This is always fun to do, thanks to everyone who submitted questions. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
When was the last decade in which scUM has the better record. Has any OSU player played in more than 4 games? ~ Kiddbuckeye
The last time That Team had the better record in a decade was the 1990s. John Cooper's teams went 2–7–1 with many of the losses ruining Ohio State's bid for a Big Ten or national championship.
The other decades they had the better record in were: 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1940s and the 1980s.
Go here for a more detailed breakdown of the series history.
Let's start with that JT kid...
I know he, Tippy Dye, and Troy have three wins over the rival. Is there a QB up there that can claim three (or more) wins over Ohio State? ~ Hovenaut
Hove, I was able to find four of their quarterbacks that won three games against the Buckeyes.
- Brian Griese: 1995, 1996 and 1997
- Rick Leach: 1976, 1977 and 1978
- Howard Yerges: 1945, 1946 and 1947
-
William Wasmund: 1907, 1908 and 1909
Would Barrett be the first Buckeye quarterback to go 4-0 as a starter against Michigan? ~ You Can't Spell Chump Without UM
I believe that Barrett is going to become the second Ohio State quarterback to make four starts in The Game. Art Schlichter was the first and he was 2-2 against That Team. Barrett has a chance to be the first to win four in The Game.
What is the series record since the inception of the AP Poll? I find that to be a better metric than starting before football had developed into a national thing. ~ NewPhilaFan
The AP Poll began in 1936. From that season on, Ohio State leads the series 41–36–4 (.531).
A follow up question might be, what is the Buckeyes record when they are ranked in the game? They improve to 31–23–4 (.569).
The next logical question is how has Ohio State performed when it is ranked and That Team is not ranked? The Scarlet and Gray is 12–4 (.750)
Again, this is using the records from 1936 thru 2016.
Well documented about Justin Boren (basically the Boren family) switching from TTUN to OSU to play in The Game.
Has the reverse ever happened? ~ EnonBuck79
Answer from JarheadBuck:
Howard Yerges played at Ohio State in 1943 before he also transferred to Michigan as part of his Navy training. He lettered at Michigan from 1944 to 1947, catching 11 passes as a fifth-year senior on the 1947 “Mad Magicians” national championship team.
The damn traitor. ;-)
That is the same Howard Yerges that beat the Buckeyes three times.
What was the longest Game and why? ~ FalcotoyourMartel
FalcotoyourMartel, I have the official times for the majority of the games between 1960 and 2016*.
The longest games that I have are the 2016 and 1986 contests. Both lasted for 3 hours and 51 minutes. The reason for the length of last year's game was the two overtimes.
For the 42 games that listed the duration of the tile, the average length of time for a game was 3 hours 12 minutes.
*The minutes for 15 of the 57 games in that time frame are not listed.
What Buckeye running back has the most rushing yards all time against that team? ~ DarthSweaterVest
The list below is only for players that participated in The Game between 1960-2016.
| RANK | PLAYER | YARDS | YPC | TD | GAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEANIE WELLS | 412 | 7.0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | JIM OTIS | 401 | 4.6 | 5 | 3 |
| 3 | ARCHIE GRIFFIN | 395 | 4.3 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | DAN HERRON | 388 | 6.1 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | CARLOS HYDE | 376 | 7.0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | JT BARRETT | 353 | 5.5 | 6 | 3 |
| 7 | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | 335 | 7.1 | 4 | 2 |
| 8 | TIM SPENCER | 326 | 4.7 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | BRAXTON MILLER | 317 | 5.8 | 4 | 3 |
| 10 | CARLOS SNOW | 291 | 4.2 | 1 | 3 |
This game is about heart, so let's get defensive. Top 3 in Tackles (Total Tackles, not just Solo) from either team, in the series. Gotta think Spielman will lead that list, with 29 in 1984 alone. ~ Knarcisi
Knarcisi,
There are a crap ton of players and stats to enter for this question. I don't have it now, but I am building a database and will be able to answer it next year. Please ask this question again in 2018.
Who is the Buckeyes OC that has the best record vs TTUN?
Who is the Buckeyes DC that has the best record vs TTUN? ~ BeatTTUN
Offensive Coordinators
| COACH | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JIM BOLLMAN | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| ED WARRINER | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| GLEN MASON | 3 | 3 | .500 | |
| TOM HERMAN | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| TIM BECK | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| JOE HOLLIS | 1 | 3 | 1 | .300 |
| MIKE JACOBS | 1 | 2 | .333 | |
| ELLIOTT UZELAC | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| CHUCK STOBART | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| JIM COLLETTO | 0 | 3 | .000 |
The first coach that I could find with the tag offensive coordinator at Ohio State was Glen Mason in 1980. Since that time the Buckeyes have had 11 men fill that role.
The offensive coordinators racked up a record of 20–16–1 (.554) in The Game between 1980-2016. The OC with the most wins was Jim Bollman, who also has the most years (11) on the job.
Ed Warriner (4–0), Tom Herman (3–0) and Tim Beck (2–0) have the best winning percentages.
There is a three-way tie for most losses. Glen Mason, Jim Colletto and Joe Hollis all lost The Game three times. Colletto is the only one of the three to never defeat our rival.
Defensive Coordinators
| CAOCH | W | L | T | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUKE FICKELL | 11 | 1 | .917 | |
| LOUIS McCULLOUGH | 4 | 2 | .667 | |
| GEORGE HILL | 3 | 4 | 1 | .438 |
| MARK DANTONIO | 2 | 1 | .667 | |
| DENNIS FRYZEL | 2 | 1 | .667 | |
| EVERETT WITHERS | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| CHRIS ASH | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| GREG SCHIANO | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| MARK SNYDER | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| GARY BLACKNEY | 1 | 2 | .333 | |
| BILL PAGAC | 1 | 3 | .250 | |
| BILL YOUNG | 1 | 6 | 1 | .188 |
| JON TENUTA | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Louis McCullough (1965-1970) was the first assistant coach I could find with the title defensive coordinator. Between 1965 and 2016 Ohio State went 28–22–2 (.538) in The Game.
Luke Fickell (2005-2016) has the most years on the job, 12, and the most victories, 11. Chris Ash (2–0), Everett Withers (2–0), Greg Schiano (1–0) and Mark Snyder (1–0) have the best winning percentages in the rivalry.
Bill Young (1988-1995) lost six times which is the most among defensive coordinators. Jon Tenuta (0–1) is the only DC not to defeat That Team. For defensive coordinators that were in three or more tilts, Billy Young has the worst winning percentage (.125).
Xichigan head coach that stood ZERO chance to win? ~ Seattle Linga
Rich Rodriguez. He was outscored by 76 points in the three games he coached. The average score was 33-8.
Thinking back to last year's OT thriller, how Xany tiXes has The GaXe been decided by a score of one possession? ~ Buckeye.383
If you consider a one possession game to be eight points, the answer is 45. Four of the last six games have been decided by six points or less.
If you prefer seven points, the answer is 43. Since Jim Tressel took over (2001) eight of the games were decided by seven points or less. Ohio State won all of them except one (2011).
How many more cards does Harbaugh need before it can be said that he's actually playing with a full deck? ~ QuadCitiesBuckeye
The machine to the right would get worn out before Harbaugh had a full deck.
When was the last time the team with the fewer rushing total won? ~ TheNorthernBuckeye
2000 was the last time that scenario took place.
Ohio State ran for a respectable 149 yards on 34 carries (4.4 ypc) and held That Team to only 88 yards on 43 carries (2.0). Unfortunately the visitors left the Horseshoe with a 38-26 victory.
1994 was the last time the Buckeyes had fewer rushing yards than their rival. The Buckeyes finished the day with 133 rushing yards compared to their 141 yards by ground. Ohio State won 22-6 to give John Cooper his first win in the series.
How many games(or the percentage of games) have the Bucks won when they have out rushed #ichigan in Ann Arbor? ~ OSU56
| TEAM | OSU W | OSU L | ALL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 203.5 | 165.9 | 180.8 |
| THAT TEAM | 155.7 | 197.0 | 169.2 |
Currently, I only have the stats for the games played between 1960 thru 2016.
Between 1961 and 2015 Ohio State played 28 games in that shit-hole of a stadium. The Buckeyes won 14, dropped 13 and tied once. Of the 14 wins, the Buckeyes won ten. That means in 71.4% of the victories, Ohio State won the rushing battle.
On the flip side, The Buckeyes had more yards in the ground game in four of the 13 losses during that same time frame. That means the Scarlet and Gray loses 69.2% of The Games when they do not lead in rushing yards.
What are your top five Ohio State-Michigan football games and why? ~ Iowabuckeyes
Have to do some Thanksgiving stuff, so I'll make this real quick. Top 5 games I have watched:
- 2002
- 2016
- 1987
- 2001
- 2004
Which team has performed better against the Vegas spread, i.e. whether win or lose, they cover and by how much? ~ COhio Buckeye
Since 1997 (last 20 games), Ohio State is 13–7 against the spread and is 15–5 straight up. If you like the over/under, the over has won 13 times.
The average spread during that time is Ohio State -4.5 and the average score is Ohio State
Most lopsided win in the rivalry? ~ Seattle Linga
Ohio State: Francis Schmidt's second team defeated Harry Kipke's squad 38-0 in 1935.
Them: In the fourth game of the series, Fielding Yost plastered Perry Hale and the Buckeyes 86-0 in 1902. Hale was outscored 122-0 in his two games against That Team (1902, 1903).
When was the last time Michigan won a game where the other team was favored by more than ten points? ~ Mchaytou21
Relating this to The Game, our rivals have not defeated Ohio State when the Buckeyes were favored by more than 10 points between the years 1997 and 2016. Over those 20 games, Ohio State was favored by 10+ points four times (1998, 2008, 2013 and 2014). However, the Buckeyes did not cover the spread in any of those games.
Expanding the criteria to all games, That Team was the underdog by 10 or more points ten times between Nov. 21, 1998 and Nov. 29 2014. The only team our rival was able to defeat was Florida (-10.5) in the 2008 ----- Bowl. They beat the Gators 41-35.
Against the spread That team was 2–8 and covered against Ohio State in 2013 and the Florida game mentioned above.
Under Jim Harbaugh, what is Michigan's record vs top ten teams? ~ Mchaytou21
| SEASON | Score | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | No. 7 MICHIGAN STATE | No. 12 THAT TEAM | 27-23 | LOSS |
| 2015 | No. 8 OHIO STATE | No. 12 THAT TEAM | 13-42 | LOSS |
| 2016 | No. 8 WISCONSIN | No. 4 THAT TEAM | 14-7 | WIN |
| 2016 | No. 2 OHIO STATE | No. 3 THAT TEAM | 27-30 | LOSS |
| 2016 | No. 10 FLORIDA | No. 6 THAT TEAM | 32-33 | LOSS |
| 2017 | No. 2 PENN STATE | No. 19 THAT TEAM | 13-42 | LOSS |
| 2017 | No. 5 WISCONSIN | No. 19 THAT TEAM | 10-24 | LOSS |
| RECORD 1–6 (.143) | AVERAGE SCORE 19-29 |
For both teaXs, what is the longest consecutive winning streak? And in what years did they occur? ~ Scarlet O-H
That Team won nine straight from 1901 through 1909. If you go by unbeaten, they didn't lose the first 15 games in the series (1897-1918). They won all of the games except for the ties in 1900 and 1910.
Ohio State's longest winning streak is seven games (2004-2010) if you count the NCAA sanctioned game, six if you don't. The Buckeyes have won 12 of the last 13 with the loss coming with Luke Fickell at the helm in 2011.
Is it true Noel Gallagher is a fan of the Buckeyes? How big is his fandom? What Oasis/Noel song would be the soundtrack to the The Game? ~ Elk's Comb Over
It is well documented that Noel is a fan of a certain soccer team that goes by the name Manchester City. What is not known is his love for Ohio State and Columbus. His new album, Who Built The Moon, drops Friday and he has a concert scheduled for February 10 at Express Live.
The soundtrack he would choose would probably be F*ckin' In The Bushes. He'd use the clip above in which the song was used in Snatch and hire Barf to super impose Urban's head on Brad Pitt and Jimmy's head on the chump he beats the shit out of.
ICYMI
The Rundown: No. 9 Ohio State at That Team
The Series History: Ohio State/That Team
Some Serious Sixties Shade
The 1942 Season Through The Words Of The Past: 11/22/1942
