Looking Back Through the Schedule: Kent State at Ohio State (9/13/2014)

The Buckeyes have met Kent State only twice, in 2002 and 2007; we won both games easily. In fact, we have played a MAC team almost every season since the 1990s and have never lost to one of them. The last time we lost to a school that is currently in the MAC was September 15th, 1894, when we lost to Akron in the season opener, which was held at the 1894 Ohio State fair. Kent State, as far as I can tell, has never beaten a Big Ten team.

Have a look at the Buckeyes 48-3 victory over Kent State in 2007, the last time we played. 

Coach Tressel put in a lot of second string players to develop some depth on the bench.

Kent State has a football program that dates back to 1920, and has some well-known former players such as Lou Holtz (linebacker 1956, 1957), Nick Saban (defensive back 1970, 1971) and Gary Pinkel (tight end 1970-1973). Current NFL players from Kent State include Cleveland Brown Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, Denver Bronco Jameson Konz, Indianapolis Colt Monte Simmons, New England Patriot Julian Edelman, New York Jet Brian Winters, and Oakland Raiders Daniel Muir and Usama Young. Former Bengals linebacker James Harrison and cornerback Rico Murray also played for Kent State. Linebacker Jack Lambert is Kent State's most famous football product. He played for the Steelers from 1974 - 1984 as one of the best linebackers to ever play the game.

Kent State started their football program in 1920, and promptly lost every game they played until finally getting a win on the field in 1925. For the Buckeyes, 1920 was one of our best seasons, we went 7-0 in the regular season and played California in the Rose Bowl. In 1931 Kent State joined the Ohio Athletic Conference and in 1951 they joined the Mid-American Conference, where they still play today. In 1954, the Golden Flashes made it to the Refrigerator Bowl, which they lost to Delaware. While Kent State was getting their first taste of success in the 1950s, we were on our second and third national titles (1954 & 1957). The early 1970s were Kent State's best years, winning the MAC in 1972 and going to the Tangerine Bowl. They lost the Tangerine Bowl to the Tampa Spartans, who were coached that year by future Buckeye head coach Earle Bruce. This era was also one of Ohio State's golden ages of football, as we won Rose Bowls and national titles in 1968 and 1970. We also went to the Rose Bowl after the '72, '73, '74 and '75 seasons. The Golden Flashes made it to the GoDaddy.com Bowl after the 2012 season, which they lost to Arkansas State.

Two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin running the ball against USC in the 1974 Rose Bowl.
Photo from buckeyeempire.com

Kent State is a substantial football team: in 2012 they won the MAC East Division and beat #15 Rutgers along the way. Last season was not as good for them, as they went 4-8. This year they will have a hard time getting to 6 wins, due to a relatively strong schedule. Here is a detailed preview of their upcoming season.

We will play a day game against them on September 13th at Ohio Stadium. The game should be an easy one for us, and if we get ahead early, maybe we will get to see Cardale Jones come in at quarterback to give Braxton Miller a break. At this point in the season, we should be coming off of wins against Navy and Virginia Tech and looking forward to a week off before facing Cincinnati on September 27th. This will be a day game and hopefully an entertaining win for us.

Kent State Golden Flashes Football Facts:

Program Duration: 1920-present

All-time Record: 320-499-28

Record Against Ohio State: 0-2

Bowl Appearances/Wins: 3/0

National Championships: none

Heisman Winners: none

Looking Back Through the Schedule: Virginia Tech at Ohio State (9/6/2014)

Our second game of the season is against Virginia Tech. We have never played them before, but Virginia Tech has a long history of successful football. They played their first football game in 1892, about 17 months after Ohio State's first game. The uniforms were gray and black, but apparently the fans thought they looked too much like prison uniforms, so they were changed to maroon and orange. In their early days, the Virginia Tech nickname was the Gobblers or Fighting Gobblers, but now they are known as the Hokies.

Much like Ohio State, Virginia Tech played in a local conference in their early days. Ours was the Ohio Athletic Conference; theirs was the Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 1912, we joined the Western Conference (now the Big Ten) and in 1921 Virginia Tech joined the Southern Conference. The major football schools left the Southern Conference and formed the SEC and ACC. In 1965, Virginia Tech left the Southern Conference to compete as an independent. The Hokies joined the Big East in 1991, but left to join the ACC in 2004, where they still compete today.

Virginia Tech's only undefeated season came in 1954, the year the Buckeyes won the national championship. We also went undefeated, 10-0, including a victory over USC in the Rose Bowl. At the time, Virginia Tech was still playing local schools with basic football programs, but an undefeated season is always something to be proud of. The Buckeyes know that, we have had ten undefeated seasons and are proud of each one. In the late 1960s, Virginia Tech built Lane Stadium, where they still play today. The home field crowd is reputed to be very intense, giving a real edge to the Hokies when they play at home.

Howard "Hopalong" Cassady hopping into the end zone against Michigan in 1954. Photo is from Cleveland.com

Virginia Tech's best shot at a national title came in the 1999 season, when quarterback Michael Vick led the Hokies through an undefeated regular season only to lose to Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. Since then, they have been a strong contender in their conference every year. Playing in the ACC since 2004, they are one of the teams that makes the conference strong, along with Florida State, Clemson and Boston College. Virginia Tech currently has a streak of bowl appearances stretching back to 1993, with nine wins and twelve losses.

Michael Vick playing in the 2000 Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Photo is from blog.nola.com

With such a long history and so many bowl games, it is surprising that the Buckeyes have never met the Hokies on the field. This year the game will be our home opener, after the away game at Navy to start the season. If we had to travel to Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA to face the Hokies on their own turf, I might be worried. But, since they will have to face the emotion and clamor of Ohio Stadium in its first football game since November 23rd, we should have them on their heels right from opening kickoff. This is a prime time game, so we will take to the field at 8:00 PM.

Ohio Stadium pumped up for a night game. Photo is from Dan Harker of the-Ozone.net

Virginia Tech Hokies Football Facts:

Program Duration: 1892 - present

All-time record: 701-441-46

Record against Ohio State: 0-0

Bowl Appearances/Wins: 27/10

National Championship(s): none

Heisman Winners: none

Osman C. Hooper: Columbus poet and journalist

I am sharing a wonderful poem by a great Ohioan, Osman Hooper, along with a short biography.

Osman C. Hooper was born in 1858 in Alexandria, a village in Licking County, near Columbus. He went to Denison and graduated in 1880. Hooper began working for the Columbus Dispatch (originally as a telegraph editor) and stayed there until 1938, having worked his way up to Literary Editor. That's right, he worked for the Dispatch for 58 years, until he was 80 years old.

Hooper also did some work for the Cincinnati Enquirer and taught Journalism at Ohio State. He published History of the City of Columbus, Ohio in 1920. He founded the OSU Journalism Hall of Fame in 1925. In 1932, Hooper became a Professor Emeritus at Ohio State. He published "The History of Ohio Journalism" in 1933. Hooper died in 1941. The Ohio Newspaper Association gives out the Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Award each year to the best weekly newspapers in Ohio.

This poem was published in an anthology in 1911, so the date of composition is unknown. I love it, and not just because it contains the phrase, "sturdy sons" when referring to Ohioans. The imagery is beautiful and Hooper's understanding of Ohio history is evident. The references to the Civil War are interesting, as we can see that Hooper takes pride in Ohio's role in preserving the Union and combating slavery. The great men he speaks of are William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James A. Garfield, among others.

Ohio Beautiful 

by Osman C. Hooper

In beauty Ohio stands cut from the forest,
     Early rough-hewn by the pioneer's blade, 
But chiseled at length to majestic completeness. 
     Glorious home-land in sun or in shade. 

Once clad in the green of the forest primeval, 
     The Indians trod o'er her hills and her vales, 
And sang in the rapturous joy of the morning 
     A song which the breeze taught the westering sails. 

O'er sea and o'er land to thy beautiful river, 
     E'er by the beckoning benison led, 
The home-seekers come, bringing virtue and vigor 
     Meet for the riches thy bounty had spread. 

They felled and they builded, they spun and they planted, 
     And lo! rose a State from the wild-wood austere,
A lake is her crown and her path-way a river, 
     And e'er as she walks she is scattering cheer. 

Her fire-sides have given new strength to the nation — 
     Men for the mightiest problems of peace, 
And war heroes, leading their armies to victory, 
     Giving to bond-men a gracious release. 

An empire within a vast empire of free-men, 
     Ohio stands binding the east and the west, 
Her sturdy sons striving and ever achieving 
     For God and our country the highest and best. 

CHORUS 

Ohio, Ohio! Fair home-land we love thee! 
     Millions of glad voices give thee acclaim ! 
Rich are thy fields and the sky blue above thee ! 
     Ohio, forever enduring thy fame. 

Looking back through the schedule: Ohio State at Navy (8/30/2014)

We are set to open the season in Baltimore against the Naval Academy. While this should be a win, you can never tell at the beginning of the season, so I am sure Urban Meyer will have the Buckeyes on guard. Navy's football program has been improving over the last several years under head coach Ken Niumatalolo. Last year they went 9-4, beat their rival Army and won their bowl game against Middle Tennessee State. Their star quarterback Keenan Reynolds is coming back, as is our Braxton Miller, so this should be a great game. We have met Navy a few times before but have never lost to them. Here is a look at those games. These photos are from the Makio yearbook.

November 8, 1930:

Here we are in our away white jerseys forcing a Navy ball carrier to the ground in 1930. I hate to see it, but we wore winged helmets in those days.

The Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Municipal Stadium (now Memorial Stadium) in Baltimore for our first meeting with Navy. In the first quarter our big halfback Stuart Holcomb eluded six Navy tacklers before scoring on a 23-yard run, making it 6-0 Buckeyes (PAT was no good). We then scored on an interception ran back by Dick Larkins to make it 13-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Lewis Hinchman intercepted a Navy pass and ran the ball back for a touchdown; we were now up 20-0. Bob Grady grabbed another Navy pass out of the air to give us the ball on the Navy 39 yard line in the fourth quarter. Wes Fesler ran the ball to the 14, from where Joe Benis threw a touchdown pass to Bob Horn, giving us a 27-0 lead. Navy mustered a 64-yard drive at the end of the fourth quarter, but Bob Grady ended it by pulling down his second interception of the day. As the Makio described it, this was "a great day for the Scarlet and Gray aggregation."

This was much-needed win as we had just lost two games and tied one. We had not won since beating Indiana on October 4th. We finished the season (Wes Fesler's last) 5-2-1 with losses to Northwestern and Michigan and a scoreless tie against Wisconsin.

November 7, 1931:

Hard to tell in black and white, but the Buckeyes are on defense here against Navy in 1931. We are sporting red jerseys and winged helmets.

A crowd of 60,649 fans came out to Ohio Stadium to watch the Navy game in 1931. Our strong defense, aided by heavy rain, stifled Navy's offensive progress at every turn. The first quarter was a punt exchange, with little offense from either side. Early in the second quarter, a pass to Ohio State tight end Sid Gilman was deflected by a Navy defender, but then caught by Gilman, who ran it in for a touchdown. It was now 6-0 (PAT no good). Right before halftime, Navy attempted a field goal which was blocked by Robert Haubrich. Buckeye end Junie Ferrall scooped the ball and took it all the way back to the Navy end zone, giving us a halftime lead of 13-0.

In the third quarter, Navy came out throwing, but Junie Ferrall picked off the ball and ran it in for another Ohio State defensive touchdown. Neither side could get much going on the ground or in the air in the second half, and we have our defense to thank for this win. The final score was 20-0 Ohio State. The Navy offense outplayed us, but four interceptions and a blocked kick stole any momentum that Navy built. The Lantern described our play as "straight, alert football."

December 30, 1981: The Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN

Watch the highlights here:

On Navy's first drive, we blocked their punt and recovered the ball at the 24 yard line and ended up with a field goal. Their next drive ended when out nose tackle Nick Miller caused a fumble behind the line and jumped on the ball at midfield. We jumped out to a 10-0 lead after quarterback Art Schlichter found Gary Williams outrunning the Navy defensive backs and hit him in stride for a 51- yard touchdown pass.

Navy fought back and tied the game up in the second quarter. We lost the ball as Schlichter bungled an option pitch, but soon got it back when our big, fast defensive line powered through to knock the ball loose from the Navy quarterback and recover the fumble on the Navy 28-yard line. We drove down and Jimmy Gale punched in the touchdown on a one-yard run. Navy managed to get a field goal before the half, making the halftime score 17-3 in favor of the Buckeyes.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Navy blocked our punt and ran the ball in for a touchdown to go up 20-17. Schlichter led another drive with good passing that ended in another short touchdown run by Jimmy Gale, making it 24-20 Ohio State. Before the end of the quarter, we got great field position as Navy's long snapper sent the ball over the punter's head, giving it to us on the Navy 21 yard line. We got a field goal try out of this, but missed.

So, in the 4th quarter we were up 24-20. Our cornerback Kelvin Bell got us every defensive player's dream and every quarterback's nightmare: a 4th quarter interception. A 9-yard TD pass from Schlichter to Cedric Anderson increased our lead to 31-20. But the Navy Midshipmen, never losing heart, down by 11 points, drove for another touchdown and 2-point conversion, cutting our lead to three points in the final seconds of the game. Navy did an onside kick, which we recovered to end the game. The Buckeyes came out victorious: 31-28.

Just to recap the crazy special teams plays in this game: we blocked one punt, then another (which was called back because we were offside), Navy faked a punt, then blocked a punt, and screwed up a punt with a high snap.

September 5th, 2009: Season Opener

Some of the highlights:

After losing a TON of great players to graduation and the NFL draft, we opened the 2009 season against Navy. Brandon Saine returned the opening kickoff 47 yards after a nifty hand-off from Jermale Hines. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor led the opening drive with receptions by Devier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher, who went in for a touchdown to put us up 7-0. Navy tied it up, but we answered with a field goal to make it 10-7.

Our linebacker Thaddeus Gibson forced a Navy fumble early in the 2nd quarter, giving us the ball on our own 44 yard line. Pryor, with help from Boom Herron and Dane Sanzenbacher, drove us down for a touchdown, running the ball in himself from two yards out. Later, our backup QB Joe Bauserman led a decent drive that ended in a field goal, making it 20-7 at halftime.

Navy, however, would not give up and fought back with a 3rd quarter touchdown drive to make it 20-14. Early in the 4th quarter, we got a field goal to go up by nine and our defensive back Kurt Coleman forced a fumble, giving us the ball on the Navy 30 yard line with 13:00 to play. Pryor passed, ran and then gave the ball to Boom Herron for a touchdown. We missed the extra point, so the score was 29-14 with less than 12:00 left. Kurt Coleman intercepted a pass to end Navy drive and it looked like we had the game in the bag.

But Navy pulled off some late heroics, scoring a touchdown on an 85-yard pass play and intercepting a pass from Pryor with 3:30 left. Navy's quarterback rushed from 24 yards out to score another touchdown, putting Navy just two points behind us at 29-27. They went for the two-point conversion and our linebacker Brian Rolle snagged the ball at the goal line and sprinted back to Navy's end zone to give us a rare defensive two-point conversion. Final score 31-27 Ohio State. What a way to open a season!

Navy Midshipmen football facts:

Program Duration: 1879 - present

All-time Record: 670-540-57

Record against Ohio State: 0-4

Bowl Appearances/Wins: 19/8

National championship(s): 1926

Heisman Winners: halfback Joe Bellino (1960) and quarterback Roger Staubach (1963)