Before every Ohio State game, we take a look back at the Buckeyes’ history of playing on that date.
Trivia Time
The tie against SMU on Oct. 7, 1978 was the last tie in Woody Hayes' career. How many times did Hayes coach the Buckeyes to a tie?
Scroll down to item #1 in Five Fun Facts for the answer.
The first game Ohio State played on Oct. 7 was in 1899. The Buckeyes defeated Wittenberg, 28-0, on Ohio Field. At this point, the Buckeyes had five shutout victories in the nine games played on Ohio Field.
The last time Ohio State took the field on this date was in 2017 when the Buckeyes hosted Maryland. D.J. Durkin's squad didn't put up much of a fight as J.T. Barrett tossed three touchdown passes and rushed for another in the Buckeyes' 62-14 trouncing of the Terrapins. That marked the second time in program history that Ohio State scored 62 or more points against the same opponent in consecutive seasons.
In 1995, a year after suffering an embarrassing 63-14 loss to Penn State, Ohio State returned to Beaver Stadium with revenge on its mind. With 3:10 remaining in the game, it appeared the Buckeyes were on track for a second straight loss to the Nittany Lions. John Cooper's team trailed 25-21 and his offense had the ball at its 42-yard line. Bobby Hoying failed to connect with Ricky Dudley and Terry Glenn on first and second down and the quarterback from St. Henry High School brought his squad to the line for a pivotal 3rd-and-10.
Hoying hit Buster Tillman for a 13-yard gain to keep the drive alive. On the next snap, Dudley burned Penn State with a 32-yard catch that put the Buckeyes' at the Nittany Lions' 13-yard line. Eddie George capped off the game-winning drive with a six-yard touchdown to give Ohio State a 28-25 victory.
Glenn had a game-high nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns. George led the team with 105 rushing yards and caught five passes for 38 yards and Hoying had a game-high 24 completions for 354 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Following the game, Coach Cooper had glowing praise for Glenn: "He's for real! I've been telling you what a great receiver he is all year and one of these times you're going to believe me. You always talked about what a great receiver Joey Galloway was last year and we thought Glenn might be better. I don't believe I've seen him drop a pass."
| YEAR | MATCHUP | LOCATION | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #4 Ohio State vs. Maryland | Columbus, Ohio | TBD |
| 2017 | #10 Ohio State vs. Maryland | Columbus, Ohio | 62–14 |
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State vs. Bowling Green | Columbus, Ohio | 35–7 |
| 2000 | #7 Ohio State at Wisconsin | Madison, Wisconsin | 23–7 |
| 1995 | #5 Ohio State at #12 Penn State | University Park, Pennsylvania | 28–25 |
| 1989 | Ohio State at No. 18 Illinois | Champaign, Illinois | 14–34 |
| 1978 | #14 Ohio State vs. SMU | Columbus, Ohio | 35–35 |
| 1972 | #3 Ohio State at California | Berkley, California | 35–18 |
| 1967 | Ohio State at Oregon | Eugene, Oregon | 30–0 |
| 1961 | #8 Ohio State vs. UCLA | Columbus, Ohio | 13–3 |
| 1950 | Ohio State vs. Pittsburgh | Columbus, Ohio | 41–7 |
| 1944 | Ohio State vs. Iowa | Columbus, Ohio | 34–0 |
| 1939 | Ohio State vs. Missouri | Columbus, Ohio | 19–0 |
| 1933 | Ohio State vs. Virginia | Columbus, Ohio | 75–0 |
| 1922 | Ohio State vs. Ohio Wesleyan | Columbus, Ohio | 5–0 |
| 1916 | Ohio State vs. Ohio Wesleyan | Columbus, Ohio | 12–0 |
| 1911 | Ohio State vs. Miami (Ohio) | Columbus, Ohio | 3–0 |
| 1905 | Ohio State vs. Wittenberg | Columbus, Ohio | 17–0 |
| 1899 | Ohio State vs. Wittenberg | Columbus, Ohio | 28–0 |
| Overall Record on Oct. 7: 16-1-1 | |||
Games to remember
Buckeyes tie SMU
In 1978, Ohio State and SMU entered this game with both programs holding 2–1 records and losses to a common opponent, Penn State. The Nittany Lions blanked the Buckeyes, while the Mustangs gave up 14 fourth-quarter points and fell to Joe Paterno's team 26-21.
The game against SMU was not going Woody Hayes' way at the midpoint of the contest. Behind the arm of Mike Ford, the Mustangs led 21-14 at the half. The likely ripping of a hat, smashing of a watch or a fist through a chalkboard woke the Buckeyes out of their slumber and the home team scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 35-21 lead into the fourth.
Confident the game was in hand, Hayes began substituting his players and the strategy bit him in the backside. The Mustangs scored twice and tied the game at 35-35 with 3:41 to play.
Ohio State had three drives in the waning moments, but Art Schlichter ended each possession with an interception and the teams walked off the field with the score tied.
After the game, Hayes said: "If you like a big score and didn't care who won, you must have enjoyed this game. I feel we blew it. I thought when we were ahead by two touchdowns and driving, that would do it. They certainly had the offense to catch up. At the end, we were lucky to get out with a tie."
Ford finished with 36 completions on 57 attempts for 341 yards and a touchdown for SMU. In contrast, Schlichter was 3-of-16 for 50 yards and four interceptions.
Ohio State and SMU have not faced each other again since that matchup.
Freeloaders Fill the Shoe
A move from a bygone era, Ohio State allowed over 30,000 high school students from around our great state the opportunity to watch the Buckeyes take on the Virginia Cavaliers in 1933. The 42,001 fans in the stands set a new record for an Ohio State home-opening game.
Sam Willaman's Buckeyes put on a show for the record-breaking crowd as they scored 11 touchdowns and defeated the Cavaliers 75-0. Virginia has never faced Ohio State in football since.
Stat Superlatives
| Stat | Number | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Points Scored | 75 | Virginia, 1933 |
| Passing Yards | 354 | Penn State, 1995 |
| Completions | 24 | Penn State, 1995 |
| Rushing Yards | 326 | Iowa, 1944 |
| Total Yards | 584 | Maryland, 2017 |
| Fewest Yards Allowed | 66 | Maryland, 2017 |
| Fewest Points Allowed | 0 |
Oregon, 1967 Nine times |
| Stat | Player | Number | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Bobby Hoying | 354 | Penn State, 1995 |
| Passing Touchdowns |
J.T. Barrett Troy Smith Bobby Hoying |
3 |
Maryland, 2017 Bowling Green, 2006 Penn State, 1995 |
| Rushing Yards | Derek Combs | 122 | Wisconsin, 2000 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Harold Henson | 3 | California, 1972 |
| Receptions | Terry Glenn | 9 | Pittsburgh, 1995 |
| Receiving Yards | Terry Glenn | 175 | Penn State, 1995 |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Terry Glenn | 2 | Penn State, 1995 |
| Total Touchdowns | J.T. Barrett | 4 | Maryland, 2017 |
| Touchdowns Scored | Harold Henson | 3 | California, 1972 |
| Yards from Scrimmage | Terry Glenn | 175 | Penn State, 1995 |
Five Fun Facts
- Ten of the Buckeyes' 53 all-time ties occurred with Woody Hayes as head coach.
- Nine different Ohio State players scored in the 75-0 defeat of Virginia in 1933.
- Ohio State scored six touchdowns in the first half of the 41-7 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 7, 1950.
- Vic Janowicz went 6-of-6 passing for 151 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 55 yards per punt in the 1950 game against Pittsburgh.
- Bobby Hoying's 354 passing yards against Penn State in 1995 were a career-high.
