Ohio State has a tough task on Saturday waiting for them in Michigan State. But it's tougher than one might think. The last time Ohio State beat Michigan State at Ohio Stadium was 2007.
The following is a look at some of what what the world was liked the last time this happened. For instance, here is Thad Matta introducing the Ohio State starters on ESPN's broadcast of the game.
Heres Thad Marta announcing the Buckeye Footballs starting lineup the last time the home team won the OSU/MSU game pic.twitter.com/lFXEr38pch
— The Black Stripe (@TheBlackStripe_) November 8, 2017
those things that missed but still happened
- "Buy U a Drank" by T-Pain was released.
- Vladimir Putin was Time Magazine's Person of the Year
- Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run
- The last Harry Potter book was released
And now, for the main event.
1. Social Media was young
Yes, the addictions on screens were barely cracking the surface of our fingertips. Twitter was an infant and YouTube was into her terrible twos. We weren't even to the point yet where one could rip YouTube links off the internet for the hottest songs with terrible quality you could download onto your iPhone.
2. Lebron James went to his first NBA finals
That's right folks, look how far Cleveland has come as a collective whole. The last time Ohio State beat Michigan State inside Ohio Stadium the Cavaliers were swept out of LeBron's first NBA Finals. LeBron was in his first stint in his happy home of Cleveland and fans hadn't burned his jerseys because he sought a front office and a team that would surround him with championship-caliber players.
Here is a reminder of what that roster looked like:
Lebron Carried the entire 2007 Cavs Roster to the finals In his sock pic.twitter.com/lUUZwTO5NR
— texans 3-5 (@yaboyabe__) May 22, 2017
3. curtis painter led the Big Ten in passing
Remember Curtis Painter? The last time Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium was also coincidentally the last time that a Purdue quarterback led the Big Ten in passing yards (probably un-coincidentally).
Painter led the Big Ten in passing yards as a sophomore with 3,985 yards.
4. ron zook won a coach of the year award
This isn't a gimmick. The last time Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium, Ron Zook won a national coaching award for the sport of football.
In 2007, Zook was named the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.
Of Ohio State's two losses that season, the one outside of the title game loss to LSU was on a cold November night when Zook and his sidekick, Isaiah "Juice" Williams came into Ohio Stadium and beat Ohio State 28-21.
Remember when Skip Bayless said that Todd Boeckman should have been in the Heisman conversation after the Buckeyes won at Penn State that year?
While Ron Zook was never given another opportunity to be a head coach in college football after he was fired by Illinois in 2011, these days he's the special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.
5. The BIG Ten Logo was very bad
Though in recent years the revamping of the logo has come a long way, the last time the Buckeyes topped the Spartans in Ohio Stadium, the conference the two teams represented had a logo constructed from the beta version of Microsoft Paint.
5. Alabama lost to Louisiana Monroe in Nick Saban's First year
Remember when a Nick Saban offense only scored 14 points against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks? Remember when John Parker Wilson was the quarterback of the Crimson Tide? Remember when Nick Saban was just getting started at Alabama? That year was 2007, the last time that Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium.
To make things really froggy, Alabama had one very notable running back in that game. He didn't lead the team in carries or rushing yards or impact, but you love his sandwiches. His name? Jimmy Johns.
6. James Laurinaitis won the Butkus award
Also coinciding with the last time that Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium was James Laurinaitis winning the Butkus Award. Ryan Shazier arguably could have won the award in 2013, but since 2007, no other Ohio State linebacker has been able to do the same.
7. The iPhone was less than a year old
Hi, if you're viewing this post on an iPhone, I'm just here to tell you the last time Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium, the device in your hands was eight versions ago and was less than a year old at the time. For those of you on a computer, look at your phone and be bewildered just the same.
Regardless, how has it been that long since the Buckeyes beat the Spartans in Ohio Stadium that we've come eight versions of the iPhone?
8. big ten coaches at the time
The last time Ohio State beat Michigan State at Ohio Stadium, the Big Ten coaching directory was a little different.
| School | Coach — 2007 | Coach— 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | Jim Lynch | Tom Allen |
| Illinois | Ron Zook | Lovie Smith |
| Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | Kirk Ferentz |
| Maryland | Ralph Friegden (ACC) | D.J. Durkin |
| Minnesota | Tim Brewster | P.J. Fleck |
| Michigan | Lloyd Carr | Jim Harbaugh |
| Michigan State | Mark Dantonio | Mark Dantonio |
| Nebraska | Bill Callahan (Big 12) | Mike Riley |
| Northwestern | Pat Fitzgerald | Pat Fitzgerald |
| Ohio State | Jim Tressel | Urban Meyer |
| Penn State | Joe Paterno | James Franklin |
| Purdue | Joe Tiller | Jeff Brohm |
| Rutgers | Greg Schiano (Big East) | Chris Ash |
| Wisconsin | Bret Bielema | Paul Chryst |
9. Ohio State Lost Two National Title Games to Florida
Hello, all. A long long time ago in a galaxy far way (2007), Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium and the Ohio State Buckeyes lost two national championship games to Florida.
That's right folks, Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators and Ted Ginn's ankle and Thad and the Thad Five and Billy Donovan and stinking Joakhim Noah and a lot of tears and beers at the hands of Gainesville, FL. That was 10 years ago.
Of course now, things have changed. The Chris Holtmann era is about to begin at the Schottenstein Center and the Buckeyes hired the heir to the football throne. Florida offenses are scoring a very low amount of points in the SEC, Jim McElwain was fired and — I'll be honest, I had no idea — Mike White has been the replacement for Billy Donavon at the top of Florida basketball since 2015.
10. The Top 10 the week of Osu-msu was WILD*
*viewer discretion is advised
The last time that Ohio State beat Michigan State in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the country. The rest of the Top 10 was filled with some characters.
To dissect a little, No. 3 Boston College was quarterbacked by Matt Ryan. No. 4 LSU would be No. 1 when the Buckeyes and the Tigers met in the national championship. No. 6 South Carolina started that season 6-1 under Steve Spurrier. They would finish the year at 6-6. No. 7 Kentucky was in the top 10 of a sport besides basketball. And finally, No. 9 West Virginia was led by the two-threat tandem of Pat White at quarterback and Steve Slaton at running back, with the almighty Rich Rodriguez as their fearless leader.
Ohio State and Michigan State kick off at noon on Saturday. Join us at the Dubgate VII for good times, good drinks and in support of DownSyndrome Achieves.
