Throwback Thursday: 2002 at Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 12, 2015
#TBT to Nov. 16, 2002
Ohio State edged Illinois, 23-16, in the first overtime game in program history.
Maurice Hall’s 8-yard touchdown run gave the Buckeyes the lead in the extra frame and the Silver Bullets dialed up a key fourth-down blitz to thwart the Illini’s upset bid. (LISTEN BELOW)
Wideout Michael Jenkins racked up 147 yards and a touchdown on six catches as Ohio State improved to 12-0 for the first time in school history.
Nov. 5, 2015
#TBT to Oct. 30, 1965
An 18-yard field goal by Robert Funk proved to be the difference in the 1965 Homecoming Game, as Ohio State edged Minnesota, 11-10. The victory sent a crowd of nearly 85,000 home happy, but the game’s outcome is a mere bullet point 50 years later.
Something happened between when the first and final whistle blew that would alter The Ohio State University for decades to come; a mascot was born.
As an excerpt from The Lantern (Nov. 1, 1965) points out, Brutus Buckeye made his debut against Minnesota on Oct. 30, 1965.
“A walking buckeye, supposedly Ohio State’s first mascot paraded at the game. Constructed of papier mache, the buckeye was made by the Ohio Staters Cultural Affairs Committee. If reaction to the mascot is great enough, the committee plans to build a more permanent Fiberglass model.”
It appears the response was a resounding “YES!” as we will celebrate our beloved mascot’s 50th birthday Saturday vs. Minnesota.
Show In The Shoe: http://go.osu.edu/ShowInTheShoeMN
1965 OSU-MINN Box Score: http://go.osu.edu/OSUvsMINN65
Oct. 22, 2015
#TBT to Aug. 27, 1995
Sparked by Shawn Springs’ 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Ohio State uprooted Boston College, 38-6, in the 1995 season-opener played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Next stop, New Jersey! The Buckeyes make their first-ever trip to Piscataway, N.J. for a primetime matchup against Rutgers at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Oct. 15, 2015
#TBT to Oct. 25, 2014
Joey Bosa’s walk-off sack against Penn State was one of the most memorable moments of Ohio State’s 2014 National Championship season.
Bosa bulldozed Nittany Lion running back Akeel Lynch into quarterback Christian Hackenberg for a fourth-down sack that clinched a double-OT win for the Buckeyes. Many members of the team, including coach Urban Meyer, called the victory in Happy Valley a season-changer.
Fast forward to 2015, the junior defensive lineman continues to wreak havoc in opponents’ backfields and is tied for second-most career sacks among active players in the FBS with 22.5.
Oct. 8, 2015
#TBT to Nov. 22, 1952
Second-year head coach Woody Hayes led Ohio State to victory over its northern rival in the 1952 Homecoming Game. It was Hayes’ first of 16 wins against the Wolverines during his 28 seasons on the Scarlet & Gray sidelines.
Below is an excerpt from The Lantern recap published Nov. 24, 1952.
BUCKS END WOLVERINE JINX, 27-7
Wolverines were in season Saturday and the Bucks, hunting for their first Michigan victory since 1944, lost little time in shooting holes through the Wolverine Rose Bowl hopes.
Once-mighty Michigan felt the full wrath of the Ohioan’s seven-year famine as they fell not too gracefully before the renewed Scarlet scourge, 27-7, before a capacity Homecoming throng of 81,541 leather-lunged fans. >>> READ MORE
Oct. 1, 2015
Seventy-three years to the day, Ohio State (4-0) and Indiana (4-0) will meet as undefeated teams for the first time since 1942. The Buckeyes knocked off the Hoosiers, 32-21, in the second game of their national-championship season.
Oddly enough, that game was also played on Oct. 3. Here’s an excerpt from The Lantern recap published Oct. 5, 1942.
LONG RUNS AND PASSES FEATURED 32-21 VICTORY
The smoke has cleared away. Buckeye Stadium is deserted. But the thousands of folks who saw or heard Saturday’s battle between two of the hardest fighting teams in the country can’t quit talking about …
… It was anybody’s game even until the final gun sounded. The statistics of the game help to show that it was quite close, but also that the Scarlet and Gray gridders held the advantage in just about every department. >>> READ MORE
(Page from 1943 Ohio State University Makio Yearbook)
Sept. 24, 2015
#TBT to Sept. 12, 1992
Tailback Raymont Harris and defensive back Marlon Kerner propelled Ohio State to victory over Bowling Green, 17-6, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
It was the Buckeyes’ first game against a Mid-American Conference foe since defeating Miami (OH), 3-0, in 1911. It was also the first time a MAC opponent visited The Horseshoe as the gates to Ohio Stadium did not open until 1922.
Harris rumbled for 94 yards and a score while Kerner was responsible for two of Ohio State’s four interceptions on the day. The game featured quite the “Who’s Who of the Scarlet & Gray” list. Check out these names!
Other Notable Buckeyes
• TB Eddie George
• QB Bobby Hoying
• MLB Steve Tovar
• DT Dan Wilkinson
• RT Korey Stringer
Sept. 17, 2015
LAST TIME VS. NIU: 9/3/2006
Quarterback Troy Smith engineers a 35-12 victory over Northern Illinois as the top-ranked Buckeyes open the season as the nation’s No. 1 team for the first time since 1998.
Returning 1000-yard rusher Antonio Pittman gained 119 yards and tallied a score, and freshman running back Chris Wells scored his first touchdown in Scarlet & Gray. But it was junior wideout Tedd Ginn, Jr. who stole the show, grabbing four receptions for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Sept. 10, 2015
Twenty-seven years ago to the day, Ohio State knocked off No. 19 Syracuse in its home opener ending the Orange’s 14-games win streak.
Excerpt from UPI Article 9/10/88
The Buckeyes, playing mistake-free football, handed the 19th-ranked Orangemen their first loss since the final game of the 1986 season. The unbeaten streak had been the longest in the nation.
‘It was a great opening victory,’ said Cooper, who admitted he almost ‘choked up’ when he first stepped onto the Ohio Stadium turf prior to the game. ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a football team.’
‘They (the Buckeyes) did what they had to do to win and they did it very well,’ said Syracuse Coach Dick MacPherson. ‘Ohio State is a power team and those big pushers up front really put it to us.
Sept. 3, 2015
In front of a then-record crowd of 68,409 at Mountaineer Field, No. 1-ranked Ohio State answered an opening-drive field goal by West Virginia with 20 unanswered points and never looked back en route to a 34-17 victory over the 11th-ranked Mountaineers.
Junior tailback Michael Wiley racked up 140 yards on the ground, including Ohio State’s initial touchdown of the season on an 18-yard scamper. QB Joe Germaine topped 300 yards passing and accounted for pair of scores through the air.
The game marked the first time in 23 seasons the Buckeyes had opened a season away from Ohio Stadium.
Review full 1998 Season here
