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When was Ohio State football's last game against Georgia?

colin gay, the columbus dispatch
·3 min read
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Ohio State football is back in the College Football Playoff.

Even after ending the 2022 regular season with a 45-23 loss to rival Michigan, the Buckeyes proved to be the main beneficiary of Utah's win against USC in the Pac-12 championship game, earning the No. 4 spot in the Playoff and securing a date with No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl.

But when was the last time Ohio State took on Georgia?

The Buckeyes last played the Bulldogs in the 1993 Citrus Bowl, losing 21-14 to cap off the 1992 season.

Here's what you need to know about that game.

Georgia gave Ohio State its fourth-straight loss in a bowl game

Georgia's one-touchdown win against Ohio State continued what proved to be a cold stretch for the Buckeyes during bowl season.

Coming into the 1993 Citrus Bowl, Ohio State's last bowl win was against Texas A&M in the 1987 Cotton Bowl before it lost to Auburn in the 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl, Air Force in the 1990 Liberty Bowl and Syracuse in the 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl.

Under coach John Cooper, Ohio State won only three of its 11 appearances in bowl games.

Ohio State QB Kirk Herbstreit played his final college game against Georgia

Kirk Herbstreit ended his Ohio State career against Georgia in the Citrus Bowl.
Kirk Herbstreit ended his Ohio State career against Georgia in the Citrus Bowl.

Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit ended his final season in rough fashion against Georgia's defense.

Herbstreit completed only eight of his 24 pass attempts for 110 yards with his longest completion being 45 yards to running back Robert Smith. He did not throw a touchdown against the Bulldogs, but threw one interception and was sacked three times.

Herbstreit finished the 1992 season with 1,904 passing yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 58.7% of his 264 pass attempts.

Ohio State could not stop Garrison Hearst and the Georgia run game

While Eric Zeier moved the ball down field in the passing game, completing 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 242 yards, most of Georgia's success on offense was done by the Bulldogs run game.

Coming off a third-place finish in the 1992 Heisman Trophy race behind Miami quarterback Gino Torretta and San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk, Georgia RB Garrison Hearst recorded 163 rushing yards on 28 carries against the Buckeyes.

He also added two goal-line touchdown runs in the first and third quarter, while Frank Harvey secured the win for the Bulldogs with 4:32 left in the game.

Georgia had trouble stopping Ohio State RB Robert Smith

Smith proved to be a bright spot in what proved to be a difficult game for the Ohio State offense.

The Buckeyes running back scored both of the team's touchdowns, including a five-yard run at the end of the third quarter to tie the game at 14.

Smith finished with 112 yards on 25 rushes in his final game before being selected as the No. 21 overall pick of the 1993 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football's last game vs. Georgia was the 1993 Citrus Bowl