Woody Hayes was not pleased with his 4–3–2 inaugural season. As a result, changes he implemented changes to his offense.
Hayes decided to widen the splits of his offensive linemen and tweaked the T-formation. The offense switched to the split-T formation hoping to create better running lanes. Hayes knew his team needed to score more than the 109 points it tallied a year prior.
| The 1952 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 6–3 |
| B1G Record | 5–2, 3rd |
| Coach | Woody Hayes (2nd year, 10–6–2) |
| Captain | Bernie Skvarka |
Games of Note
September 27th • Indiana • Ohio Stadium
Hayes introduced his split-T against. The 70,208 in attendance wanted Ohio State to enact revenge on the Hoosiers, who beat the Buckeyes 32-10 a year earlier.
A freshman from Columbus' Central High School named Howard "Hopalong" Cassady sparkled in his first game as a Buckeye. Cassady tied the game at 13 halfway through the second quarter when he made an acrobatic dive to reel in a 27-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Fred Bruney.
The game remained tied at the start of the fourth, setting the stage for Cassady to play hero. He scored from five yards out early in the period and he gave Ohio State a 20-13 lead.
Bernie Crimmins' Indiana team fought back and drove to the Buckeyes' 3-yard line. However, Hayes' defense stood firm and kept the Hoosiers out of the end zone. Ohio State running back John Hlay scored shortly thereafter before Cassady again found the end zone for the third time in the contest. Ohio State won 33-13.
Cassady's debut impressed, a standard he lived up to throughout his career.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP. 27 | INDIANA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 33–13 |
| OCT. 4 | PURDUE | OHIO STADIUM | L, 14–21 |
| OCT. 11 | NO. 1 WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 23–14 |
| OCT. 18 | WASHINGTON ST. | OHIO STADIUM | W, 35–7 |
| OCT. 25 | IOWA | IOWA STADIUM | L, 0–8 |
| NOV. 1 | NORTHWESTERN | DYCHE STADIUM | W, 24–21 |
| NOV. 8 | PITTSBURGH | OHIO STADIUM | L, 14–21 |
| NOV. 15 | ILLINOIS | MEMORIAL STADIUM | W, 27–7 |
| NOV. 22 | MICHIGAN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 27–7 |
| 6–3, 197–119 |
October 4th • Purdue • Ohio Stadium
The No. 5 Buckeyes hosted Purdue the following week for the first time under Hayes.
Hlay set up the Boilermakers in prime field position to score their first touchdown when he fumbled on Ohio State's 26-yard line. Purdue scored quickly to take a 7-0 advantage.
A special teams gaffe in the second quarter gave Stu Holcomb's team a 14-0 lead. Bill Peterson attempted a punt deep in Ohio State territory, but Purdue's Johnny Kerr shot through the line and blocked it. Tom Bettis picked it up at Ohio State's 9-yard line and ran it into the end zone to give Purdue a two-score lead.
The turnovers kept coming in the third. Purdue's Phil Mateja picked off John Borton and returned it to the 30. The Boilermakers only needed five plays to score again, their third touchdown off an Ohio State giveaway.
The score was the difference as the Buckeyes lost 21-14.
October 11th • No. 1 Wisconsin • Ohio Stadium
Still reeling from the turnover-ridden loss to Purdue, Ohio State hosted No. 1 Wisconsin the following Saturday.
Hayes had a chance for a statement game and his team came through. The Buckeyes upended the top-ranked Badgers 23-14 with a total team effort.
Wisconsin had multiple opportunities to score more points but failed to get the job done. On five occasions, the Badgers were inside Ohio State's 20-yard line and failed to score.
Borton and Cassady guided scoring drives of 88, 64 and 55 yards in the upset.
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| INDIANA | W1 | 21–10–3 |
| PURDUE | L2 | 9–5–1 |
| WISCONSIN | W1 | 13–6–3 |
| WASHINGTON ST. | W1 | 1–0 |
| IOWA | L1 | 8–6–2 |
| NORTHWESTERN | W4 | 20–9–1 |
| PITTSBURGH | L1 | 12–4–1 |
| ILLINOIS | W1 | 23–15–3 |
| MICHIGAN | W1 | 13–32–4 |
October 18th • Washington State • Ohio Stadium
A fourth consecutive home game featured an Ohio State aerial attack.
After a scoreless first quarter, Hayes turned to the passing game for a way to spark his offense. Borton responded with a record day.
The sophomore quarterback completed 15-of-17 pass attempts for 312 yards and five touchdowns. The 312 passing yards remained a school record until 1981 when Art Schlichter broke it against Florida State.
Bobby Hoying tied Borton's five-touchdown mark in 1995 and J.T. Barrett did the same in 2014. Kenny Guiton set a new record with six touchdown passes against Florida A&M in 2013.
Four of receiver Bob Grimes' nine catches went for a touchdown. He also tallied 187 receiving yards. In 1995, Terry Glenn tied Grimes' touchdown mark against Pittsburgh.
The 35-7 victory over Washington State improved the Buckeyes to 3–1 and bumped them to No. 14 in the AP Poll.
Silent video of the entire Washington State game from the wazzulibrary:
November 1st • Northwestern • Dyche Stadium
A week after the offensive explosion against Washington State, Iowa shut out Ohio State. Iowa, a 21-point underdog, held the Buckeyes to 42 yards rushing and beat them 8-0 in front of the Homecoming crowd in Iowa City.
Now 3–2, Hayes' team traveled to Evanston to play a plucky Northwestern team on national television. Things looked bleak for the Buckeyes heading into the fourth, as the Wildcats led 21-7 at Dyche Stadium.
Early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State faced a 4th-and-goal from the Wildcats' 1. Hayes called Cassady's number, but Northwestern stopped the freshman for a loss and took over.
After the Buckeyes' defense stood tall, the Wildcats ensuing punt gave Ohio State the ball at the Northwestern 18-yard line. This time, Bruney scored to cut the lead in half.
Another poor punt followed a short drive for the Wildcats. On first down from the Northwestern 42, Borton dropped back and connected with Bruney for his second touchdown of the quarter to tie the game.
The Wildcats got the ball with six minutes to play, but the Buckeye defense forced another punt. Irv Denkler blocked the attempt and Tony Curcillo recovered at the Northwestern 6-yard line.
Ohio State's game-winning drive went backwards. Facing 4th-and-goal from the 11, Hayes trotted Tad Weed out for a field goal. Weed nailed the kick to complete Ohio State's 17-point come from behind victory.
November 15th • Illinois • Memorial Stadium
Before heading to Champaign, Ohio State fell to Pittsburgh 21-14 at home despite 284 passing yards and two touchdowns from Borton.
Ray Eliot's 11th Illini team was led by quarterback Tommy O'Connell. The senior was a playmaker, but the Ohio State defense disguised its coverage and at times had seven players defending the pass. The strategy worked and the Buckeyes intercepted O'Connell six times.
On offense, Ohio State went back to the ground game and rushed for 252 yards.
The opportunistic defense and pounding running game resulted in a 27-7 Ohio State victory. The Illibuck went to Columbus for the 19th time in 28 years.
November 22nd • Michigan • Ohio Stadium
Michigan entered The Game with a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth on the line. The Buckeyes were out to play for each other and their coach.
A recap of the game as written in The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
The victory today was Ohio State's first triumph over Michigan since 1944 and the largest margin it has rolled up over its oldest and most bitter rival in 15 years, since 1937.
Michigan's Rose Bowl aspirations died in the first half as Bob (Rocky) Joslin, great junior end from Middletown, O., made spectacular catches of two touchdown passes from the unerring arm of Quarterback John Borton.
Borton drove over for a third touchdown in the third period. Bob Grimes, another great end from Middletown, made it 27-0 in the third period as he grabbed the sophomore Borton's third touchdown pass.
That Michigan scored at all, with less than four minutes to play, was the result of a 15-yard holding penalty. Frank Howell ran two yards around end for the consolation score.
The Buckeyes' inspired defense forced eight Michigan turnovers and Bruney set an Ohio State record with three first-half interceptions.
Buoyed by the stellar defense, Borton returned through the air. He completed 11-of-18 attempts for 151 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target that afternoon was Bob Joslin, who caught seven passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
How big was the win for coach Hayes? From The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
This was really the millennium -- an Ohio State team whipping a favored Michigan team to a complete frazzle. It was a sensational triumph, for W.W. (Woody) Hayes, that Buckeye coach some of the folks were grumbling about only a fortnight ago.
It was so lopsided a game that in retrospect it is hard to figure how Michigan ever was given a chance. The Wolverines came close to being outclassed.
Rallying his team after the Pittsburgh defeat three weeks ago, Hayes has astonished the football world by walloping both Illinois and Michigan in succession.
As of today, we would say that Hayes' position as Ohio State head coach is in no jeopardy.
At the conclusion of the game, Ohio State fans rushed the field and swiped the goal posts in record time. The Buckeyes trailed the series 13–32–4, but Hayes was about to make his mark in the rivalry.
1952 Recap
- Howard "Hopalong" Cassady scored three touchdowns in his college debut as Ohio State trounced Indiana 33-13.
- Three turnovers were the difference in Purdue's 21-14 Week 2 victory.
- Top-ranked Wisconsin runs into a Buckeye buzzsaw and Hayes wins his biggest game to date.
- John Borton sets Ohio State passing records during the 35-7 rout of Washington State.
- Iowa's 8-0 upset victory prevents the Buckeyes from winning the Big Ten.
- Six interceptions were key in the 27-7 win over Illinois.
- Woody Hayes defeated Michigan for the first time as the defense forces eight Wolverine turnovers.
- The AP Poll ranked Ohio State No. 14 following Week 5, but the Buckeyes finished the season unranked.
- Mike Takacs was named All-American.
- Fred Bruney, Tony Curcillo, Jim Ruehl, Dick Hilinski and John Hlay were selected in the NFL Draft.
Hayes' team showed improvement in his second season. The great coach was establishing his philosophy and values on the team and the culture was changing.
Fans were swayed by the victory over No. 1 Wisconsin and the strong finish to the season. The supporters didn't know it at the time, but there was much more to come.
