| The 1960 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 7–2 |
| B1G Record | 5–2, 3rd |
| Coach | Woody Hayes (10th year, 64–23–5) |
| CaptainS | Jim Herbstreit and James Tyrer |
October 8th • Illinois • Ohio Stadium
The Buckeyes were 2–0 and coming off of a 20-0 victory over USC.
Now ranked No. 5 in the rankings, the Buckeyes traveled to Champaign with hopes of making up for the previous year's 9-0 loss to the Fighting Illini.
Ohio State took a 13-0 lead into halftime against Illinois and first-year head coach Pete Elliott. Bill Wentz returned the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards to give Ohio State a 20-0 advantage.
The only "win" for the Illini in the game was a late fourth quarter touchdown to prevent the Buckeyes from starting the season with three shutout victories for the first time since 1924.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 0 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
| ILLINOIS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
The victory gave Ohio State a 29–17–3 series lead over Illinois.
OHIO STATE'S KEY PLAYERS
- Tom Matte rushed for 130 yards, a touchdown and averaged 9.9 yards per carry. He also completed 2 of his 3 passes for 33 yards.
- Bob Ferguson rushed for 82 yards and a score. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
- Bill Wentz returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
THE REST OF THE STORY
In 1960, Hayes put the train back on the track after things fell apart during the 1959 season. Ohio State had three impressive victories over ranked opponents and finished the season with a 7-0 win over rival Michigan. Woody Hayes had the program trending upward.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP. 24 | SMU | OHIO STADIUM | W, 24–0 |
| OCT. 1 | USC | OHIO STADIUM | W, 20–0 |
| OCT. 8 | NO. 4 ILLINOIS | MEMORIAL STADIUM | W, 34–7 |
| OCT. 15 | PURDUE | ROSS-ADE STADIUM | L, 21–24 |
| OCT. 22 | NO. 11 WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 34–7 |
| OCT. 29 | NO. 10 MICHIGAN ST. | SPARTAN STADIUM | W, 21–10 |
| NOV. 5 | INDIANA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 36–7 |
| NOV. 12 | NO. 5 IOWA | IOWA STADIUM | L, 12–35 |
| NOV. 19 | MICHIGAN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 7–0 |
| 7–2, 209–90 |
Bill Wentz.
