Ohio State On This Date: Overtime Thriller Against Illinois in 2002 Highlights Five Straight Wins for Ohio State on Nov. 16

Ohio State's first game on Nov. 16 was an 18-0 loss to Central Kentucky at Lexington in 1895. The last time the Buckeyes played on this date, they routed Rutgers 56-24 in Piscataway in 2019. 

Overall, Ohio State has an 11-4 record on Nov. 16, including five consecutive wins.

2002: Ohio State defeats Illinois in first overtime game

Following the dramatic 10-6 win over Purdue, the Buckeyes were in Champaign to take on Ron Turner's Illinois team that had defeated Ohio State in two of the previous three contests between the two teams.

Memorial Stadium is known for its unfriendly weather conditions and on this day, the old stomping grounds lived up to its reputation. Windy and 40-degree temperatures greeted the Buckeyes as they walked onto the field for this early afternoon kickoff. 

Jim Tressel's team was without freshman sensation Maurice Clarett and the offense struggled in the first half. All six points scored were from the golden leg of Mike Nugent. With 31 seconds remaining in the first half, the Illini countered with a field goal to make the halftime score 6-3 in favor of Ohio State.  

Craig Krenzel and the offense continued to struggle at the start of the second half. Illinois' defense forced a three-and-out and Eugune Wilson returned Andy Groom's punt 52 yards to the Buckeyes' 23-yard line. Four plays later, Walter Young caught a 19-yard touchdown pass to give Illinois its first lead of the day.

Ohio State countered Illinois' quick score with its own four-play scoring drive. Krenzel connected with Michael Jenkins on a 50-yard touchdown pass to put the Buckeyes up 13-10. 

The Illini tied it at 13 with only 2:55 left in the third. Nugent again gave the Buckeyes a three-point lead when he kicked a 37-yard field goal with 14:14 left. Later in the quarter, he missed his second field goal attempt of the game – and season – and it proved pivotal.

On the last play of regulation, Illinois' Jon Gockman lined up for a 48-yard field goal. In the late-afternoon darkness that Midwesterners know in autumn, Gockman kicked the ball into the frosty and windy air. The ball stayed true and split the uprights with zeroes on the clock.

Ohio State was on the verge of ruining its perfect season for the second straight week.  

Ohio State started the overtime period on offense. Maurice Hall crossed the goalline on the fifth play to give the Buckeyes a 23-16 lead. It was now up to the vaunted defense to stop the Illini and win the game. After a couple of incompletions in the end zone, Illinois faced 4th-and-8 from the Ohio State 9-yard line. Jon Beutjer's pass was swatted down at the line of scrimmage by Tim Anderson to end the game.

The overtime victory, which came in Ohio State’s first overtime game ever, set the stage for the undefeated Buckeyes to host Michigan with the Big Ten title and a shot at a national championship game on the line.

1991: No. 19 Ohio State and Carlos Snow settle the score against Indiana

In John Cooper's third season as head coach, the Buckeyes entered this contest with a 7-2 record and were facing an Indiana team with the conference's top-ranked defense and running back Vaughn Dunbar, who was second in the nation averaging 157.9 rushing yards per game. The goals for this matchup against the Hoosiers were to move the ball on offense and for the defense to stop Dunbar. 

Cooper turned to senior running back Carlos Snow to be the driving force of the Buckeyes' offense in his final game in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State's two losses in 1991 came to Illinois and Iowa when Snow was limited due to injuries. He was now healthy and carried the ball a career-high 32 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

Snow was instrumental in putting the Buckeyes ahead early in the second half. Indiana took a 13-10 halftime lead with a touchdown drive after Kent Graham's interception with 55 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Snow was responsible for 42 of Ohio State's 44 yards on the go-ahead drive, including the 13-yard touchdown romp.     

"We're a different team with Carlos carrying the football, no question about it," Cooper said.

Trent Green and Dunbar responded by getting the Hoosiers in position for a field goal. Scott Bonnell was good from 44 yards out to pull Indiana within one point of the Buckeyes at the 5:01 mark of the 3rd quarter. From this point, the defenses took over as both teams failed to move the ball across several drives.

On Ohio State's last offensive possession, Tim Williams connected on his second field goal of the game and his 38-yard kick gave the home team a 20-16 lead with 1:20 left in the game. Green guided the Hoosiers to Ohio State's 31-yard line to set up the contest's final play. With 0:02 on the clock, Green threw for the left side of the end zone, but the pass was broken up by Walter Taylor.

Snow's two touchdowns, Williams' two field goals and the stout defense allowed Ohio State to escape with a 20-16 win on senior day. 

"I wanted to leave everything out on the field," Snow said. "I accomplished that."

1985: Badgers break Ohio State's 20-game home-winning streak

Earle Bruce was 3-3 against Dave McClain and Wisconsin heading into this game. The Badgers had become a stumbling block for Bruce as they snapped their 21-game losing streak against the Buckeyes in 1981 and one year later made Bruce the first Ohio State coach to lose back-to-back games to Wisconsin since John Wilce lost three straight between 1913 and 1915. 

In 1985, Bruce's Buckeyes outgained Wisconsin 365 to 222 in total yards, but three lost fumbles were too much for Ohio State to overcome against a Wisconsin team that was tied for last place in the Big Ten entering the game.

The turning point in the game came with 9:45 to play in the 4th quarter. Trailing 12-7, the Buckeyes had 2nd-and-goal from Wisconsin's 3-yard line. Jim Karsatos tried to hand the ball off to fourth-string running back Roman Bates, but the ball fell to the ground and the Badgers' Michael Reid recovered.

"We're trying to score. If you go back to a point that was devastating, you go back to that point," Bruce said.

Another turning point in the game was when Bruce decided to go for it on 4th-and-3 at Wisconsin's 20-yard line instead of kicking a field goal. Ohio State was trailing 12-7 and the three points would have put the Buckeyes in a position to win the game with another field goal. Instead, Bruce called for Vince Workman to run up the middle, but the tailback was stuffed on a 1-yard gain.

When Bruce was asked why he didn't kick the field goal, he said, "We didn't think we needed it." 

The loss snapped Ohio State's 20-game home-winning streak, marked consecutive losses to Wisconsin and ended the Buckeyes' bid for repeat appearances in the Rose Bowl. To date, Bruce is the only Ohio State coach to lose back-to-back games to the Badgers on two separate occasions. 

1957: Bob White bashes the Buckeyes over No. 5 Iowa

With a Big Ten championship and trip to the Rose Bowl on the line, Woody Hayes' Buckeyes hosted six-point favorite Iowa in front of a then-record Ohio Stadium crowd of 82,935. Because of an injury, Ohio State was without its star running back, Don Clark, and was trailing 13-10 with under seven minutes remaining in the game. Hayes turned to fullback Bob White to bring the title home. 

On the game-winning drive, the strong sophomore was given the ball seven times as he bullied his team from its own 33 for the deciding touchdown. On many of the carries, White would carry two or three Hawkeyes on his back as he powered forward for the critical gains.

Ohio State's defense was able to thwart Iowa's final attempt to win the game and when the clock struck zero, Hayes led the rest of the Buckeyes onto the field to lift White up on their shoulders and celebrate the title-clinching victory. While the team celebrated, the band triumphantly marched at midfield, the cheerleaders shimmied on the sidelines and the fans stormed the field to tear down the goalposts. 

White finished the day with 157 rushing yards and the game-winning touchdown on 22 carries. "The greatest exhibition of offensive fullbacking I've seen in many years," is how former Buckeye great Marty Karow described White's performance from the press box.

"We whipped them today when they were at their strongest," Hayes said of the big win. "We will celebrate tonight until at 12:30 and then on Sunday, we start work again ... we have to be at our best against Michigan."

Ohio State earned its second berth in the Rose Bowl in four years.

Stat Superlatives

Five Fun Facts

1. Maurice Hall became the first Buckeye to score an overtime touchdown in the 2002 game against Illinois.
2. Today will mark the fifth straight game the Buckeyes have played as the away team on Nov. 9.
3. Mike Nugent's second field goal against Illinois was his 22nd consecutive made field goal of the 2002 season.
4. Andy Katzenmoyer forced a fumble that Matt Finkes returned 45 yards for the game-clinching touchdown against Indiana in 1996.
5. The win over Iowa in 1957 gave Ohio State its 11th Big Ten title and fourth Rose Bowl berth.