Before each game of the 2023 season, we're looking back at the Buckeyes' history of playing on that date.
Trivia Time
The 28 second-half points Ohio State allowed to Oklahoma on Sept. 9, 2017 was only the second time an opponent scored exactly 28 points against the Buckeyes in the second half of a game played in Ohio Stadium. Can you name the other team to accomplish this feat against the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium? (Hint: It happened in 1995.)
Scroll down to item #1 in Five Fun Facts for the answer.
Ohio State's first game on Sept. 9 was the season opener against Arizona in 2000. The 16th-ranked Buckeyes traveled to Tucson for the first time in school history. The Buckeyes' defense held Dick Tomey's Wildcats to 194 yards of offense and recorded 16 tackles for loss.
Even with the suffocating defense, Ohio State trailed 17-10 at halftime. Near the midpoint of the third quarter, Chad Cacchio's 60-yard touchdown catch kicked the Buckeyes' offense into gear and tied the game at 17-17. Later in the quarter, Jonathan Wells capped a 12-play, 72-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. A 20-yard field goal from Dan Stultz put the game away, and Ohio State won 27-17.
Steve Bellisari led the team with 240 yards passing and two touchdowns and Joe Cooper led the Buckeyes' defense with seven tackles.
Overall, Ohio State holds a 2-1 record on Sept. 9, on which it has only played non-conference games.
| YEAR | MATCHUP | LOCATION | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #5 Ohio State vs. Youngstown State | Columbus, Ohio | TBD |
| 2017 | #2 Ohio State vs. #5 Oklahoma | Columbus, Ohio | 16–31 |
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Texas | Austin, Texas | 24–7 |
| 2000 | #16 Ohio State vs. Arizona | Tucson, Arizona | 27–17 |
| Overall Record on Sep. 2: 2-1 | |||
Games to remember
Top-Ranked Ohio State Thrashes Texas in Austin
This game marked the first time since 1996 that the top two teams in college football met in the regular season. The Longhorns won the national championship in 2005 and owned a 21-game winning streak. However, Vince Young left for the NFL and redshirt freshman Colt McCoy was now the Longhorns' quarterback.
Following a couple of stalled drives and an Ohio State missed field goal, Texas was on the Buckeyes' 7-yard line and threatening to score. Billy Pittman caught a short pass, but James Laurinaitis forced a fumble and Donald Washington picked it up and returned it to the 50-yard line.
Troy Smith took advantage of the turnover and excellent field position. He completed three passes to Anthony Gonzalez, with the last resulting in a 14-yard touchdown. With just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, Ohio State led 7-0.
Both offenses struggled to move the ball for most of the second quarter. McCoy finally settled in and directed a 13-play, 78-yard scoring drive, tying the game at seven apiece.
Ohio State had 1:55 to put a scoring drive together before halftime and Smith went to work. The senior signal-caller ran or passed on every play of the possession. He completed passes to Brian Robiskie, Ted Ginn Jr. and Gonzalez to cover 66 yards in five plays. The touchdown came from Ginn, who caught a 29-yard pass with 16 seconds left until the break.
McCoy threw an interception to Laurinaitis on the second half's third play, and the linebacker returned the ball 25 yards to the Longhorns' 21. After Smith was sacked on second down, the Buckeyes settled for an Aaron Pettrey 31-yard field goal, giving Ohio State a 17-7 lead two minutes into the third quarter.
Texas' Greg Johnson missed a 45-yard field goal and Antonio Pittman added a 2-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 24-7 victory that would help propel the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game.
"We came in here and beat the No. 2 team in the country and the defending national champion in front of their home crowd," Vernon Gholston said after the game. "We showed everybody what we can do."
Mayfield Plants A Flag
The last time Ohio State played on this date was a home game against No. 5 Oklahoma. A home opener record crowd of 109,088 filled Ohio Stadium to watch the Buckeyes put up three first-half points and get dismantled by Baker Mayfield and the Sooners.
Mayfield finished the night with 386 passing yards and three touchdowns, leading Oklahoma to a 31-16 victory. He did most of his damage in the second half, completing 19 of 20 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns after halftime.
"We should have won by more," Mayfield said after planting an Oklahoma flag in the Block O at midfield of Ohio Stadium.
Stat Superlatives
| Stat | Number | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Points Scored | 27 | Arizona, 2000 |
| Passing Yards | 269 | Texas, 2006 |
| Completions | 19 | Oklahoma, 2017 |
| Rushing Yards | 167 | Oklahoma, 2017 |
| Total Yards | 350 | Oklahoma, 2017 |
| Fewest Yards Allowed | 194 | Arizona, 2000 |
| Fewest Points Allowed | 7 | Texas, 2006 |
| Stat | Player | Number | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Troy Smith | 269 | Texas, 2006 |
| Passing Touchdowns |
Troy Smith Steve Bellisari |
2 |
Texas, 2006 Arizona, 2000 |
| Rushing Yards | Antonio Pittman | 74 | Texas, 2006 |
| Rushing Touchdowns |
J.K. Dobbins Antonio Pittman Jonathan Wells |
1 |
Oklahoma, 2017 Texas, 2006 Arizona, 2000 |
| Receptions | Anthony Gonzalez | 8 | Texas, 2006 |
| Receiving Yards | Anthony Gonzalez | 142 | Texas, 2006 |
| Receiving Touchdowns |
Ted Ginn Jr. Anthony Gonzalez Chad Cacchio Tim Cheatwood |
1 |
Texas, 2006 Texas, 2006 Arizona, 2000 Arizona, 2000 |
| Total Touchdowns |
Troy Smith Steve Bellisari |
2 |
Texas, 2006 Arizona, 2000 |
| Touchdowns Scored |
J.K. Dobbins Ted Ginn Jr. Anthony Gonzalez Antonio Pittman Jonathan Wells Chad Cacchio Tim Cheatwood |
1 |
Oklahoma, 2017 Texas, 2006 Texas, 2006 Texas, 2006 Arizona, 2000 Arizona, 2000 Arizona, 2000 |
| Yards from Scrimmage | Anthony Gonzalez | 142 | Texas, 2006 |
Five Fun Facts
- On Oct. 28, 1995, Hayden Fry's Hawkeyes scored 28 points in the second half, but John Cooper's Buckeyes put up 28 points in the first and second quarters to cruise to a 56-35 victory.
- This is the latest date Ohio State has ever faced Youngstown State. The first two games were season openers on Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 30, 2008.
- Every previous game the Buckeyes have played on Sept. 9 has been decided by double digits.
- A different head coach has been on the Ohio State sideline for every game played on this date: John Cooper (2000), Jim Tressel (2006), Urban Meyer (2017) and Ryan Day (2023).
- Youngstown State is the first non-Power 5 team to play Ohio State on Sept. 9.
