Postgame Notes From Ohio State vs. Akron – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Ohio State – 20, Akron – 2
Ohio State Postgame Notes
Ohio State has won 20-consecutive regular season games. The Buckeyes last lost a regular season contest at Penn State, 17-10, Oct. 8, 2005. Overall, the Buckeyes have won 21 of their last 22 games.
Overall, the Buckeyes are 404-124-14 as a Top 25 team.
Jim Tressel’s record with the Buckeyes now is 64-14 and his career record is 199-71-2.
Under Tressel, the Buckeyes now are 49-3 when leading at the half (3-2 Saturday) and 51-3 (13-2 Saturday) when ahead after three quarters.
Ohio State now is 789-301-53 in its 118th season of play.
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 375-104-20 in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State has won 14 straight, and 18 of the last 19, games played in the Horseshoe. Ohio State’s all-time record in Columbus is 518-151-35 in 703 games.
Ohio State is 28-2 during the last five seasons at Ohio Stadium.
The Buckeyes have scored at least one touchdown in 128-consecutive games.
Ohio State is 139-21-5 all-time in September, including a 116-10-4 ledger in home games in the month.
SERIES NOTES
Ohio State holds a 6-1 lead over Akron in the all-time series, including wins in the last three meetings.
Jim Tressel is in his seventh season as Ohio State head coach after leading Youngstown State for 15 seasons from 1986-2000. Tressel was an assistant coach at Akron from 1976-78 after a graduate assistant season in 1975.
Tressel is 9-2-1 all-time vs. Akron, including 2-0 against the Zips at Ohio State.
Luke Fickell, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator, was a coach on the Akron staff the last time the Zips played in Columbus in 2001, a 28-14 Ohio State win.
Ohio State is 173-48-15 in its history against opponents from the state of Ohio. Ohio State has not lost to an Ohio opponent since 1921, falling to Oberlin 7-6. The Buckeyes tied Wooster, 7-7, in 1924 in Columbus.
Since the 1924 draw vs. Wooster, the Buckeyes have won 30 games in a row vs. Ohio opponents. Ohio State did not play an in-state foe from 1934 (vs. Western Reserve) to 1992, when the Buckeyes defeated Bowling Green, 17-6, Sept. 12 in Ohio Stadium.
The last time the Buckeyes matched up against three in-state rivals was in 1926. Ohio State faced Youngstown State Sept. 1 and welcomes Akron and Kent State to Columbus in 2007. The Buckeyes have played at least one team from Ohio each season since 1997.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Eight Ohio State players had at least one reception Saturday, after nine recorded at least one catch in the season opener vs. Youngstown State.
Akron is the first Ohio State opponent to record a safety since Texas in 2005.
Offensive Player Notes
Sophomore Chris Wells ended the game with 143 yards on 20 rushes, both career highs and marking his first career 100-yard game. He had a 40-yard gain in the fourth quarter, the second-longest in his career after a 52-yard TD run vs. Michigan last season. He set his previous mark vs. Northwestern last season, with 99 yards. His previous high for carries in a game was 15 against Minnesota last season.
Brian Hartline, sophomore wide receiver, had a career-best six receptions Saturday, totaling 43 yards. Hartline’s previous high was four catches vs. Minnesota, Oct. 28, 2006.
Brian Robiskie had a 39-yard catch Saturday in the third quarter, matching the second-longest of his career. His career-long play of 41 yards came last week vs. Youngstown State. Robiskie had a 13-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter and now has six in his career.
In Robiskie’s last thee games at Ohio Stadium, he has totaled 20 catches for 324 yards. In the regular season finale last year vs. Michigan, Robiskie had seven catches for 89 yards and a TD. He had nine catches for 153 yards in the season opener vs. YSU.
Robiskie has caught a pass in 14-consecutive regular season games.
Against Akron, Robiskie had three punt returns for 24 yards, giving him 106 all-purpose yards in the game.
Brandon Saine, who made his first career trip to the endzone with a 1-yard run in the second quarter last week vs. YSU, was on the receiving end of his first touchdown catch Saturday vs. Akron.
Rob Schoenhoft entered the game in the third quarter. He played two series and completed six passes on eight attempts for 36 yards.
Todd Boeckman ended the game 14-for-23 for 131 yards.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
Ohio State allowed just two points to Akron, the lowest since shutting out Minnesota, 44-0, last season in Columbus.
The Buckeyes held Akron to just 1-of-9 on third-down conversion in the first half. For the game, the Zips converted just 2-of-16 third-down chances.
Akron had just two first downs in the first half, both coming on its opening drive of the game. After Akron’s first drive, Ohio State forced the Zips into 13-consecutive three and outs on offense. That streak included four drives of negative yardage for Akron.
Four of Akron’s three-and-out came after Ohio State turnovers.
Ohio State has not allowed a touchdown this season, holding Youngstown State to two field goals in the opener before Akron totaled just two points on a first-quarter safety.
Akron totaled just three yards rushing on 19 attempts, the lowest total since Indiana rushed for seven yards vs. the Buckeyes last season.
For the game, Akron had just 69 yards of total offense. After totaling 34 yards on its first drive, the Zips put up 35 yards the rest of the game. The Ohio State record for fewest number of yards allowed is 27 to Michigan in 1950.
In 1996, the Buckeyes held Minnesota to 104 yards of total offense, Nov. 2 at Ohio Stadium.
Robert Rose, a sophomore, was in the starting line up for the first time in his career at defensive end Saturday.
Cameron Heyward, a freshman defensive end, recorded his first sack Saturday in the second quarter.
Vernon Gholston had a sack in the third quarter. He now has 1.5 for the season and 10 in his career.
James Laurinaitis had a team-high seven total tackles vs. Akron. He has led or tied for the team lead in tackles in 10 of the last 14 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ryan Pretorius went 2-for-2 on field goals Saturday, converting on kicks of 37 and 33 yards. He is 6-for-7 in his career. He was successful on two point-after attempts vs. Akron Saturday.
Brandon Saine returned his first kick off Saturday for a 39-yard gain.
MISCELLANEOUS
A crowd of 104,317 attended the game Saturday. Ohio State has had 36-consecutive games with crowds of more than 100,000. The Buckeyes had attracted more than 105,000 fans in each of their last seven games.
Ohio State’s honorary captain for the Akron game was Butch Reynolds, an Akron native who earned Olympic gold (1600m relay) and silver (400m) medals in track. A 1991 Ohio State graduate, track All-American and a competitor in three Olympiads, Reynolds currently serves as speed coordinator for Ohio State football.
Ohio State’s 2007 Hall of Fame class was introduced to the crowd at halftime. The inductees include Andy Dumpis (volleyball), Ivan Gilbert (fencing), Marv Homan (administration), Pete Johnson (football), Susan Mallery (track/cross country), Kristy Dascoli (tennis), Yalena Kalkina (fencing), conny Kirsch (rowing) and Anna Smith (softball). Long-time equipment manager Brice “Wes” Westfall was presented with an honorary Varsity “O”.
Akron Postgame Notes
Akron Team Notes:
Today’s safety was the first recorded by UA since Oct. 20, 2001 when Ryan Wingrove accomplished the feat against Bowling Green at the Rubber Bowl. Akron lost the game 16-11.
Akron improved to 2-0 on review-contested plays this season. Last week against Army, QB Chris Jacquemain hooked up with WR Jabari Arthur on a touchdown pass that was originally ruled incomplete and later overturned. Today, the Zips recorded the first points of the game with a safety when LB Brion Stokes stopped RB Chris Wells in the Buckeyes’ end zone after a review overturned the original spot of the ball on the one-yard line.
Through the first two games of the season, the Akron defense has allowed just 10 first-half points including the OSU field goal in the second quarter today. The Zips have yet to allow any points in the first quarter this year.
In addition to the safety, the UA defense had a big day with a pair of interceptions and three fumble recoveries, matching its most turnovers forced since Nov. 13, 2004 against Ohio. The Zips defeated the Bobcats 31-19 that day thanks in part to three fumble recoveries and two picks.
Today’s game was the seventh all-time meeting between Akron and Ohio State. Ironically, the last time the teams meet was exactly six years ago on Sept. 8, 2001, which was also coach Jim Tressel’s first game as head coach at OSU.
The last time Akron beat Ohio State, which leads the all-time series 1-6, was on Sept. 5, 1894, which was Akron’s only football contest played that season. The score was 12-6 and the coach for Akron, then known as Buchtel College, was college football icon John W. Heisman, who played quarterback for the team in the game.
Akron Player Notes:
P John Stec set a dubious school record with 14 punts, surpassing the previous mark of 13 set by Bill Rudison at Virginia Tech on Sept. 2, 1989. Stec, who made eight kicks in the first half alone, finished with 575 total punting yards. The total was 38 yards short of another school record (613) also set by Rudison against the Hokies.
Stec was a major factor in the first quarter with a pair of perfectly-placed kicks. His first was a 40-yarder that was downed on the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line and set up UA’s safety. His second punt went for 49 yards and was downed on the OSU 7.
With a first-quarter interception, CB Reggie Corner moved into sole possession of ninth place on the school’s career list with 10. Gary Tyler (1985-87) is UA’s all-time leader with 18.
Corner played a part in another UA pick in the second quarter by deflecting a deep pass to DB John Mackey. It was the first time the Zips recorded two picks in a game since Corner and DB Brandon Anderson each recorded an interception against North Texas on Sept. 30, 2006 at the Rubber Bowl.
Stec started the second quarter with a booming 52-yard kick out of the Zips end zone; five yards shy of his career best. It was the his first 50-plus yard kick of the season after eclipsing that mark five times last year.
LB Paris McNeal and LB Doug Williams played superbly for the Zips’ defense. Each forced and recovered fumbles against the Buckeyes.
Senior WR Jabari Arthur, who is sixth on the school’s career receptions list, recorded four catches for 32 yards. He trails the fifth-place holder, Dan Ruff (1967-70), by 15 receptions and the all-time leader, Matt Cherry (2000-03), by 37.
