Ohio State's Five Coaches With The Best Winning Percentages Against That Team
Apologies to those who read this last night before it went to blog heaven.
Ohio State's all-time record against that team does not meet the excellence that Buckeye football has attained since 1950. Today we will take a look at the five coaches who have a winning record against Our Rivals.
No. 5 EARLE BRUCE 1979-1987 (.556)
| Record | 5-4 |
| Longest Winning Streak | 2 |
| Longest Losing Streak | 2 |
| Points For | 165 |
| Points Against | 150 |
| Average Score | 18-17 |
Bruce went 5-4 against That Team. Bruce's signature win in the series was his 1987 send-off victory in Ann Arbor.
Getting support from the team.
| Year | Location | SCore |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Ann Arbor | 18-15 |
| 1980 | Columbus | 3-9 |
| 1981 | Ann Arbor | 14-9 |
| 1982 | Columbus | 24-14 |
| 1983 | Ann Arbor | 21-24 |
| 1984 | Columbus | 21-6 |
| 1985 | Ann Arbor | 17-27 |
| 1986 | Columbus | 24-26 |
| 1987 | Ann Arbor | 23-20 |
Going out a winner.
No. 4 FRANCIS A. SCHMIDT 1934-1940 (.571)
| Record | 4-3 |
| Longest Winning Streak | 4 |
| Longest Losing Streak | 3 |
| Points For | 128 |
| Points Against | 79 |
| Average Score | 18-11 |
Schmidt is the only Ohio State coach before 1950 with a winning record against That Team. Schmidt's claim to fame in the series was starting 4-0 against Our Rival. Not only did he start undefeated, but his teams did not allow a point in the four victories. Ohio State outscored That Team 114-0.
| Year | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Columbus | 34-0 |
| 1935 | Ann Arbor | 38-0 |
| 1936 | Columbus | 21-0 |
| 1937 | Ann Arbor | 21-0 |
| 1938 | Columbus | 0-18 |
| 1939 | Ann Arbor | 14-21 |
| 1940 | Columbus | 0-40 |
Francis Schmidt teaching the skills that earned him a 4-0 start against That Team.
No. 3 WOODY HAYES 1951-1978 (.589)
| Record | 16-11-1 |
| Longest Winning Streak | 4 |
| Longest Losing Streak | 3 |
| Points For | 410 |
| Points Against | 341 |
| Average Score | 15-12 |
Woody Hayes has the most victories over That Team than any other coach in Ohio State's history. I have not verified this, but I would guess Woody Hayes has the most victories over That Team in history. Woody also had the most opportunities to beat Our Rival.
"We'll coast and PUSH this (expletive) car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!"
| Year | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Ann Arbor | 0-7 |
| 1952 | Columbus | 27-7 |
| 1953 | Ann Arbor | 0-20 |
| 1954 | Columbus | 21-7 |
| 1955 | Ann Arbor | 17-0 |
| 1956 | Columbus | 0-19 |
| 1957 | Ann Arbor | 31-14 |
| 1958 | Columbus | 20-14 |
| 1959 | Ann Arbor | 14-23 |
| 1960 | Columbus | 7-0 |
| 1961 | Ann Arbor | 50-20 |
| 1962 | Columbus | 28-0 |
| 1963 | Ann Arbor | 14-10 |
| 1964 | Columbus | 0-10 |
| 1965 | Ann Arbor | 9-7 |
| 1966 | Columbus | 3-17 |
| 1967 | Ann Arbor | 24-14 |
| 1968 | Columbus | 50-14 |
| 1969 | Ann Arbor | 12-24 |
| 1970 | Columbus | 20-9 |
| 1971 | Ann Arbor | 7-10 |
| 1972 | Columbus | 14-11 |
| 1973 | Ann Arbor | 10-10 |
| 1974 | Columbus | 12-10 |
| 1975 | Ann Arbor | 21-14 |
| 1976 | Columbus | 0-22 |
| 1977 | Ann Arbor | 6-14 |
| 1978 | Columbus | 3-14 |
Woody respected The Game and his opponent.
No. 2 JIM TRESSEL 2001-2010 (.900)
| Record | 9-1 |
| Longest Winning Streak | 7 |
| Longest Losing Streak | 1 |
| Points For | 279 |
| Points Against | 172 |
| Average Score | 28-17 |
Jim Tressel made an immediate impact on the Game before he stepped foot on the sidelines of Ohio Stadium. Tressel fired his first shot at Our Rival on the hardwood court of Value City Arena when he made his famous speech in January/February 2001. Tressel backed up his words and finished with a most impressive 9-1 record in The Game.
"I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich., on the football field."
| Year | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ann Arbor | 26-20 |
| 2002 | Columbus | 14-9 |
| 2003 | Ann Arbor | 21-35 |
| 2004 | Columbus | 37-21 |
| 2005 | Ann Arbor | 25-21 |
| 2006 | Columbus | 42-39 |
| 2007 | Ann Arbor | 14-3 |
| 2008 | Columbus | 42-7 |
| 2009 | Ann Arbor | 21-10 |
| 2010 | Columbus | 37-7 |
No. 1 URBAN MEYER 2012-PRESENT (1.00)
| Record | 2-0 |
| Longest Winning Streak | 2 |
| Longest Losing Streak | --- |
| Points For | 68 |
| Points Against | 62 |
| Average Score | 34-31 |
Urban Meyer is only the third coach in Ohio State's history to start his career 2-0 against That Team. With a win on Saturday he will become the second coach to begin 3-0 (Schmidt). Meyer must prepare his team for Our Rivals to come out with the same intensity the Buckeyes did for Earle Bruce in 1987. I would expect nothing else.
Urban Meyer has his team focused on The Game.
| Year | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Columbus | 26-21 |
| 2013 | Ann Arbor | 42-41 |
