After looking at the five most glorious touchdowns scored against Michigan over the last five years, today we switch gears just a bit.
Ohio State is 4-1 in Big Ten championship games, appearing in five of the nine total since the league instituted the title tilt back 2011.
The Buckeyes boast an impressive 24 touchdowns over those five outings. Here are my selections for the five most impressive.
2013: Braxton Miller Finds Philly Brown for a 20-Yard Touchdown
I almost ruled any touchdown from the 2013 Big Ten title game as ineligible considering the Buckeyes lost 34-24 to Michigan State but this was a hell of a pitch and catch.
Trailing 17-0 midway through the second quarter and in desperate need of some momentum, Ohio State took possession at its own 16 yard line.
Braxton Miller finally asserted himself on a 48-yard zig-zag on 2nd-and-8 giving OSU some life at the Spartan 34. After an 11-yard toss to Philly Brown and a Carlos Hyde 3-yard run, Braxton received a shotgun snap on 2nd-and-7 from the Michigan State 20.
Looking straight down the seam, Braxton fired rocket over the defense and into the outstretched hands of Brown. Great throw, even better catch.
The play ignited a 24-0 scoring run from the Buckeyes before they allowed Sparty to score the game's final 17 points.
2014: Devin Smith's Acrobatic 42-Yard Touchdown Snag
Ohio State scored eight touchdowns in a 59-0 spanking of Wisconsin so there's a lot to choose from. Joey Bosa's fumble return for six, Ezekiel Elliott's 81-yard jaunt up the gut to pay dirt or any of Devin Smith's three touchdown grabs are all legit candidates for this list.
My personal favorite from that magical night came with the game already well in hand as Smith hauled in a 42-yard touchdown down the left sideline. All Smith did was make electric catches during his time in Columbus and this one sure qualifies.
Incredible concentration to fight off the defender, adjust to the ball and make the catch.
2017: Terry McLaurin Shifts Into Overdrive With 81-Yard Touchdown Catch
Lol Terry McLaurin is fast.
Ohio State got on the board first the 2017 conference title game as J.T. Barrett found McLaurin down the middle for an 81-yard pitch and catch for an early 7-0 lead.
This poor defensive back is helpless as McLaurin gets about a 10-yard sprinter's head start before he realizes what's up.
The end result is the longest touchdown pass of Barrett's career in what became a 27-21 Ohio State victory.
2018: Dwayne Haskins Drops a Dime on Terry McLaurin for Six
Ohio State's 45-24 defeat of Northwestern was pretty methodical and relatively boring, all things considered, but two plays by Dwayne Haskins and Terry McLaurin stick out.
The first, which didn't make the list, opened the scoring as Haskins, on 3rd-and-11, scrambled to buy time before finding McLaurin for a 16-yard touchdown to open the scoring. The play almost made the cut because Haskins, uncharacteristically, didn't look like C3PO while on the move in the pocket.
Later in the first half, with Ohio State leading 17-7, the duo went back to work for a play that did make this list.
Staring down a 3rd-and-20 from the Northwestern 42, Haskins dropped back, looked left, pump faked, and shifted to his right before uncorking an absolute teardrop to pretty well-covered McLaurin at the goal line for the score.
It was a stunner of a throw, even for Haskins.
2019: Jeremy Ruckert Climbs the Ladder Igniting Comeback
The 2019 Big Ten championship game was a complete stinker for the first 30 minutes as Ohio State fell into a 21-7 hole in Indianapolis.
Set to receive the second half kickoff, the Buckeyes knew they needed a quick spark to turn things around.
Justin Fields helped set the tone finding K.J. Hill for a 50-yard completion on 3rd-and-7 to keep the drive alive.
Two plays later, tight end Jeremy Ruckert came open on a post down the middle of the field. Fields' throw was a bit long but Ruckert showed outstanding athleticism and concentration, snaring the pass virtually one-handed near the back of the end zone.
The impressive grab got Gus Johnson's attention in all the right places and opened the scoring in what became a 27-0 second half blitz by Ohio State in what became a 34-21 victory.
