The Top Buckeye Moments of 2014

For Ohio State athletics, 2014 yielded national championships, conference titles, and a bevy of unforgettable moments (some, of course, are more recent than others).

Without further ado, let's look at the year that was. 

11. Ohio State upsets Akron after 15 rounds of place kicks

It took full time plus 30 penalty kicks to decide this year's opening-round NCAA tournament game between the Ohio State men's soccer team and Akron.

Finally, on a cold November evening in Columbus, the Buckeyes prevailed after Zach Mason blasted home the winner in the 15th round.

Ohio State ended up falling 2-1 to No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in the next round, but the incredible matchup with the Zips is one we will always remember.

10. Bosa's Walk-Off Sack Lifts Ohio State to Double Overtime Win at Penn State

Ohio State looked like it was in trouble.

The Buckeyes had blown a 17-point lead on the road in Happy Valley against unranked Penn State. The Nittany Lions had all of the momentum as they were driving to win the game at the end of regulation. But Ohio State’s defense held Penn State to a field goal sending the game to overtime.

That’s when Joey Bosa took over.

After the team’s traded touchdowns in the first overtime, J.T. Barrett scored a touchdown for the Buckeyes in double overtime. The Nittany Lions took the field and were faced with a 4th-and-6 when Bosa delivered Ohio State’s play of the year, a walk-off sack:

“I got tired of trying to make my way around the back,” Bosa said following the game. “So I just ran him over.”

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

9. The Hires of Chris Ash and Larry Johnson

With the departures of Everett Withers and Mike Vrabel, there was pressure on Urban Meyer to make home-run hires to ensure Ohio State kept chugging along after going 24-2 in the staff's first two seasons.

Like Meyer says, losing an assistant "is like a player. If you lose a great player and you don't replace him with a great player, it's just going to happen, you're not going to be as good."

So the head coach delivered...and then some.

After hiring longtime Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and Arkansas defensive coordinator Chris Ash, the Buckeyes' defense made a drastic turnaround from last year's unraveling. In particular, the pass defense, which collapsed during the postseason, has improved. By the numbers, Ohio State ranks 23rd in scoring defense (21 points), 15th in total defense (328 yards), and 17th in its long-maligned pass defense (188 yards). And because of it, Ohio State's 12-1 and playing in the College Football Playoff.

8. Women’s rowing team wins back-to-back NCAA titles

While football is king in Columbus, Ohio, Urban Meyer and Co. are second fiddle to the rowing team in terms of national championships. 

After capturing the 2014 NCAA title, the squad claimed its second-consecutive title in a sport that's so largely dominated by east coast crews. In fact, under head coach Andy Teitelbaum, the program has established itself as a preeminent power in the sport. 

With him at the helm, Ohio State is one of just four schools to qualify for the NCAA championships for 14-straight seasons (something only Brown, Princeton and Washington can put on their resume).

For complete transparency, we know little about rowing. But winning back-to-back national titles is ridiculously impressive. 

7. Men’s tennis wins first indoor national title

Here's another group that can claim it has won more national championships than the football team in the last three years. Much like the rowing team, Ohio State's men's tennis team has quietly become of the nation's best programs.

In February, that uprising came to a head when the squad won its first International Tennis Association National Indoor Championship in Houston. To do so, they had take down four top-25 teams and two top-five programs, including juggernaut and third-ranked USC.

6. Logan Stieber wins third national championship

Ohio State wrestling coach Tom Ryan describes Logan Stieber as a "ninja" and that seems to be about accurate. 

Stieber, who came to Columbus as a four-time state champion in high school, became the first three-time national champion in school history after capturing the 141-pound title last March.

For the sake of perspective, if he can complete the clean sweep this spring, it'll make him only the fourth four-time champion in wrestling history. Also, let's be clear. Stieber doesn't just win; he flat-out dominates most of his opponents, as 28-of-30 victories last year collected bonus points for the team. 

In short: Don't mess with Logan Stieber. He is better than you. 

5. Aaron Craft’s Memorable Senior Day 

Aaron Craft will go down in Ohio State history as one of its most beloved players. He will also be remembered as one of the greatest defenders in Buckeyes history.

With a Big Ten record 337 steals and a school-record 694 assists, Craft was one of the most important players in Thad Matta’s tenure as head coach.

So it’s no wonder when his Senior Day came last year with 22nd-ranked Michigan State as the opponent, the scene was somewhat spectacular. Oh, and Craft played a signature Aaron Craft game, too.

Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire

He finished with 12 points, seven assists and four steals — a typical Craft statline — and one of his swipes in the first half gave him the Big Ten record. The game ended with Craft diving and securing a loose ball for his team, too, as the Buckeyes held on for a two-point win.

4. The Year of Joey Bosa

It all started with a simple tweet.

After an extremely productive freshman year, Ohio State’s Joey Bosa exploded onto the scene during his 2014 season. He has recorded Big Ten-leading numbers in sacks (13.5) and tackles for loss (20) and was named a finalist for the Lombardi and Bednarik Awards after claiming Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year honors. He also became Ohio State's first unanimous All-American since James Laurinaitis in 2007.

But for as much as Bosa is known for his play on the field, he’s known for his charismatic personality. Nowhere is that personality more on display than his signature sack shrug, which Bosa debuted after a sack in the Cincinnati game.

It was the first of many times Ohio State fans saw Bosa’s shrug this season as he’s made play after play for the Buckeyes’ defense. The scary thing? He’s coming back next year for at least one more season.

3. Ohio State topples Michigan State in East Lansing

On a cold, damp night in East Lansing, Mich., Ohio State toppled a Michigan State team that dashed its Big Ten and national titles hopes a year earlier.

The bout, which was billed as the conference's Game of the Year, served as revenge and a chance for the Buckeyes to flex their muscles on a big stage and in front of a massive, national audience. 

Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett combined for 386 yards and five touchdowns as Ohio State simply dismantled the then eighth-ranked Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Michigan State's "No Fly Zone" defense got shredded by the likes of Michael Thomas and Devin Smith.

At the time, the win marked a new height in Urban Meyer's three-year tenure in Columbus. And if a picture's worth 1,000 words, then these videos are worth at least 3,000.

2. The Rise of J.T. Barrett

If there was ever a player who went zero-to-100 real quick, it's Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett. 

You already know the story of how he went from a relative nobody to a Heisman Trophy candidate and how he broke a school record of 45 total touchdowns, but it bears repeating.

Twelve days before the season opener, Barrett, a redshirt freshman who hadn't taken a meaningful snap since midway through his senior year of high school, was charged with replacing the injured Braxton Miller (which was undoubtedly even a bigger deal considering the widespread youth and inexperience on the team's roster). And when the Buckeyes lost to Virginia Tech in Week Two, it looked like they might flounder in life without Miller and life with Barrett at the helm.

Instead, Barrett improved every week and his command of the offense seemed to grow with each snap. By the time Ohio State toppled Michigan State in early November, he looked like one of the country's best quarterbacks. 

And despite having his season cut short after breaking his ankle against Michigan, it might be fair to say Barrett will have the chance to continue that trend next season.

1. Ohio State Wins B1G, Punches Playoff Ticket

What more can you really say about this one? 

After obliterating/humiliating Wisconsin, 59-0, Ohio State captured its first Big Ten Championship under Urban Meyer. Of course, in the process, it vaulted the Buckeyes into the fourth and final spot of the College Football Playoff.

Perhaps most impressive, though, is the journey Ohio State took to get there. After losing Braxton Miller to a season-ending injury, an embarrassing loss to Virginia Tech at home, losing Noah Spence to an indefinite suspension and various other trial and tribulations, the odds were stacked against Meyer's crew. 

So it seemed fitting, then, when third-string quarterback Cardale Jones casually sauntered onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium and tossed three touchdown passes in place of Miller and J.T. Barrett, who broke his ankle against Michigan the week earlier.

The win is undoubtedly the climax of the Urban Meyer era in Columbus.

For now.