Ohio State On This Date: Buckeyes Score 63 vs. Penn State, Fend Off Tim Dwight-Led Iowa Comeback and Survive Upset Bid by Lou Holtz’s Minnesota

Ohio State's first game on Oct. 26 was a 4-4 tie at Denison in 1895. The Buckeyes most recently played on this date in 2019, earning a 38-7 win over a 13th-ranked Wisconsin squad.

Overall, the Buckeyes hold a 14-3-2 record on Oct. 26, including 11 straight wins. Ohio State’s most impressive win on this date might have come in 2013 when the Buckeyes obliterated Penn State.

Nearly nineteen years after Penn State embarrassed Ohio State in front of a national audience by destroying the Buckeyes in a 63-14 game on Oct. 29, 1994, the Buckeyes got revenge by beating Penn State by the same exact score on Oct. 26, 2013.

The Buckeyes came out firing on all cylinders and outgained Penn State 414-158 during the first two quarters of play. Ohio State took a commanding 42-7 lead into the halftime break. The Buckeyes' defense forced Christian Hackenberg to throw two interceptions and he only finished with 125 yards passing. On the other side of the ball, Braxton Miller threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 68 yards and two scores. Carlos Hyde rushed for a game-high 147 yards and two touchdowns.

"It's the worst game I've experienced," Penn State linebacker Mike Hull said after the game.

The 1968 championship team was honored during the first half, and the alumni had to like Urban Meyer's squad's display of dominance. The head coach also liked what he saw on display.

"I like where we're at right now as a team," Meyer said. "The most impressive part of the game to me was we caused turnovers and we hit the quarterback a little bit. We haven't been doing that."

The 63 points were the most a Nittany Lion team had allowed since losing to Duquesne Athletic Club 64-5 in 1899.

Other games to remember

Buckeyes fend off Tim Dwight, Hawkeyes in 1996

Punt returns, a blocked punt, interceptions and a never-say-die Hayden Fry team gave the 70,397 fans in Kinnick Stadium wanting more. However, Ohio State's dominance in the first half probably had many Hawkeye fans eyeing an early exit.

Following Iowa's 47-yard field goal to give the home team a 3-0 lead after two minutes of play, John Cooper's Buckeyes reeled off 31 straight points. Kevin Griffin recovered a blocked punt by Rob Kelly for a touchdown, Stanley Jackson threw two touchdown passes, Joe Montgomery found the end zone and Damon Moore tied a program-record three interceptions to give Ohio State a commanding 31-6 halftime lead. 

Enter Iowa's Tim Dwight. The heart-and-soul of the 1996 Hawkeyes sparked the black and gold's comeback with a 19-yard touchdown off of a reverse. He followed that score up with an 86-yard punt return touchdown and finished the day with 199 all-purpose yards.

With just over seven minutes to play, Luke Fickell took control of the defense. Damon Moore recalled the defensive tackle’s inspiring words: "He looked at everybody and he said: 'Look. We've only got five more games, and we're going to go out there and win them all. We ain't going to lose this. And it starts right here.'"

Fickell's words proved true. Iowa's 20-point second half and Dwight's heroics weren't enough, and Ohio State escaped Iowa City with a 38-26 victory. 

Lou Holtz, Minnesota were a play away from upsetting Ohio State in 1985

Earle Bruce's ninth-ranked Buckeyes traveled to Minneapolis to take on No. 20 Minnesota on Oct. 26, 1985. The Golden Gophers were led by East Liverpool native and future College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz and their talented quarterback, Rickey Foggie.  

Leading 12-10 at the half, Foggie and the Gophers took the second half's opening possession 89 yards for a touchdown and a 19-10 lead. Following the ensuing kickoff, Ohio State was penalized for a personal foul placing Jim Karsatos and the offense at the Buckeyes' 10-yard line. 

Bruce dialed up a drive mixing runs by Keith Byars with passes by Karsatos. However, on the sixth play of the drive, Byars was lost for the game after the broken foot that caused him to miss the season's first six games was stepped on. The Buckeyes carried on without their star running back and finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ed Taggart on fourth-and-goal to pull within two points. 

Ohio State took the lead after William White intercepted Foggie on Minnesota's next possession. The Buckeyes took over near midfield and a key play in the series was Mike Lanese's 23-yard reception on a third-and-10 play. Vince Workman scored four plays later and Ohio State led 23-19 after a failed two-point conversion. 

The stage was set for a dramatic finish. With 7:04 remaining, Minnesota had the ball on its 9-yard line after Tom Tupa pinned them deep with a punt. Using Foggie's fleet feet, the Gophers converted a fourth-and-one and a third-and-one to keep the drive alive. 

Facing third-and-five at Ohio State's 16-yard line, Foggie rushed right and was brought down one foot short of the yard marker. The quarterback was hit in the eye and kneed in the groin on the play, forcing Minnesota's best threat to the sideline for the game's most critical play.

Without his starting quarterback behind center, Holtz had to think on his feet. "We went from an option play with Foggie in the game to a straight handoff with (Alan) Holt at quarterback," Holtz said.

Bruce and his coaching staff realized the Gophers were without the mobile Foggie and told linebackers Chris Spielman and Pepper Johnson to "fill the B gaps." Johnson fired through his gap at the snap, destroyed the fullback and pulled Valdez Baylor down for a loss. The Buckeyes took over and ran out the 48 seconds remaining on the clock.

The 23-19 road win set up a showdown with No. 1 Iowa in Ohio Stadium in seven days. A game you might read about next week.

Stat Superlatives

Five Fun Facts

1. Kenny Guiton, Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller all recorded two rushing touchdowns in the rout of Penn State in 2013.
2. The first time Ohio State faced the No. 1 team in the nation was on this date in 1940 against Cornell. That's right, Cornell, have you ever heard of it?
3. The 2013 game against Penn State was Urban Meyer's 20th game as the Buckeyes' head coach and his 20th win with the team. Meyer became the first coach in college football history to have three 20-game winning streaks.
4. Ohio State's 4-4 tie at Denison in 1895 was the program's first tie game.
5. The Buckeyes have played four consecutive home games on this date. You have to go back to the win over Iowa 28 years ago to find a game played outside of Columbus on Oct. 26.