Ohio State On This Date: Braxton Miller Puts Virginia Tech on Spin Cycle, Buckeyes Shut Out Cincinnati on Sept. 7

Playing during the first week of September is a relatively new experience for Ohio State football. The first game played by the program between Sep. 1 and Sep. 7 was on this date in 1991. Because the Buckeyes have played only six times on the seventh of September, this edition of Ohio State on This Date will be a tad leaner than what you have come to expect from this series. 

Ohio State’s last game on Sept. 7 was against Cincinnati in the second contest of the 2019 season. Coming off of a season-opening 45-21 victory over Florida Atlantic, the Buckeyes' defense was hearing some rumblings about the 21 points FAU put up on the scoreboard. Jeff Hafley's group responded by holding the Bearcats to 273 total yards and did not allow UC to score.

Chase Young collected 1.5 sacks for the second straight game and Jeff Okudah took notice. 

“Chase is playing lights out,” Okudah said after the game. “I know that I can tell that he's really comfortable. And his skill set, it shows. I mean, he's playing really fast.”

On the offensive side of the ball, Justin Fields completed 20 of 25 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns and added another 42 yards and two scores on the ground. J.K. Dobbins rushed for a game-high 141 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Freshman Garrett Wilson recorded his first collegiate catch and touchdown in the second quarter. The Austin, Texas native snared a Fields pass in the corner of the endzone to give Ohio State a 28-0 lead.   

A side story to this contest was Luke Fickell's return to Ohio Stadium as Cincinnati's head coach. The former Ohio State All-American, long-time defensive coordinator and fill-in Buckeye head coach was facing his alma mater for the first time since not being hired permanently as the program's head coach following the 2011 season. Ryan Day may or may not have been motivated to prove Ohio State's administration made the correct choice of hiring him for the job.

When the final whistle blew, there was little doubt about which team was better on the field that day. Ohio State won 42-0, giving the program its first shutout since blanking Rutgers in 2017 and its 42nd straight win against an in-state opponent. 

"We took one in the mouth today for four quarters," Fickell said following the loss. "Not like we only took it in the mouth for two quarters. We took it in the mouth for four quarters and it's a humbling experience for a lot of us."

X-Brax Spins Through Blacksburg

On this date in 2015, the Buckeyes played their opening game of the season against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Urban Meyer's team was coming off of a national championship and looking to bury the memories of losing to the Hokies in Ohio Stadium a year before.

Besides the revenge storyline, the biggest talking point of this game was who would be Ohio State's starting quarterback. Cardale Jones led the Buckeyes on an incredible three-game journey to claim the 2014 national championship and decided to forgo the NFL draft and return to Columbus. J.T. Barrett was returning from his season-ending ankle injury, which provided Jones with the opportunity to lead the team on that postseason run. Urban Meyer played his cards extremely close to his chest leading up to the opener and it was reported that the head coach did not make his final decision on who would start the game until a few minutes prior to kickoff. 

Ultimately, Jones got the nod, and he finished the game completing fifty percent of his 18 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also had 13 carries for 99 yards and a score. Barrett saw limited action and only threw one pass and had one carry. His lone pass was a 26-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas, and his run was for 40 yards. 

Braxton Miller's epic 53-yard touchdown run in the 42-24 victory at Blacksburg, which featured his famous spin move, will long be remembered by Ohio State fans. Somewhat forgotten because of Miller's electrifying run was Ezekiel Elliott's 80-yard touchdown scamper. 

Stat Superlatives

Five Fun Facts

1. Michael Wiley caught two passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the 70-7 win over Rice on this date in 1996.
2. Wiley is the only Buckeye true freshman with over 100 receiving yards in a season-opening game. 
3. Ohio State has scored exactly 42 points in its last three games on Sept. 7.
4. Ohio State played Kent State for the first time on Sept. 7, 2002.
5. The Buckeyes have always been ranked when playing on this date.