"The best team we ever put together, probably the best team that ever played college football," is how Woody Hayes described his 1969 Ohio State squad.
The talented team rode a 22-game winning streak to the season finale. If there was a team ever deserving of a do-over, this was it.
| The 1969 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 8–1 |
| B1G Record | 6–1, 1st |
| Coach | Woody Hayes (19th year, 125–42–7) |
| CaptainS | Alan Jack, Dave Whitfield |
Games of Note
September 27th • TCU • Ohio Stadium
TCU served as Ohio State's opponent in the season opener for the fifth time in 1969. In the first four contests, the scrappy Horned Frogs kept the scores close. Entering this game Ohio State held a slim 2–1–1 series advantage and outscored TCU 49-32.
On a rainy 63-degree day, the Ohio Stadium record crowd of 86,412 watched a game unlike the previous four. On the official first play of scrimmage, Rex Kern put the Buckeyes up 7-0 when he connected with Bruce Jankowski for a 58-yard strike. Jim Otis and John Brockington later bowled into the end zone for short scores to give Ohio State a 19-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Hayes' team totally dominated TCU, outgaining the Horned Frogs 565-196 in total yards and earning 26 first downs to nine. The Buckeyes set a school record with 101 offensive players entering the game.
Individually, Otis had a game-high 121 yards rushing and finished with two touchdowns. Brockington had three rushing touchdowns and the Buckeyes scored in every quarter in the 62-0 rout.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP. 27 | TCU | OHIO STADIUM | W, 62–0 |
| OCT. 4 | WASHINGTON | HUSKY STADIUM | W, 41–14 |
| OCT. 11 | NO. 19 MICHIGAN ST. | OHIO STADIUM | W, 54–21 |
| OCT. 18 | MINNESOTA | MEMORIAL STADIUM | W, 34–7 |
| OCT. 25 | ILLINOIS | OHIO STADIUM | W, 41–0 |
| NOV. 1 | NORTHWESTERN | DYCHE STADIUM | W, 35–6 |
| NOV. 8 | WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 62–7 |
| NOV. 15 | NO. 10 PURDUE | OHIO STADIUM | W, 42–14 |
| NOV. 22 | NO. 12 MICHIGAN | MICHIGAN STADIUM | L, 12–24 |
| 8–1, 383–93 |
October 4th • Washington • Husky Stadium
Washington and Ohio State last met in 1966 when the Huskies defeated the Buckeyes for the first time in the series. Three seasons later, they wanted to pull off another upset.
The Buckeyes were too much for Washington this time around and scored in each quarter for the second-straight game. Kern led all players in rushing with 136 yards and passing with 128 yards. Otis collected three more touchdowns and 111 rushing yards. He scored five touchdowns in Ohio State's first two games.
The defense allowed its first points of the season when Washington's Hanzlik Willis rushed in from a yard out 50 seconds prior to halftime. Although the team did not record consecutive shutouts, Washington still committed five turnovers. Through two games Ohio State forced five fumbles and snagged six interceptions.
October 11th • #19 Michigan State • Ohio Stadium
On a windy but warm October day, Duffy Daugherty's Spartans entered Ohio Stadium with a 2–1 record. Michigan State lost to Notre Dame 42-28 a week earlier in South Bend, and Ohio State's high-powered offense concerned the Irish defense.
The concern didn't help much, as the Buckeyes scored two of their four touchdowns in the first quarter via defense and special teams. On Michigan State's second play from scrimmage, Jim Stilwagon punished Bill Triplett while he attempted a pass. Junior Marc Debevc grabbed the errant throw at the 17 and took it to the end zone in for the first score of the day.
Following the kickoff, Debevc made his presence known again when he recovered a bad pitch out from Triplett on the Spartans' initial play after the interception. The Buckeyes took advantage of the short field and Kern scored on a 1-yard sneak to put the home team up 14-0.
The defense held Michigan State to a three-and-out and forced the Spartans to punt. Larry Zelina fielded the punt at the Ohio State's 27 and raced 73 yards for a touchdown. The Buckeyes led 20-0 after missing the extra point.
The Spartans scored on their next possession, but Kern immediately countered with a 10-play 65-yard drive that he finished with a 4-yard touchdown run. At the end of the first quarter, Ohio State led 27-7 in front of a record crowd of 86,861. Ohio State honored Buckeye great Chic Harley at halftime for the 50-year anniversary of his historic 1919 season.
For consecutive games, Kern led all players in rushing and passing and the Buckeyes defeated MSU 54-21. The 54 points were the most a Daugherty coached Spartan team allowed in his 19-year tenure. After three games, Ohio State sat undefeated and outscored its opponents 157-35.
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| TCU | W2 | 3–1–1 |
| WASHINGTON | W1 | 4–1 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | W3 | 5–5 |
| MINNESOTA | W1 | 8–5 |
| ILLINOIS | W2 | 35–19–4 |
| NORTHWESTERN | W4 | 30–12–1 |
| WISCONSIN | W10 | 28–7–4 |
| PURDUE | W2 | 15–7–2 |
| MICHIGAN | L1 | 24–38–4 |
November 1st • Northwestern • Dyche Stadium
After destroying Daugherty's Spartans, the Buckeyes traveled to Minneapolis and defeated the Minnesota 34-7. For the first time in four games, Ohio State failed to score in every quarter.
In Week 5, Illinois served as the homecoming opponent on a sunny 56-degree afternoon. The Buckeyes played as perfect as the weather and stomped the Fighting Illini 41-0. Ohio State ran 101 offensive plays and outgained Illinois 564-156.
Cloudy skies greeted Hayes and his team when they arrived Evanston to face Northwestern. The Buckeyes started slow and did not score until the final minute of the first quarter when Otis capped a 9-play, 57-yard drive with a 1-yard run. The Wildcats continued their pesky ways throughout much of the second quarter until Kern and the offense broke their backs with a methodical 93-yard, 14-play scoring drive. Ohio State scored late in the half to lead 21-0.
As well as Northwestern's defense played, the Buckeyes' defense played better. Ohio State held the Wildcats' offense to three yards rushing before halftime and forced two fumbles. Northwestern's Maurie Daigneau finished with -100 yards rushing while the team finished at -29.
The Buckeyes added two more scores in the second half and won 35-6, their 20th straight victory. Through six contests, Ohio State outscored its opponents 267-48.
November 15th • #10 Purdue • Ohio Stadium
The week prior, the Buckeyes gave the Badgers one of their worst beatings of all-time. Ohio State scored nine touchdowns and scored the first 55 points in a 62-7 shellacking.
Now 7–0, the consensus No. 1 team in the nation hosted No. 10 Purdue (7–1) in snowy 23-degree temperatures. On the season, the Boilermakers had wins over Notre Dame and Michigan State. Their lone loss was a Week 4 setback to Michigan.
Near the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes' offense opened the scoring when Kern rushed in from six yards out. Purdue blocked Stan White's point after attempt, but Ohio State led 6-0 after one period.
Ohio State took over in the second quarter and the Buckeyes exploded for 22 points. White started the second quarter scoring with a 33-yard field goal but missed the conversion on two of the three touchdowns scored in the stanza.
Zelina finished Ohio State's scoring in style and returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown. With many of the reserves in the game, Ohio State failed to score in the fourth quarter. To this point, the Buckeyes scored in all but two of the 32 quarters they played in the 1969 season.
Ohio State rode a 22-game winning streak as it prepared for a trip to Ann Arbor.
November 22nd • #12 Michigan • Michigan Stadium
The Wolverines entered as 17-point underdogs when they hosted No. 1 Ohio State in Michigan Stadium to close out the regular season. The crowd of 103,588 – a college record at the time – settled into their seats with the temperature at 45 degrees under sunny skies for a 1:37 kickoff. Columbus natives purchased 25,000 of the tickets after Michigan's athletic director drove them to campus. He wanted the stadium at full capacity.
The Buckeyes won the toss and elected to receive, returning the opening kickoff to their own 44-yard line. Ohio State ran the ball seven consecutive times in the nine-play drive but faced 4th-and-1 from the Wolverines' 11-yard line. Hayes elected to go for it and called an Otis run behind center, but officials ruled him inches short. The promising drive ended without any points.
Michigan's first drive went three-and-out and Zelina returned the punt 36 yards to the Wolverines' 16. This time, the Buckeyes were not denied the end zone and Otis bowled in from a yard out. White missed the point after and Ohio State led 6-0 midway through the first quarter.
A long kickoff return sparked Michigan and the offense responded with its own touchdown to take the lead 7-6, the first time the Buckeyes trailed in 1969. Michigan's lead didn't last long, however, as Ohio State went 73 yards to regain the lead. Kern connected with Jan White for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Stan White made the extra-point, but Hayes elected to go for two after Michigan was offsides. The Wolverines sacked Kern on the two-point try and the Buckeyes led 12-7.
From there Schembechler and the Wolverines took over. Kern threw four interceptions and only completed six of his 17 pass attempts for 88 yards. In the second half, Ohio State only crossed midfield once. The team that had scored in 34 of 36 prior quarters was shutout in the second half and committed seven total turnovers. Michigan won 24-12.
A summary of The Game from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
It was a bitter setback for Ohio State, which only once penetrated past midfield in the second half, and for Hayes, who saw an unbeaten season, second straight national and Big Ten title go down the drain. Hayes had to settle for a share of the crown -- his sixth since coming to Ohio 19 years ago.
The loss was Ohio's first after eight victories this season and snapped a 22-game winning streak dating back to 1967. Ohio also failed in its bid for a records 18th straight Big Ten victory. The Bucks now have won 17 straight conference games twice -- during the 54-55-56 seasons and from 1967 through yesterday.
Schembechler took the first shot in the "Ten Year War" and walked away with a surprising upset victory over No. 1 Ohio State. The Wolverines now led the series 38–24–4. Michigan went to the 1970 Rose Bowl and lost to USC 10-3.
1969 Recap
- The Buckeyes defeated TCU 62-0 and set a school record with 101 offensive plays.
- Ohio State dominated Washington 41-14 in Seattle.
- Woody Hayes gave Duffy Daugherty his worst defeat in 19 seasons at Michigan State.
- The Buckeyes beat Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern and Wisconsin by a combined score of 172-20.
- Ohio State defeated No. 10 Purdue to win its 22nd straight game.
- The Buckeyes lost for the first time since 1967 when No. 12 Michigan pulled off a major upset.
- Ohio State started the season as the No. 1 team in the nation and kept the top spot until the loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes finished ranked fourth in the AP Poll.
- Rex Kern, Jim Otis, Ted Provost, Jim Stillwagon and Jack Tatum were named All-Americans.
- Chuck Hutchison, Ted Provost, Jim Otis and Nick Roman were selected in the NFL Draft.
The team Woody Hayes called "the best team that ever played college football," fell just short of its potential. The squad finished the season with a then-Ohio State record 42.6 points per game and defeated eight opponents by at least 27 points.
A share of the Big Ten title normally marked a successful season. However, the 1969 team was not normal and anything less than a Rose Bowl victory and national championship served as a disappointment.
