In case you haven't noticed, we are set to play Alabama this New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl as part of round one of the first College Football Playoff. Ohio State and Alabama have faced off three times before, with the Crimson Tide victorious each time.
The last time Ohio State met Alabama was at the end of the 1994 season, in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. Alabama fielded a great team in 1994, led by quarterback Jay Barker, and the Crimson Tide were real contenders for the national title. They went undefeated in the regular season and were ranked No. 3 going into the SEC Championship Game, which they lost to Florida. No. 5 Florida went on to the Sugar Bowl and played a rematch against No. 7 Florida State. Alabama had to settle for the Citrus Bowl and play Ohio State.
The Buckeyes were also great in 1994; under John Cooper's guidance the talent on that team was amazing. Eddie George was a junior and was already making his name as college football's eventual best player. Joey Galloway was a senior and was finishing up his 1,894-yard career as a Buckeye. Orlando Pace and Mike Vrabel were sophomores, and Corey Stringer was a first team All-American as a junior.
1994 started out fine, Ohio State was ranked No. 20 in the preseason, but in week three they went on the road to No. 25 Washington and lost. Despite that, the Buckeyes started out 3-1 and were back where they started at No. 20 when conference play began. They barely beat Northwestern and lost to Illinois in Columbus, which practically ruined all hopes of rising to the top of the rankings. However, the Buckeyes rebounded with wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Then, in week ten, they suffered an embarrassing 63-14 loss to No. 1 Penn State. The Nittany Lions went on to win the Big Ten and compete for the national title. Ohio State finished the regular season with convincing wins over Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan (yes, this was one of the two years that John Cooper's Buckeyes actually beat Michigan. It's totally worth watching that Michigan game -- the crowd at Ohio Stadium is so happy to see the first win over UM since 1987.).
To the Citrus Bowl: Alabama's head coach Gene Stallings ran a really tough defense, as did John Cooper, so there was not a lot of scoring in this game. In the first quarter, the Buckeyes missed a field goal and then blocked an Alabama field goal. The Crimson Tide scored a touchdown on the ground in the second quarter, but Joey Galloway promptly made a 69-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 7. After blocking a punt and hitting Galloway in the end zone for another touchdown, the Buckeyes took a 14-7 lead. However, Alabama's Sherman Williams scored on the ground before half time, sending the teams into the locker room tied 14-14.
The third quarter was scoreless, but full of excitement with turnovers going back and forth. At the end of the third, Alabama was knocking on the door of the end zone, but had to settle for a field goal try at the beginning of the fourth, which was missed. The score remained 14-14. With ten minutes left in the game, Ohio State managed a field goal, putting them ahead 17-14. A few minutes later, Alabama tied it up with a field goal of their own. Ohio State punted the ball away with 1:31 left in the game, with Cooper thinking he could rely on his defense to get a stop. Well, Sherman Williams, who had been running all over the field all day, caught a short pass at midfield and outran the Buckeye defense for a touchdown. Alabama 24, Ohio State 17 was the final score.
This game didn't exactly spoil the season, since we weren't about to win the conference or the national title, but it was still painful. The end of the season had been going so well, and to have this bowl win over Alabama within reach and let it slip away was just terrible. With an 0-3 all time record against the Crimson Tide, an Ohio State win over Alabama is overdue.
The last time Ohio State met Alabama was at the end of the 1994 season, in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. Alabama fielded a great team in 1994, led by quarterback Jay Barker, and the Crimson Tide were real contenders for the national title. They went undefeated in the regular season and were ranked No. 3 going into the SEC Championship Game, which they lost to Florida. No. 5 Florida went on to the Sugar Bowl and played a rematch against No. 7 Florida State. Alabama had to settle for the Citrus Bowl and play Ohio State.
The Buckeyes were also great in 1994; under John Cooper's guidance the talent on that team was amazing. Eddie George was a junior and was already making his name as college football's eventual best player. Joey Galloway was a senior and was finishing up his 1,894-yard career as a Buckeye. Orlando Pace and Mike Vrabel were sophomores, and Corey Stringer was a first team All-American as a junior.
1994 started out fine, Ohio State was ranked No. 20 in the preseason, but in week three they went on the road to No. 25 Washington and lost. Despite that, the Buckeyes started out 3-1 and were back where they started at No. 20 when conference play began. They barely beat Northwestern and lost to Illinois in Columbus, which practically ruined all hopes of rising to the top of the rankings. However, the Buckeyes rebounded with wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Then, in week ten, they suffered an embarrassing 63-14 loss to No. 1 Penn State. The Nittany Lions went on to win the Big Ten and compete for the national title. Ohio State finished the regular season with convincing wins over Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan (yes, this was one of the two years that John Cooper's Buckeyes actually beat Michigan. It's totally worth watching that Michigan game -- the crowd at Ohio Stadium is so happy to see the first win over UM since 1987.).
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| Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying is chased out of the pocket in the 1995 Citrus Bowl |
The third quarter was scoreless, but full of excitement with turnovers going back and forth. At the end of the third, Alabama was knocking on the door of the end zone, but had to settle for a field goal try at the beginning of the fourth, which was missed. The score remained 14-14. With ten minutes left in the game, Ohio State managed a field goal, putting them ahead 17-14. A few minutes later, Alabama tied it up with a field goal of their own. Ohio State punted the ball away with 1:31 left in the game, with Cooper thinking he could rely on his defense to get a stop. Well, Sherman Williams, who had been running all over the field all day, caught a short pass at midfield and outran the Buckeye defense for a touchdown. Alabama 24, Ohio State 17 was the final score.
Watch highlights from the game here:
This game didn't exactly spoil the season, since we weren't about to win the conference or the national title, but it was still painful. The end of the season had been going so well, and to have this bowl win over Alabama within reach and let it slip away was just terrible. With an 0-3 all time record against the Crimson Tide, an Ohio State win over Alabama is overdue.
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