Ohio State entered the 1965 season with little momentum. The team finished the previous season with losses in two of its last three games and was outscored 37-10.
Woody Hayes hoped to start the season on the right foot, but North Carolina proved to be more of a challenge than the Buckeyes expected.
| The 1965 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 7–2 |
| B1G Record | 6–1, 2nd |
| Coach | Woody Hayes (14th year, 97–33–7) |
| CaptainS | Ike Kelley and Greg Lashutka |
Games of Note
September 25th • North Carolina • Ohio Stadium
Hayes surprised 80,182 home fans in attendance and let Don Unverferth attempt 35 passes. Only John Borton attempted more passes in a game in Hayes' Ohio State tenure. The tactic came as a shock to Tar Heels coach Jim Hickey as well.
"I'd never have believed it," Hickey said after the game. "From all we'd heard, OSU was a power and possession team."
The Buckeyes entered North Carolina territory seven times but only secured three points off of a second quarter Bob Funk field goal. Ohio State failed to score a touchdown for the 11th straight quarter. In fact, the Buckeyes only had one touchdown in their last 17 quarters.
Danny Tallbott of the Tar Heels tallied the game's first score when he rushed in from five yards out. He sealed North Carolina's 14-3 victory with a 48-yard touchdown scamper with only 56 seconds remaining.
This only other time Ohio State lost a season opener under Hayes came against TCU in 1957. That season the team responded with nine straight wins and the national championship. Could Ohio State do it again in 1965?
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP. 25 | NORTH CAROLINA | OHIO STADIUM | L, 3–14 |
| OCT. 2 | WASHINGTON | HUSKY STADIUM | W, 23–21 |
| OCT. 9 | ILLINOIS | OHIO STADIUM | W, 28–14 |
| OCT. 16 | NO. 4 MICHIGAN STATE | SPARTAN STADIUM | L, 7–32 |
| OCT. 23 | WISCONSIN | CAMP RANDALL | W, 20–10 |
| OCT. 30 | MINNESOTA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 11–10 |
| NOV. 6 | INDIANA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 17–10 |
| NOV. 13 | IOWA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 38–0 |
| NOV. 20 | MICHIGAN | MICHIGAN STADIUM | W, 9–7 |
| 7–2, 156–118 |
October 2nd • Washington • Husky Stadium
Ohio State traveled to Seattle hoping to get the touchdown monkey off of its back. Before that happened, though, Washington jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the game.
In the second quarter, Will Sander capped a 43-yard drive with a short touchdown run to halt Ohio State's drought at 12 quarters. Six minutes later, Tom Barrington barreled into the end zone from a yard out to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the season.
The Huskies responded with two Don Moore touchdown runs and led 21-14 at the 8:38 mark of the third quarter.
Looking for a spark on offense, Hayes inserted Arnie Fontes to play quarterback. The fleet-footed sophomore lit the fuse with his skills on the option. Late in the third, Fontes cashed in on a 5-yard keeper, but Bob Funk missed the crucial extra point and Ohio State trailed 21-20.
Fortunately for Funk, his team gave him an opportunity to atone for the miss.
Washington's Ron Medved missed a field goal late in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes took over and proceeded to drive to the Huskies' 10. With 59 seconds left – and a national television audience watching – Funk's foot put the ball through the uprights and Ohio State left Seattle with a 23-21 victory.
October 9th • Illinois • Ohio Stadium
Following the Washington victory, Ohio State returned home and defeated Illinois 28-14. Tom Barrington rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
Fontes started the game at quarterback but Hayes replaced him with Don Unverferth who guided the Buckeyes to the four scores.
The Ohio State Marching Band played "Hang On Sloopy" for the first time against Illinois:
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| NORTH CAROLINA | L1 | 1–1 |
| WASHINGTON | W3 | 3–0 |
| ILLINOIS | W2 | 33–17–4 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | L1 | 2–4 |
| WISCONSIN | W6 | 24–7–4 |
| MINNESOTA | W2 | 7–4 |
| INDIANA | W6 | 33–10–4 |
| IOWA | W3 | 16–10–2 |
| MICHIGAN | W1 | 22–36–4 |
October 16th • #4 Michigan State • Spartan Stadium
East Lansing greeted Ohio State with perfect football weather. Under fair skies and 67-degree weather, 75,288 Spartan fans hoped their team could defeat the Buckeyes for the first time in 12 years.
Clinton Jones outran Ohio State's defense for 80 yards on Michigan State's second play from scrimmage. After the lightning strike, the Buckeyes' defense settled in and the Spartans went into halftime with a 7-0 lead. Unfortunately, Ohio State lost Ike Kelley to injury for the remainder of the game.
Without the All-American linebacker patrolling Ohio State's defese, Michigan State put up 25 points and ran away with a 32-7 victory.
A recap of the game from the Columbus Citizen Journal:
The pieces from Ohio State's football wreckage in East Lansing may be nigh onto impossible to pick up, let alone put back together.
Seldom, if ever, have the Buckeyes been as dismantled in every department as they were in that 32-7 devastation by a Spartan team that, for one day at least, was the finest looking football team in the Big Ten since Michigan's awesome 1945–47–48 assortment.
How dominating were the Spartans? The defense held Ohio State to -22 yards rushing and the offense outgained the Buckeyes 538-152 in total yards.
October 30th • Minnesota • Ohio Stadium
In Week 5, Sander rushed for two short touchdowns, Funk booted two field goals and Kelley returned to the defense as Ohio State downed Wisconsin in Madison. The Buckeyes' 20-10 victory improved their record to 15–1–2 against the Badgers since 1948.
Fifteen years passed between Ohio State and Minnesota matchups. The visiting Gophers wasted little time to reach the end zone and drove 83 yards to take a 7-0 lead. At this point in the season, all six of Ohio State's opponents scored first.
Ohio State starting running back Bo Rein was hospitalized the morning of the game with internal hemorrhaging, a significant blow to the offense. With Rein out, Hayes turned to Rudy Hubbard and Fontes to play right halfback.
Without Rein, Ohio State's offense sputtered. At the midway point of the second quarter, the Buckeyes finally got into gear when Nelson Adderly snagged a 25-yard strike from Unverferth for a touchdown. However, the routine point after turned out to be anything but.
Hayes called for holder Fontes to keep the ball and run around the right side. The gamble worked, and the two-point conversion proved to be a difference maker. Hayes also went for it on 4th-and-12 to keep the scoring drive alive.
Minnesota kicked a field goal late in the third quarter to retake the lead, 10-8. The back and forth continued when Funk kicked a field goal with 1:17 left. The Gophers proceeded to march to the Ohio State 15, where they lined up to attempt a game-winning 22-yard field goal. Deryl Ramey's kick was off the mark and the Buckeyes escaped with an 11-10 victory.
November 13th • Iowa • Ohio Stadium Stadium
The Buckeyes dispatched a stubborn Indiana 17-10 in Week 7 and entered their contest with Iowa on a three-game winning streak.
The Hawkeyes (1–7) arrived on the other end of the spectrum, however, on a six-game losing streak that put coach Jerry Burns on the hot seat. Playboy Magazine predicted Iowa would go 9–1 and listed the Hawkeyes as its preseason No. 1 team. An upset of Ohio State might be enough to save Burns' job.
Unfortunately for Burns and the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes played as crisp as the clear November air. Sander, Barrington and Funk played prominent roles in the relatively easy 38-0 victory. Sander led all players with 106 rushing yards and two touchdown runs while Barrington also scored a pair of touchdowns and tallied 93 yards on 18 carries. Funk made a 26-yard field goal and made all of his conversion kicks.
Iowa's had a chance to avoid the shutout, but missed a 30-yard field goal. Shortly after the game Iowa informed Burns he would not be retained as head coach.
November 20th • Michigan • Ohio Stadium
Entering the season finale, Michigan State had already locked up the Big Ten title. However, an Ohio State needed a victory against Michigan to secure second place and win its fifth game over the Wolverines in six years.
Unverferth guided Ohio State 76 yards and completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Billy Anders for the first points of the game. Uncharacteristically, Funk missed the point after to the right and the Buckeyes led 6-0 after one.
Michigan's Dave Fisher gave his team a 7-6 halftime lead when he plunged into the end zone minutes before halftime.
Despite turning the ball over three times, Ohio State found itself in position for a game-winning drive but started deep in its own territory.
Pivotal plays during the game-winning drive as described by the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
The great running of fullback Will Sander, two key reverse plays by Bob (Bo) Rein and a keeper run on third down by quarterback Don Unverferth after a fake to Sanders were others. But the one play many fans here and those in the regional television audience will remember longest is the fourth-down play that Ohio State successfully executed deep in its own territory which saved the day.
With the ball on the Ohio 16 and needing one yard, Sander smashed off tackle for three to the 19.
Sander was magnificent in this clock-eating 91-yard drive as he churned out 46 yards in 10 carries. Rein made 22 and six in two well-run reverses.
Unverferth's run of three yards, after faking beautifully to Sander, was another vital play.
Ohio State called on Funk to kick his third game-winning field goal and he came through. The successful 28-yard attempt was his eighth made field goal of the season, which tied a Buckeye record.
The Wolverines had their own chance to win at the end of the game with a 50-yard field goal attempt. Michigan's Rick Sygar missed two kicks earlier in the game, so Bump Elliott turned to Paul D'Eramo. D'Eramo got the kick up, but the try was woefully short.
Hayes had these words about his team after the game: "Oh my gosh, we've come along real well, I've never had a team develop like this. I've never had a clutch team like this. It has also been one of the luckiest in winning close games that I've had."
The victory gave Ohio State 10 win in its last 15 tries against Michigan, all with Hayes leading the charge.
1965 Recap
- Ohio State lost to North Carolina in the season opener, a rarity for Hayes.
- Bob Funk nailed a late 27-yard field goal to defeat Washington.
- TBDBITL debuted "Hang on Sloopy" against Illinois.
- No. 4 Michigan State held the Buckeyes to -22 yards rushing in a 32-7 victory for the Spartans.
- Ohio State played Minnesota for the first time in 15 years and Bob Funk kicked another game-winning field goal.
- Jerry Burns coached his last game against the Buckeyes in a 38-0 defeat.
- A fake punt was the turning point in a 10-0 win over Northwestern.
- Bob Funk made his third game-winning field goal of the season to defeat Michigan in Ann Arbor. Ohio State improved to 22–36–4 in the series.
- The AP Poll never ranked the 1965 team.
- Ike Kelley and Doug Van Horn were named All-Americans.
- Tom Barrington, Doug Van Horn and Ike Kelley were selected in the NFL Draft.
The 1965 season did not start as planned. However, the squad gelled and won seven of its final eight games. Fans witnessed come from behind victories and three game-winning field goals.
Ike Kelley put the season in perspective when he spoke after winning the SAE award: "I'm really glad I won this trophy because for the rest of my life it's going to remind me of the other 21 guys who really made it possible...Coach Hayes thank you for everything you've done for us and thanks for making everyone on the team the quality kid they are."
Ohio State finished 7–2 for the second straight year.
