Tyvis Powell couldn’t believe he lost a friendly wager with teammate and fellow safety Vonn Bell. Powell didn’t think there was any way Ohio State would push the 100,000-mark in attendance at Saturday’s spring game.
“I was shocked,” Powell said when he found out the Buckeyes got 99,391 to come out and watch. “I had a bet with Vonn that it wasn’t going to be like that, but that was great. I love our fans so that’s ridiculous.”
It probably shouldn’t have come as such a surprise, though. After all, the Buckeyes are the defending national champions and it was 75 degrees and sunny Saturday afternoon in Columbus — a town that eats, sleeps and breathes Ohio State football.
But at the same time, spring football games are scrimmages. And none of the Buckeyes’ key players played more than a couple of series — excluding quarterback Cardale Jones, who played the whole time but donned a black non-contact jersey. Some guys like running back Ezekiel Elliott, wide receiver Michael Thomas and quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller did not suit up at all.
“Not surprised but extremely grateful to come watch a scrimmage, at times not a very pleasant scrimmage,” head coach Urban Meyer said. “We grab a hand after each time we come in the stadium and we’re very grateful for the blessings to be able to play this great game.”
The Buckeyes make their spring game somewhat of a spectacle.
There’s football, of course, but there is much more than that. During intermissions between quarters and some timeouts, Ohio State honored other national championship teams it had this school year — it won titles in pistol, wrestling and synchronized swimming in addition to football.
There were events at halftime: a push-up contest between students and players, a quarterback competition between Jones, Barrett and 2006 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and Ohio State legend Troy Smith and a fastest student competition which featured Elliott and Miller leaving some of their fellow competitors in the dust.
“It just shows everything that is Buckeye Nation,” redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Billy Price said. “That’s the kind of fans we have and those people are crazy. We love it.”
Roughly half the crowd vacated the stadium after halftime as the main attractions were already out of the game and the competitions were all but over. In the end, the Gray team topped the Scarlet squad, 17-14, in front of the largest spring game football crowd in college football history.
99,391. For a scrimmage.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be like that anywhere else in the world,” Powell said.
So far, it hasn’t been.
