosiers.
- Three different Buckeyes (Herron, Miller, Hyde) rushed for at least 100 yards in the win over Indiana last Saturday.
- Senior RB Dan “Boom” Herron has carried 70 times for 415 yards (138.3 ypg and 5.9 ypc) and 2 TDs in three games this season.
- The Buckeyes are 21-1 in Herron’s career when he rushes for at least 55 yards.
- Herron is the 11th Buckeye to rush for 2,600 yards.
- Junior DL John Simon has 10.0 TFL in the past four games and 5.0 sacks in his last three.
- Sophomore kicker Drew Basil has connected on 12 consecutive field goal attempts.
- Punter Ben Buchanan ranks second nationally with 11 punts inside the 10.
- Head coach Luke Fickell picked up his second consecutive victory over a ranked opponent with the 33-29 win vs. No. 15 Wisconsin Oct. 29.
The Pursuit Continues at Purdue
Ohio State continues its pursuit of first place in the Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference with a noon game this Saturday against Purdue University. The Buckeyes have won three consecutive Leaders Division games to improve to 3-2 in the Big Ten and 6-3 overall. Purdue dropped a 62-17 game on the road at Wisconsin Saturday and enters the game with a 2-3 division record and a 4-5 mark overall.
Series Record
The Buckeyes and Boilermakers have met 52 times previously on the football field, with Ohio State holding a 37-13-2 advantage in the series, a total that does not reflect the result of the 2010 game vacated by Ohio State. Ohio State leads 24-5-2 in all games played at Columbus and 12-7 in all games at Purdue. The Boilermakers have defeated the Buckeyes in three of the last five meetings at Purdue. Included in that stretch of games was the 26-18 Boilermaker win in 2009.
November Dominance
The Buckeyes are 15-1 in November games since 2005, suffering a 28-21 loss at home to Illinois Nov. 10, 2007. And even more impressive is the fact Ohio State is 8-0 in November road games during that streak. The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 288-132-19 in November games, 181-78-11 in November home games and 107-54-8 on the road that month. (Note: the 2010 season was vacated by The Ohio State University)
Around the Big Ten
There are some terrific matchups around the Big Ten this weekend: Legends Division leader Michigan State (4-1 Big Ten; 7-2 overall) travels to Iowa (3-2; 6-3); Michigan (3-2; 7-2) is at Illinois (2-3; 6-3); Nebraska (3-2; 7-2) travels to Penn State (5-0; 8-1); Wisconsin (3-2; 7-2) is at Minnesota (1-4; 2-7) and Northwestern (2-4; 4-5) hosts Rice in a non-conference affair. Indiana (0-6; 1-9) is off this week.
Buckeyes Improve to 6-3 and 3-2
Ohio State outscored Indiana, 21-7, in the second half and defeated the Hoosiers, 34-20, in a game that wasn’t decided until less than three minutes remained. That’s when Carlos Hyde scored on a two-yard run for the final points of the game after a key Travis Howard interception. The Buckeyes powered for 346 rushing yards and four touchdowns, which more than made up for just 55 passing yards. The Hoosiers were surprisingly effective in their spread offense with 159 rushing yards and 174 passing.
Freshmen QB Starters: First since 1988
Two freshmen quarterbacks – Ohio State’s Braxton Miller and IU’s Tre Roberson – started opposite each other in a Big Ten game for the first time since Oct. 29, 1988 when Purdue’s Brian Fox and Wisconsin’s Lionell Crawford each started as frosh. Miller completed 5-11 passes for 55 yards with one interception, but he rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two scores. Roberson was 11-21 passing for 174 yards and one interception. He led the Hoosiers in rushing with 70 yards.
16 Consecutive Wins
Ohio State has won 16 consecutive games over Indiana (the 2010 win was vacated) and now holds a 67-12-5 margin in the series. IU last defeated Ohio State in 1988, 41-7. The Hoosiers also won in 1987, 31-10. Before those wins Ohio State had won 23 consecutive and 30 of 31 games – with one tie, in 1959 – since a 32-10 IU win in 1951 … Woody Hayes’ first year as coach.
Trio of Buckeyes Top 100 Yards
Ohio State had three players top 100 yards rushing in a game for the first time in 22 years and for the fourth time in school history vs. Indiana. Dan “Boom” Herron led the trio with 141 yards off 14 carries for an eye-popping 10.1 yards per carry average. Quarterback Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde rushed for 105 yards apiece with fine averages of 7.5 and 7.0 yards per carry, respectively. The three other games when Ohio State had three backs top 100:
- Nov. 4, 1989 vs. Northwestern – Dante Lee 157, Scottie Graham 102, Carlos Snow 100
- Oct. 3, 1970 vs. Duke – Leo Hayden 165, John Brockington 117, Rex Kern 113
- Nov. 10, 1956 vs. Indiana – Galen Cisco 160, James Roseboro 157, Donald Clark 112
Prime Picks
Travis Howard’s second interception this season and the fourth of his career – he leads all Buckeyes in career INTs – continued his trend of making big interceptions at key moments of games. His first INT came last year and was a fourth-quarter pick-six vs. Penn State. He followed that with an interception (and a fumble recovery) in the win over Michigan. And he sealed the 17-7 win over Illinois with a pick with 3:55 to go in the game.
Active Career Leaders – Interceptions
| CB | Travis Howard | Jr. | 4 |
| CB | Bradley Roby | Fr. | 3 |
| LB | Andrew Sweat | Sr. | 3 |
| SF | C.J. Barnett | So. | 2 |
| SF | Orhian Johnson | Jr. | 2 |
| LB | Storm Klein | Jr. | 2 |
15-Year Best 346-Yards Rushing
The talented trio of rusher’s efforts resulted in a 15-year best 346-yard rushing game by the Buckeyes. The last time an Ohio State team rushed for more was Nov. 9, 1996 at Illinois when Pepe Pearson, no doubt running all day behind Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award winner Orlando Pace, led a 348-yard team effort with 165 rushing yards.
Seventh-Best Per Carry Avg. Ever!
Ohio State averaged 7.52 yards per carry vs. the Hoosiers (46-346), a figure that ranks seventh-best all-time for a single game.
Not Without These Guys
Since being held to 35 rushing yards vs. Michigan State, the Buckeyes have bashed their last four opponents for an average of 267 rushing yards per game. The power game no doubt improved when the line, led by All-American center Mike Brewster, was reshuffled with the return of LT Mike Adams. These last four games Adams has started at LT along with LG Andrew Norwell, Brewster calling the shots at center, RG Jack Mewhort and RT J.B. Shugarts. Corey Linsley, Marcus Hall and true freshman Antonio Underwood provide backup. Zach Boren is as good a blocker as one will find at fullback, as well.
More Rush
Ohio State’s 100-yard rushers all had huge gainers against the Hoosiers. Miller had an 81-yard touchdown run, the longest rush in school history by a quarterback and the sixth-longest rush ever. Herron had a 48-yard run in the first half and a 40-yarder in the second. Hyde had a 47-yard rush.
Herron is averaging 36.3 yards per carry on his first touches of the second half in his three games: a 12 yard TD run vs. Illinois, a 57-yard run vs. Wisconsin and a 40-yard run vs. Indiana.
Touchdowns
The trio also combined for four touchdowns with Miller scoring twice for the second game in a row. Herron’s score was the 31st rushing touchdown of his career while Hyde’s TD was his team-leading sixth rushing score of the year.
Drew, George and Derek
Drew Basil is seasoning into a fine kicker for the Buckeyes. He hit two field goals from 36 and 45 yards plus made all four of his extra points on a day the Buckeyes needed every point they could get against Indiana. Basil has now hit 12 consecutive field goals this season and all 26 of his extra point attempts. In post-game interviews he was quick to mention 1) he wasn’t really aware or concerned with his streak and 2) that he couldn’t be on it without expert snaps and holds from George Makridis and Derek Erwin, respectively.
Pinning them Deep
Junior punter Ben Buchanan is quietly enjoying a solid season for the Buckeyes. He ranks second in the nation with 11 punts dropped inside the 10 and is seventh overall with seven inside the 20.
A native of Westerville, Ohio and a Ray Guy Award candidate, Buchanan has punted 50 times this season for an average of 41.3 yards per punt. His longest was a 60-yarder at Miami Sept. 17.
Simon Relentless Again
John Simon continued his relentless pursuit of opposing players and the ball by recording career highs with eight solo tackles and 10 total tackles vs. Indiana. His 3.0 TFLs vs. the Hoosiers were for minus 11 yards. Simon has been on a tear with 10.5 TFLs for minus 49 yards in the last five games. He leads the Buckeyes with 12.5 TFLs this season (-53) and six quarterback sacks, numbers that rank tied for fourth and tied for second, respectively, in the Big Ten Conference.
Sweat’s Rolling
Senior linebacker Andrew Sweat continues to lead the Buckeyes in tackles. He had nine more stops vs. the Hoosiers to increase his team leading total to 66 (33 solo and 33 assists). Sweat ranks 13th in the Big Ten with his 7.3 tackles per game average.
3 DBs Among B1G Top 11 in PDs
Three Ohio State defensive backs – Bradley Roby, C.J. Barnett and Travis Howard – are among the top 11 players statistically in the Big Ten in passes defensed. Roby and Barnett are each tied for second with seven passes defensed. Howard is tied for 11th with five. Roby is also tied for third (three) and Howard eighth (two) in interceptions.
Goebel Sets Career High
First-year defensive line starter Garrett Goebel set a career-best with seven tackles vs. Indiana (four solo and three assists). His previous high was four at Nebraska. He also had a pass defensed against the Hoosiers.
2,609 and Climbing
Dan “Boom” Herron passed Jim Otis (2,542 yards between 1967-69) and Calvin Murray (2,576 yards between 1977-80) on Ohio State’s all-time rushing charts Saturday. Herron now has 2,609 career rushing yards, the 11th highest total in school history. He needs 41 yards to top Raymont Harris and reach Ohio State’s Top 10.
Notes & Numbers
Zach Boren’s 25-yard reception in the first quarter vs. Indiana was the longest of his career … Dan Herron has six 100-yard rushing games in his last eight games played, dating back to last season … Ohio State is 21-1 in games Herron rushes for 55 or more yards and 22-3 in games in which he scores a touchdown … A stats correction: Johnathan Hankins gets credit for the sack on the first play of Indiana’s last series, and not Jamie Wood. Hankins now has three sacks on the season and 7.5 TFLs … Devin Smith replaced the injured Jordan Hall (ankle) on kickoffs and returned the first four kicks of his career for 86 yards, a 21.5 average and a long of 29 … Buckeyes are converting on 86 percent of of their red zone opportunities (25 of 29) with 18 touchdowns (62 percent) … The 346-yard rushing game Saturday improved Ohio State’s per game average 18 yards to 204.3 (fourth in the Big Ten) … Drew Basil is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring and third in kick scoring with 6.9 points per game.
Braxton Miller Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week Oct. 31
The best game of Braxton Miller’s collegiate career – three touchdowns accounted for including a game-winning TD pass with 20 seconds to play – has earned the quarterback from Huber Heights, Ohio, the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week honor Oct. 31. Ohio State defeated No. 15 Wisconsin, 33-29. Miller scored the first two touchdowns of his career before capping the game with his most important TD pass to date. He coasted in from the 1 yard line in the third quarter for his first collegiate score to give Ohio State a 10-7 lead. Then he burst off the left edge for a 44-yard sprint in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 26-14. And then after Wisconsin scored two touchdowns inside of the final four minutes to take a 29-26 lead, Miller threw his sixth touchdown pass of the season, a 40-yarder to fellow freshman Devin Smith with 20 seconds to play to give Ohio State the come-from-behind victory. For the game, Miller rushed for a career high 99 yards and passed for 89 on 7 for 12 passing for a career high total offense day of 188 yards.
John Simon Named Big Ten Defensive POW Oct. 17
John Simon’s aggressive, relentless pursuit of all things Blue and Orange Oct. 15 in Champaign, Ill., earned the junior defensive tackle from Youngstown, Ohio, with the Defensive Player of the Week Award from the Big Ten Conference. The Big Ten award, the first by a Buckeye this season, was one of numerous awards for Simon last week. On a national scale, Simon was named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week and the College Football Performance Award’s National Defensive Lineman of the Week. Simon spearheaded an Ohio State defense with a career-high eight tackles, including a career-high four tackles-for-loss, in the team’s 17-7 road win over 16th-ranked and previously unbeaten Illinois. Simon’s TFLs included two quarterback sacks and totaled 16 yards in losses. The TFL total was one off the school record of five held by Andy Katzenmoyer (vs. Arizona State in 1996), Jayson Gwinn (vs. Indiana in 1993) and Judah Herman (vs. Iowa in 1991).
Stoneburner on John Mackey Midseason Watch List
Jake Stoneburner was named to the midseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation’s top tight end. He is one of 25 individuals under consideration for the award.
Stoneburner, a fourth-year junior from the Columbus suburb of Dublin and a family resource management major, leads the Buckeyes with 12 receptions (for 150 yards) and six touchdowns. He caught his sixth touchdown pass Oct. 15 at Illinois, a 17-yarder from Miller that was the only completion on the day for Ohio State in its 17-7 win over the 16th-ranked and previously unbeaten Illini.
More Notes from the Indiana Win
ZachBoren, Tyler Moeller, Mike Adams and Andrew Sweat served as game captains. Ohio State leads theall-time series with Indiana, 67-12-5, including 16 straight since1988. Three Buckeyes had 100-yard games, led by Dan “Boom” Herronwith 141. Both Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde set career highs with 105 yards rushing each. Thegame marked the first time Ohio State had three 100-yard rusherssince Nov. 4, 1989 at Northwestern. Braxton Miller’s 81-yard touchdown run in the first quarter wasthe longest play from scrimmage for the Buckeyes this year andlongest run of Miller’s career. The run was the longest by an OhioState quarterback and the sixth-longest rush in school history. Theprevious long by a quarterback was a 76-yard run by Rex Kern in1970. Miller’s two rushing touchdowns tied a career high first setlast week vs. Wisconsin. Zach Boren’s 25-yard reception in the first quarter was thelongest of his career. Dan “Boom” Herron’s 141-yard rushing gamemarked the sixth 100-plus yard performance of his career. Hecrossed the 2,500-yard rushing mark and now has 2,609 as a Buckeye.He is the 13th Buckeye with at least 2,500 yards. Ohio State is21-1 in Herron’s career when he rushes for at least 55 yards. OhioState is 22-3 in 25 games in which Herron has scored a rushingtouchdown. The game marked the sixth time this season Ohio Staterushed for at least 200 yards. Ohio State rushed for a season-high346 yards as a team, the most since rushing for 314 vs. Penn StateNov. 13, 2010. Since the Buckeyes were held to 35 yards rushingagainst Michigan State, the team has averaged 267 yards per game inthe last four outings. The squad has rushed for 10 touchdowns inthe span. The last time Ohio State rushed for four touchdowns in agame was against Eastern Michigan Sept. 25, 2010. Senior linebackerAndrew Sweat added to his team-leading tackle total with ninevs. the Hoosiers. He now has 66 this year. Sweat has now had atleast six tackles in seven games this season. Junior defensive endJohn Simon led the team with a career-high 10 tackles againstIndiana. He now has 39 stops this season. Simon claimed histeam-high sixth sack of the season in the first half on aneight-yard tackle for loss on Hoosier freshman quarterback TreRoberson. Simon has claimed at least two tackles-for-loss in thelast four games for the Buckeyes after posting three againstIndiana Saturday. He leads the team with 12.5 total tackles forloss. Junior nose tackle Garrett Goebel posted a career-high seven tackles against theHoosiers. He also had a pass breakup. Nineteen players recordedtackles against the Cream and Crimson. Christian Bryant posted seven tackles and now has had six gameswith at least five takedowns. Travis Howard had his fourth career interception in the fourthquarter. The Buckeye defense held Indiana to 159 rushing yards. TheHoosiers came into the game with a three-game streak with at least200 rushing yards. Ohio State held Indiana to two three-and-outs.With his two field goals, Drew Basil has connected on 12-consecutive field goal attempts.
Stoneburner’s Fifth in Career TDs
Jake Stoneburner is tied for fifth place among Ohio State tight ends with eight career touchdown receptions. The junior caught his fifth touchdown this season – a 32-yard screen pass from Braxton Miller with blocking assistance from Mike Brewster and Mike Adams – in the first quarter against Nebraska and his sixth with a 17-yarder from Miller at Illinois.
Tight End Touchdowns
10 – John Lumpkin (1996-98)
9 – Rickey Dudley (1994-95)
9 – Charles Bryant (1959-61)
9 – Darnell Sanders (1999-01)
8 – Jan White (1968-70)
8 – Robert Grimes (1950-52)
8 – Jake Stoneburner (2009-present)
Five Consecutive Leaders Games
The game this week at Purdue is the fourth during a stretch of five consecutive games against Leaders Division opponents for the Buckeyes before closing out with the traditional season-ender vs. Michigan, which is situated in the Legends Division.
Brewster Reaches 45 Straight
All-American center Mike Brewster started his 45th consecutive game Saturday vs. Indiana. The senior from Orlando, Fla. made his first start in Game 4 of the 2008 season vs. Troy and started the final 10 games of the season. He started all 13 games in 2009 and 2010, respectively, in addition to the first nine games this year.
Red Zone Efficiency
Officially, Ohio State has scored 25 of 29 times (86.2 percent) this season inside the 20 with 18 touchdowns and seven field goals. The only four times the Buckeyes have failed to score came on a fumble and on three end-of-game possessions against Akron, Colorado and Indiana while running out the clock. So if you take out those three instances, Ohio State is really 25 of 26 (96.1 percent).
Since Rod Smith’s fumble in the first quarter against Akron, Ohio State has scored on 24 consecutive red zone possessions if you don’t count the three possessions in which the Buckeyes took a knee to run out the clock.
The Silver Bullet Defense
The Buckeyes have a long-standing tradition of producing the best defenses in the Big Ten and the nation year in, year out. Here are some bullets that put into perspective the Silver Bullets dominance:
Ohio State has featured a Top 20 scoring defense in each of thelast nine seasons, including a top 6 in each of the last six.
| Year | PPG Allowed | FBS Rank |
| 2010 | 14.3 | 5th |
| 2009 | 12.5 | 5th |
| 2008 | 13.9 | 6th |
| 2007 | 12.8 | 1st |
| 2006 | 12.8 | 5th |
| 2005 | 15.3 | 5th |
| 2004 | 18.3 | 19th |
| 2003 | 17.6 | 16th |
| 2002 | 13.1 | 2nd |
Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Ohio Statedefense has allowed only 13 100-yard rushers during a span of 87games and only nine since the start of the 2007 season. Both ofthose marks are the third best among FBS schools during thosespans.
Fewest 100-yd rushers allowed (FBS Teams Since 2005)
| 1. | Alabama | 9 |
| 2. | Boston College | 10 |
| 3. | Ohio State | 13 |
| 4. | Florida | 16 |
| TCU | 16 |
Fewest 100-yd rushers allowed (FBS Teams Since 2007)
| 1. | Alabama | 4 |
| 2. | Boston College | 8 |
| 3. | Ohio State | 9 |
| 4. | Brigham Young | 10 |
| 5. | Pittsburgh | 12 |
Last nine opponents to rush for 100 yards since 2007:
| Date | Player | Team | Att.-Yards |
| 10/8/11 | Taylor Martinez | at Nebraska | 17-102 |
| 10/8/11 | Rex Burkhead | at Nebraska | 26-119 |
| 9/17/11 | Lamar Miller | at Miami | 26-184 |
| 1/4/11 | Knile Davis | vs. Arkansas | 26-139 |
| 11/27/10 | D. Robinson | Michigan | 18 -105 |
| 10/16/10 | John Clay | at Wisconsin | 21-104 |
| 9/13/08 | Joe McKnight | at USC | 12-105 |
| 11/10/07 | Daniel Dufrene | Illinois | 8-106 |
| 9/15/07 | Jake Locker | at Washington | 14-102 |
Ohio State has allowed just one 100-yard rusher in the past28 games at Ohio Stadium. Since the 2005 season, Ohio State hasfinished either first or second in scoring defense among Big Tenteams all six years. The Buckeyes were first in 2010, 2007 and 2005and second in 2009, 2008 and 2006. Among FBS teams in 2010, OhioState ranked fourth in total defense (262.2 ypg), third in rushingdefense (96.7 ypg), eighth in pass defense (165.5 ypg), fifth inscoring defense (14.3 ppg) and fourth in TO margin (+1.15). OhioState has held 67 opponents to 21 points or fewer since the startof the 2005 season, the most among FBS teams with TCU. Ohio Statehas allowed 130 touchdowns from scrimmage since the start of the2005 season, the fewest by any FBS team in this span. Ohio Statehas surrendered 54 rushing touchdowns since the start of the 2005season. That mark is second fewest behind Alabama (50) for thefewest among FBS teams during that span. Ohio State has allowedfewer than 10 points 31 times since the start of the 2006 season.Ohio State has allowed an average of 13.6 points over the last sixfull seasons. That is the best scoring defense among FBS teams inthis span. TCU is second at 14.2 points per game. Ohio State had 30takeaways last season. It was the second straight season that theBuckeyes forced at least 30 turnovers. The Buckeyes forced 35 in2009.
Head Coach Luke Fickell
Head coach Luke Fickell is backed by nine assistant coaches who have 184years combined working as college assistant coaches or staffassistants in their careers. Fickell is among four first-year headcoaches in the Big Ten. The last time the Big Ten featured fourfirst-year coaches: 1997. Illinois (Ron Turner), Indiana (CamCameron), Minnesota (Glen Mason) and Purdue (Joe Tiller) were hiredthat season. Fickell picked up his first win over a ranked opponentwith the 17-7 win at No. 16/15 Illinois Oct. 15 in Champaign. Hewon is second with the thrilling 33-29 win over No. 15 WisconsinOct. 29. Fickell is 2-2 against ranked teams this season (AP andCoaches poll). Fickell was the first Ohio State coach to face adefending Big Ten champion in his conference opener (MichiganState) since the Buckeyes began Big Ten competition in 1913. Since1913, Ohio State coaches are 6-5-1 in their Big Ten debuts. Inguiding OSU to a season-opening win in his first game as coach,Fickell joins 20 other Buckeye coaches with a first-game win. OSUhas had only 23 head coaches in 122 years of football and thatgroup is 21-1-1 in first games.
Team/Miscellaneous Notes
After the loss to Miami in week 3 the Buckeyes fell out of theAP Top 25 for the first time since Nov. 20, 2004 — nearly 7 yearsand ending the nation’s longest current streak of appearances inthe Top 25 (103 straight weeks). Tight end Jake Stoneburner set a modern day Ohio State record for tightends by catching three touchdown passes vs. Akron Sept. 3, from 28,11 and 2 yards out with Bauserman throwing all three. Stoneburner,who came into the game with two career touchdowns, finished withfour catches for 50 yards. The Ohio State record for careertouchdowns by a tight end: 10 by John Lumpkin from 1996-98. SeniorAll-America center Mike Brewster is regarded by some as the bestcenter in college football. He is a four-year starter with 45career starts. In 2010 he was the only junior to rank amongfinalists for the Rimington Trophy, was a first team all-Big Tenselection and a FWAA and Phil Steele first team All-American. Thisseason Brewster was named to the preseason Playboy All-Americateam, the Rimington and Outland Trophy watch lists and was votedone of 12 “players to watch” by a Big Ten media panel. Juniordefensive lineman John Simon was named Big Ten defensive player of the week forhis performance at Illinois Oct. 15. He recorded a then career-high8.0 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks. He then set a new career bestwith 10.0 total tackles, 3.0 more TFL and 1.0 sacks in the win overIndiana. Simon named one of 12 “players to watch” at the Big Tenmedia days in July. Simon has 96 career tackles and 24.5 TFL. Apromising defensive star with power and strength, Simon was anhonorable mention all-Big Ten selection and Lott Trophy nominee in2010 as a true sophomore. Senior linebacker Andrew Sweat leads the Buckeyes with 66 tackles this season. Herecorded a team-high six tackles, including 2.0 TFL, a forcedfumble and an interception against Akron in the season opener andhad five and 1.0 TFL against Toledo. He had a 9-tackle performanceat Nebraska and vs. Indiana and a 10-tackle, 1.5 TFL performanceagainst Michigan State. He now has a team-best 127 career tackles,9.0 TFL and three INTs. Ohio State is tied with Oklahoma with eightBCS bowl appearances. USC is third with seven. Ohio State is 1-2 innational title games since the inception of the BCS in 1998. Thethree national title game appearances match Florida State for thesecond-most all-time. Only Oklahoma has more with four. Ohio Stateis 5-3 in BCS bowls, tied for second with Florida (5-1) for themost BCS Bowl wins all-time. USC is first at 6-1. Ohio State hasnot finished with a losing record since finishing 4-6-1 in 1988(John Cooper’s first season leading the Buckeyes). Ohio State’s runof 21 straight seasons without a losing record is the third-longestamong active FBS teams. Florida State has gone 34 straight seasonssince finishing 5-6 in 1976 and Florida has gone 31 seasons sincegoing 0-10-1 in 1979. Virginia Tech and Texas Tech have thefourth-longest runs at 18 seasons each. In Ohio State’s eight BCSbowl appearances, they have only been the Big Ten’s automatic BCSbowl qualifier four times (2002, 2006, 2007, 2009). They havereceived an at-large berth three times (1998, 2003, 2008) and werean automatic participant by the `3-4 rule’ in 2005. Ohio State haswon the Fiesta Bowl three times, the Sugar Bowl once and the RoseBowl once in the BCS era. The Buckeyes join Oklahoma (Orange, Roseand Fiesta), Florida (Orange, Sugar and BCS title game) and Miami(Sugar, Rose and Orange) as the only teams to win three differentBCS bowls. Ohio State is among three different programs to haveappeared in at least four different BCS bowls, joining Oklahoma andMiami. The Buckeyes only need to play in the Orange Bowl to joinOklahoma as the only program to appear in five different BCS bowls.While Miami has won the BCS title (2001 season), they have notplayed in a bowl game specifically called the BCS title game. OhioState has appeared in a bowl game in 15 of the last 17 seasons.Fourteen of those bowl appearances have taken place in January(2004 Alamo Bowl). Ohio State has appeared in a January bowl infive of the past six seasons. Ohio State (19) is tied with Michigan(19) for the most bowl wins all-time by a Big Ten team. Nebraska is24-23 in bowl games, but has not represented the Big Ten in thepostseason. Ohio State has won 34 Big Ten titles. Only Michigan hasmore with 42. Ohio State has 825 wins all-time, the sixth-mostamong FBS teams.
Michigan – 891
Texas – 855
Notre Dame – 851
Nebraska – 844
Penn State – 825
Ohio State – 825
Oklahoma – 819
Alabama – 810
Ohio State has featured 14 NFL Draft first-round picks since 2004.That is the most by any college team in this span. Ohio State hashad 69 consecutive crowds of more than 100,000 at Ohio Stadium.Ohio State has not lost a home opener in 34 years – Sept. 16, 1978to be exact when No. 6 Ohio State suffered a 19-0 loss to No. 5Penn State in Woody Hayes’ final season. Ohio State has an all-timeopening game record of 105-12-4. The Buckeyes’ last opening dayloss away from Columbus was to Miami in the 1999 Kickoff Classic inEast Rutherford, N.J. All-time, the Buckeyes are 109-8-4 in homeopeners since 1890. The largest opening day crowd at Ohio Stadiumwas 105,092 in the 2009 opener vs. Navy.
Not Since 1922-24
Ohio State ranks second among all NCAA Div. I programs with 85 consecutive seasons since last posting back-to-back losing records. The Buckeyes have not been under .500 for two or more consecutive seasons since 1922-24, which trails only Tennessee; the Vols have not had back-to-back losing seasons since 1909-11, a span of 98 consecutive seasons.
Big Ten Announces 2013-14 Football Schedule
The Big Ten Conference has announced its 2013 and 2014 conference football schedules. Ohio State, a member of the Leaders division, will play four home and four away league contests in each of those seasons.
In 2013, OSU opens Big Ten play hosting Wisconsin Sept. 28. Other Big Ten games in 2013: Oct. 5 at Northwestern; Oct. 19 vs. Iowa; Oct. 26 vs. Penn State; Nov. 2 at Purdue; Nov. 16 at Illinois; Nov. 23 vs. Indiana; Nov. 30 at Michigan.
Ohio State has two non-conference dates confirmed for the 2013 season: Aug. 31 vs. Vanderbilt at Ohio Stadium; and Sept. 14 at California.
In 2014, Ohio State begins Big Ten action hosting Purdue Oct. 4. Other Big Ten contests in 2014: Oct. 18 at Iowa; Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern; Nov. 1 at Wisconsin; Nov. 8 vs. Illinois; Nov. 15 at Penn State; Nov. 22 at Indiana; Nov. 29 vs. Michigan.
The Buckeyes’ non-conference games for 2014 are Aug. 30 vs. Navy in Baltimore; followed by three games at Ohio Stadium: Sept. 6 vs. Cincinnati; Sept. 13 vs. Kent State; and Sept. 20 vs. Virginia Tech.
