Here are the 10 best Ohio State football victories in Ohio Stadium history
Ohio State football is celebrating a century at the Horseshoe this year. In recognition of that, The Columbus Dispatch will be sharing special Ohio Stadium content throughout this week.
Ever since Ohio State football opened with a 5-0 win against Ohio Wesleyan University on Oct. 7, 1922, Ohio Stadium has been the home of Buckeye football in Columbus.
What have been the best wins Ohio State fans have witnessed inside Ohio Stadium?
Here's a look at the top-10 victories in "The Horseshoe's" history, in chronological order.
Nov. 21, 1942: No. 5 Ohio State 21, No. 4 Michigan 7
Coming in as a significant underdog against No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Ohio State, under second-year coach Paul Brown, nevertheless beat the Wolverines 21-7 in front of 71,896 rain-soaked fans, including a number of World War II servicemen who were there as guests of the university.
The Buckeyes used three touchdown passes – one of which was thrown by and another which was caught by OSU great Les Horvath – to secure the Big Ten title before winning the program’s first national championship against the Iowa Seahawks the next week.
Oct. 23, 1954: No. 4 Ohio State 31, No. 2 Wisconsin 14
Ohio State coach Woody Hayes had nine losses over the course of his first three seasons. His breakout came in his fourth year in what ended up as the Buckeyes’ first undefeated season in a decade and their second-ever national title campaign.
Wisconsin came to Columbus having outscored its opponents 91-27 in its first four games. The Buckeyes were also 4-0, with victories over No. 18 Cal and No. 13 Iowa. So it was a highly anticipated event with more than 400 reporters credentialed to cover the game. OSU, down 7-3 at the half, got a critical 88-yard interception return for a touchdown by Howard “Hopalong” Cassady in the third quarter and pulled away from there.
Nov. 16, 1957: No. 6 Ohio State 17, No. 5 Iowa 13
Ohio State started the 1957 season with a four-point loss to TCU and then worked its way back into the top 10 with six-straight wins. That's when Iowa came to town.
Playing in front of a crowd of 82,935 that included vice president Richard Nixon, OSU trailed 13-10 in the fourth quarter before a march downfield finished by a five-yard touchdown rush by Bob White gave Ohio State the 17-13 victory.
Ohio State finished the season with wins at Michigan and against Oregon in the Rose Bowl for the program’s third national championship.
Nov. 23, 1968: No. 2 Ohio State 50, No. 4 Michigan 14
Normally, blowout wins don't make top-10 lists of best games, but they do when they epitomize the heated nature of a rivalry. In 1968, Ohio State made a statement against Michigan.
Already with a sizable 27-14 lead through the first three quarters, the Buckeyes scored 23 fourth-quarter points against the Wolverines, including two, two-yard rushes by running back Jim Otis.
After Otis’ second touchdown, Hayes’ offense remained on the field and went for the two-point conversion, which the Ohio State coach allegedly explained by saying he did “because I couldn’t go for three.” The Buckeyes failed to convert but finished with a 50-14 win and later earned their fifth national championship in school history with a Rose Bowl win against USC.
Sept. 30, 1972: No. 5 Ohio State 29, North Carolina 14
In the second game of his freshman season, after not getting a single carry in the opener against Iowa, Archie Griffin entered Ohio State’s record books.
The Buckeye running back set the school’s single-game rushing record with 239 rushing yards on 27 carries against North Carolina, helping Ohio State to a 29-14 win against the Tar Heels.
Griffin, who finished the 1972 season as Ohio State’s leading rusher, scored his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter, scoring the Buckeyes’ final touchdown of the day on an outside pitch.
Sept. 27, 1975: No. 2 Ohio State 32, North Carolina 7
In Ohio State's third game of the 1975 season, the Buckeyes dominated North Carolina to easily extend their record to 3-0. In terms of Ohio State history, the game proved to be much more significant.
It marked the program's 500th victory. Fullback Pete Johnson set Ohio State's single-game record with five touchdowns on 26 rushes for 148 yards. And Griffin, who rushed for 157, broke Kern's school record for career offensive yards.
Sept. 30, 1995: No. 7 Ohio State 45, No. 15 Notre Dame 26
In Notre Dame's first trip to Columbus since 1935, Ohio State running back Eddie George put on a show.
George, who would go on to win the 1995 Heisman Trophy, recorded 207 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries against the Fighting Irish.
Sept. 13, 2003: (3OT) No. 3 Ohio State 44, No. 24 NC State 38
Ohio State's first-ever overtime game at Ohio Stadium proved to be a memorable one.
Tied at 24 after regulation, Ohio State traded scores with quarterback Phillip Rivers and the NC State offense in the first and second overtimes. Then OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins, and linebacker A.J. Hawk made a final stop at the one-yard line to secure the Buckeyes' third win of an 11-win season.
Nov. 18, 2006: No. 1 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Michigan 39
Having won each of its first 11 games, including at No. 2 Texas, No. 23 Penn State and at No. 13 Iowa, Ohio State was the No. 1 team in the country throughout the 2006 season.
So when they played Michigan in 2006, it was the first time the teams met as the No. 1 and No. 2 in the country.
Ohio State survived a late comeback attempt, securing the victory with the help of a four-touchdown day by eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith and 139 rushing yards by running back Antonio Pittman.
Nov. 26, 2016: (2OT) No. 2 Ohio State 30, No. 3 Michigan 27
Ten years after No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 2 Michigan in Ohio Stadium, the No. 2 Buckeyes secured a three-point, double-overtime victory against the No. 3 Wolverines.
With the help of a 4th-and-1 conversion in the second overtime by quarterback J.T. Barrett, Curtis Samuel secured the victory with a 15-yard touchdown, beating Michigan in front of a record-setting 110,082 fans.
Ohio State football's 2022 schedule
Week 1: Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10
Week 2: Ohio State 45, Arkansas State 12
Week 3: Ohio State 77, Toledo 21
Week 4: Ohio State 52, Wisconsin 21
Week 5: Ohio State 49, Rutgers 10
Week 6: Ohio State 49, Michigan State 20
Week 8: Ohio State vs. Penn State, Oct. 29, State College, Pa.
Week 11: Ohio State vs. Maryland, Nov. 19, College Park, Md.
Week 12: Ohio State vs. Michigan, at noon Nov. 26, Columbus, Ohio
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ten best Ohio State football games in Ohio Stadium history
