Ohio State On This Date: John Frank and Noah Brown Have Big Days Against Oklahoma 33 Years Apart

In 1894, Wittenberg became the first team to play Ohio State on Sept. 17. However, it wasn't the only time the Tigers faced the Buckeyes that season. About four weeks later, the two schools squared off in Springfield marking the first time Ohio State played the same team twice in one season. Wittenberg won both games.

83 years later, the Buckeyes played their second game on this date. Ron Springs ran for 147 yards as Ohio State rolled Cal Stoll's Gophers, 38-7, on Sept. 17, 1977. Springs' 147 rushing yards and 155 yards from scrimmage are both program highs on this date.

Ohio State has played eight total games on Sept. 17, including two wins over Oklahoma and a pair of games against Pittsburgh. The Buckeyes have won their last four games played on this date, most recently earning a 45-24 win over Oklahoma in 2016 and suffering a 24-6 loss at Miami in 2011.

Games to remember

John Frank and a dominant defense leave the Sooners salty

Following a 31-6 dismantling of the Oregon Ducks in the season opener, No. 6 Ohio State (1–0) headed to Norman, Oklahoma on Sept. 17, 1983. Although the players on this team did not participate in Ohio State’s heartbreaking 1977 loss to the Sooners, Earle Bruce did not want a repeat. 

Barry Switzer's second-ranked Sooners sported a vaunted running game powered by Marcus Dupree. If the Buckeyes were going to win the game, they needed to shut down the Oklahoma rushing attack. Unrelenting heat, stifling scarlet and gray defense and an unfortunate injury helped Ohio State do just that. 

The temperature rose to 93 degrees at kickoff on this sunny Saturday. The AstroTurf increased the heat and raised the field temperature to a reported 135 degrees.

The high temps could have been a disaster for John Frank. Questions about the availability of the talented tight end swirled before kickoff due to Yom Kippur. Frank fasted for two days prior to the game, but decided to play anyway. His decision benefited the Buckeyes in a big way; he finished with 108 yards on seven receptions and two crucial touchdown catches, a career-high.

Keith Byars and Kelvin Lindsey combined for 132 yards on the ground. Byars also caught three passes for 75 yards, including a reception that went 51 yards.

Ohio State's defense never allowed Oklahoma's wishbone attack to get on track. The Sooners' star running back, Dupree, had 30 yards when he left in the second quarter with a knee injury. Although the Buckeyes' defense forced him to fumble and kept him bottled up, he said after the game: “I was one man from breaking a couple of those. I know I was only one man away on that fumble. I think if I could have been in there, it might have made a difference.”

Ohio State scored first and never looked back. Mike Tomczak connected with Frank for the game's first two touchdowns and the Buckeyes led 14-7 at halftime. Roman Bates ran in from the 2-yard line to put Ohio State up 21-7 halfway through the third quarter. Rich Spangler kicked a field goal in the fourth to seal the Buckeyes' 24-14 victory.

Bruce had high praise for his team: “It was the best game I've seen Ohio State play since I've been coaching them. We've had a couple of big wins over Michigan, but I think as a team, we played better than we ever have, especially early in the season.”

Noah Brown ties a record against the Sooners

In a much-hyped contest, No. 3 Ohio State traveled to Norman to take on No. 14 Oklahoma in the third game of the 2016 season. The schools were playing for the first time since the sixth-ranked Buckeyes dropped the second-ranked Sooners, 24-14, in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium exactly 33 years earlier.

Ohio State jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead after Curtis Samuel had a 36-yard touchdown run on fourth down and Jerome Baker returned a Baker Mayfield pass 68 yards for a score. Baker's pick-six was the Buckeyes' fourth in three games and tied the program's record for an entire season.

From that point, Noah Brown was the star of the game. The then-unheralded receiver tied a program record with four receiving touchdowns. The score most people remember is his third, the touchdown in which Brown wrapped his arms around Michiah Quick to secure the catch and the score.

Ohio State's 45-24 victory was the program's 19th consecutive true road win.

Stat Superlatives

Five Fun Facts

1. Carlos Snow returned five kickoffs for a program-record 213 yards in the loss to Pittsburgh on this date in 1988. His final return went 100 yards for a touchdown.
2. Noah Brown's four touchdowns against Oklahoma on 9/17/2016 tied Dane Sanzenbacher (Eastern Michigan, 2010), Terry Glenn (Pittsburgh, 1995) and Bob Grimes (Washington State, 1952) for the most touchdown catches by an Ohio State player in a single game. 
3. Tonight’s game against Toledo is the first home night game for the Buckeyes on this date.
4. John Cooper is the only person to coach Ohio State twice on this date. Both games were against Pittsburgh (1988 and 1995).
5. Toledo is the first team from the Mid-American Conference to play the Buckeyes on Sept. 17. Ohio State is 28–0 against MAC teams.