Ohio State (18-8, 8-7) vs. No. 16 Purdue (21-7, 10-5)

Date: Saturday, February 28
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Place: Mackey Arena – capacity 14,123
TV: ESPN with Dave O’Brien and Stephen Bardo.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes.
Series History: Ohio State owns a 74-79 all-time record vs. Purdue.
Last Game: Ohio State defeated Purdue 80-72 in overtime back on Feb. 3, 2009 at Value City Arena. Evan Turner scored 26 points and William Buford added 22 for the Buckeyes.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Sophomore safety Mike Sensibaugh led the Buckeye defense with five interceptions in 1968. He was also the team’s punter, averaging 37.3 yards per kick, and Ohio State’s top punt returner, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt. Matt Barker File Photo

Since there’s still more than six months until Ohio State takes to the gridiron to face Navy in the season-opener at Ohio Stadium, now’s a good time to go to your local bookstore or library to purchase or check out many of the fine publications dedicated to Buckeye football.

Though I am no Jack Park by any stretch of the imagination, ever since I was a child, I have enjoyed reading anything I could get my hands on concerning Ohio State athletics.

Without a doubt in my mind, the 1968 Ohio State football team was the best ever. That year has special meaning to me, since I was born the day after Ohio State’s win over Michigan on November 24, 1968.

However, the United States was in turmoil that year. Both Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, the Vietnam War intensified, and riots plagued the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

But for nine fall Saturday’s in Columbus, all was well as the Ohio State Buckeyes completed an undefeated season, earning a trip to the Rose Bowl, and toppled No. 2 Southern California in the Rose Bowl to claim the undisputed national championship.

Led by legendary head coach Woody Hayes, the 1968 team had a unique blend of experience and youth. Arguably one of Coach Hayes’ best recruiting classes ever at Ohio State enrolled for Fall Quarter in 1967, but back then freshman were ineligible to play.

That class, known as the “Super Sophs,” included quarterbacks Rex Kern and Ron Maciejowski, halfbacks John Brockington, Leo Hayden and Larry Zelina, offensive ends Bruce Jankowski and Jan White, defensive backs Jack Tatum and Tim Anderson, defensive end Mark Debevc, safety Mike Sensibaugh, and middle guard Jim Stillwagon among others who all played major roles that year.

At quarterback, Kern was so good that he supplanted two-year starter Bill Long. During the 1968 season, he completed 57.2 percent of his passes (75-of-131) for 972 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions.

Granted, those are very paltry numbers in this day and age, but you have to remember this was the era of Coach Hayes’ and his mantra of “three yards and a cloud of dust.” He was also fond of saying that there are three things that can happen when you throw the football, and two of them are bad.

Kern was also second on the team in rushing, gaining 534 yards on the ground in 131 attempts and eight TDs.

Jim Otis, a bruising 6-foot, 208-pound fullback topped the Buckeye roster in rushing, carrying the ball 219 times for 985 yards and 17 scores.

Four “Super Sophs” were at the top of the list in receiving, with Jankowski leading the way with 31 receptions for 328 yards and three touchdowns.

Overall, Ohio State averaged 440.9 yards of total offense per game, with 302.5 coming on the ground and 138.4 through the air. Defensively, the Buckeyes held their opposition to 292.5 yards of total offense per contest, allowing 115.3 yards rushing and 177.2 yards passing during their undefeated season.

And the season begins…

Back in 1968, the season started much later than it does now. Preseason camp didn’t begin until the end of August, and the first game against Southern Methodist at Ohio Stadium was on September 28.

The Mustangs ventured north to Columbus led by head coach Hayden Fry, who would later face the Buckeyes many more times as the coach of Iowa.

Ohio State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Kern was 8-of-14 passing for 139 yards and two touchdowns while junior halfback Dave Brungard had 101 yards rushing with one TD. He also caught both touchdown passes from Kern as the Buckeyes went on to win 35-14 in front of a less than sellout crowd of 73,855 at The ‘Shoe.

Amazingly, SMU attempted 76 passes in that game and completed 40 of them for 437 yards. Mustangs’ quarterback Chuck Hixson, though, also threw five interceptions, three of which were in the red zone. SMU also turned the ball over three more times on fumbles. Overall, SMU had 27 first downs to 18 for OSU, and the Mustangs outgained the Buckeyes 487-372.

In week two, Ohio State defeated Oregon 21-6 in front of only 70,191 fans at Ohio Stadium, well short of capacity at that time.

Kern was 11-of-19 passing for 113 yards before leaving with a jaw injury. Senior Bill Long came in to replace Kern, but promptly threw two interceptions. Sophomore Ron Maciejowski later replaced Long and threw a 55-yard TD pass to Bruce Jankowski in the fourth quarter.

The Buckeyes led the Ducks 7-6 at halftime thanks to a blocked punt by safety Mike Polaski that he returned nine yards himself for the score.

Otis added a 35-yard TD run in the third quarter that put OSU ahead 14-6.

The biggest game on Ohio State’s schedule during the 1968 season might not have been Michigan, but Purdue. The Boilermakers came to Columbus ranked No. 1, and had defeated the Buckeyes 41-6 the year before.

Purdue also had All-American quarterback Mike Phipps, leading Heisman Trophy candidate in running back Leroy Keyes, and an offense that averaged more than 40 points per game.

And the number of points scored by the top-ranked Boilermakers against the fifth-ranked Buckeyes?

Zero.

A then-record crowd of 84,834 filled up Ohio Stadium to watch Ohio State shutout Purdue while holding the Boilermakers to just 186 yards of total offense. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, chewed up 333 yards on the ground and had another 78 through the air.

Otis had 144 yards rushing on 29 carries for Ohio State. For Purdue, Keyes had just 19 yards in seven attempts.

There was no scoring until the fourth quarter when OSU defensive back Ted Provost intercepted a Phipps’ pass and raced 34 yards for the score. Later in the period, nose guard Jim Stillwagon picked off another bad pass from Phipps, which set-up a 14-yard TD run by Bill Long, who was subbing for an injured Kern.

In week four, the second-ranked Buckeyes needed 18 fourth quarter points to chug past Northwestern, 45-21, in front of 84,834 fans at The ‘Shoe and another nationally televised game.

Kern totaled 291 yards of total offense while the Buckeyes as a unit rolled up 565 yards against the Wildcats.

In week five, Ohio State traveled for their first road game of the season against Illinois.

The Buckeyes led 24-0 at halftime and it appeared that the rout was on, but the Fighting Illini scored three touchdowns, all on the ground, and put 24 answered points on the board to tie the game while adding three, 2-point conversions after each TD.

With 4:34 left in the game and the score tied at 24-all, backup quarterback Ron Maciejowski subbing for an injured Kern who had to leave yet another game due to his health, engineered a 70-yard scoring drive that was capped off on a 2-yard run by Otis with 1:30 remaining that gave Ohio State a 31-24 win over Illinois.

Similar to Ohio State’s national championship team of 2002, there were several close games during the 1968 season. In week six, Ohio State narrowly escaped Michigan State’s upset bid as the Buckeyes defeated the Spartans 25-20.

Ohio State needed a sack and a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter to halt a Michigan State drive and seal the win.

The Buckeyes outgained the Spartans 429-271, but the Spartans shot themselves in the foot on several occasions, turning the ball over seven times.

Ohio State’s next two games were on the road, as the Buckeyes easily defeated Wisconsin, 43-8, at Camp Randall Stadium, before traveling to Iowa Stadium to take on the Hawkeyes.

OSU led 33-13 in the fourth quarter after John Brockington scored on a 22-yard run. Iowa, though, scored two touchdowns through the air and the Buckeyes needed to pounce on an onside kick to preserve the victory, downing the Hawkeyes 33-27.

That setup a showdown with No. 4 Michigan the following week on November 23 with a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.

The Wolverines jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after a 1-yard run by Ron Johnson. The Buckeyes responded as Otis added a 5-yard TD burst, one of his four rushing scores of the game.

At halftime, top-ranked Ohio State held a 21-14 advantage, but the Buckeyes scored 29 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 50-14 rout of “That School Up North.”

With Ohio State leading 44-14 late in the fourth quarter, Otis came back in the game and scored his 17th touchdown of the season, breaking Hopalong Cassady’s single-season TD record. Otis then heaved the football into the the stands.

OSU radio announcer Bert Charles on the touchdown call:

“Less than a minute and a half. Billy Long gives it to Otis and he barrels in for another score! And he throws it into the stands! He throws the football into the stands! And he’s going out of his mind down there! There are carrying him around! Oh, this is pandemonium here! 50-14 Ohio State, and the fans are yelling for more!”
Click here for actual audio broadcast of Bert’s call.

Ohio State gained 421 of their 467 yards of total offense on the ground as the Buckeyes pounded Michigan with their power running game. Otis had a team-high 143 yards rushing.

OSU’s defense held UM’s Johnson to just 91 yards on 21 carries, while Michigan quarterback Dennis “The Menace” Brown was 14-of-24 passing for 171 yards, but threw three interceptions.

After the game, students stormed the field and took down the goalposts, carrying them down High Street to the Statehouse. By midnight, more than 6,000 fans were at the Capitol, along with the marching band and the cheerleaders.

With the win, top-ranked Ohio State was set to face second-ranked Southern California and Heisman Trophy-winner O.J. Simpson in the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes quickly fell behind 10-0 after Simpson ran 80 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter, but Ohio State responded by going 69 yards in 13 plays capped off on a 1-yard run by Otis, and Jim Roman added a 25-yard field goal with just three seconds left that tied the game at 10-all at halftime.

The Buckeyes took the lead for good in the third quarter when Roman added another field goal, and Kern tossed two TD passes in the fourth period as OSU defeated USC 27-16 to eventually claim the national championship.

Kern was named the Rose Bowl’s Most Valuable Player after completing 9-of-15 passes for 101 yards and two TDs.

Looking back, not much has changed i just over 40 years of Ohio State football. One thing that I noticed through the many photos and film I have come across is how the fans dressed at Ohio Stadium. Very few wore ball caps, though some older gentlemen wore hats. Didn’t see anyone wearing an OSU football jersey or any other type of clothing that had Buckeye logos or symbols on it. Most wore button-down dress shirts or sweaters, as if they were attending church. Granted, The ‘Shoe is the cathedral of college football, but found that somewhat odd.

The players back then were much smaller than they are now. Kern, who hails from Lancaster, Ohio, was about six feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. Rufus Mayes, one of Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen, was drafted in the first round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears and was 6-foot-5, 250-pounds.

The “Super Sophs” ended their careers with a 27-2 record and also won the 1970 National Football Foundation (NFF) national championship going 9-1. That year, Nebraska was crowned the Associated Press national champ with a record of 11-0-1.

Today, the BCS national championship winner is automatically awarded as the NFF champion.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Ohio State’s William Buford hammers down two of his 11 points vs. Penn State.
(AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

Ohio State’s head coach, Thad Matta, made a few changes against Penn State that seemed to work, as the Buckeyes ended their three-game losing skid and defeated the Nittany Lions 73-59 at Value City Arena, Tuesday night.

One change was that Ohio State started out in a “triangle-and-two” defense, in which two defenders were paired up guarding a man, while the other three guarded an area, which is a switch from the match-up zone the Buckeyes have used most of the season.

The result: Ohio State scored 19 of the game’s first 21 points. Eventually, though, Penn State figured out the triangle-and-two by going on a 21-3 run after the first media timeout to take a one-point lead.

P.J. Hill made his first start at point guard, scoring a career-high 13 points in 19 minutes of game action. Jeremie Simmons, who had started 25 out of the last 26 games at the point, came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points.

Once Penn State climbed back into the game after their horrendous start, it was a closely contested battle for most of the first half. Simmons had a nice pass to B.J. Mullens, who slammed home two of his 14 points with 1:48 left until intermission. On the Buckeyes’ next possession, Simmons drained a triple which would give OSU a 32-30 advantage at the break.

Penn State held a one-point lead with 9:05 remaining in the game after a three-pointer by Danny Morrissey, but Simmons knocked down one of his four treys of the game on Ohio State’s next time down the court and the Buckeyes cruised from that stage of the contest, outscoring the Lions 22-10 in the final eight-plus minutes.

Ohio State’s Evan Turner, who entered last night’s game averaging 17.2 points per game, good for second-best in the Big Ten, scored just six, but also had six rebounds and eight assists. In the first half, Penn State’s Jamelle Cornley was draped all over him and Turner was double-teamed most the game, while the Nits’ left Simmons and Hill virtually unguarded. In the second half, Matta brought Kyle Madsen off the bench and moved Turner to the point, getting a better man-to-man match-up on the perimeter.

Ohio State shot the ball well from the field (26-of-50, 52.0%) and from beyond the arc (10-of-22, 45.5%) while outrebounding Penn State 34-25. The Nittany Lions were 23-of-53 (43.4%) from the floor, and 10-of-26 (38.5%) from three-point range. And it was a relatively mistake-free game, with both teams having just six turnovers.

William Buford was the other out of the four Buckeyes to score in double figures with 11. Simmons, Hill and Mullens were the others.

Cornley, a Columbus native, led the Nittany Lions with 11 points.

Up next, Ohio State travels to W. Lafayette, Indiana, to take on the 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Tip-off at Mackey Arena is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Tuesday, February 24
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Place: Value City Arena – capacity 19,049
TV: ESPN with Brent “Pard’ner” Musburger and Steve “Hair Gel” Lavin.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes.
Series History: Ohio State owns a 21-12 all-time record vs. Penn State.
Last Game: Ohio State defeated Penn State 68-56 back on January 29, 2008, at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Penn. Jamar Butler scored 20 points and Kosta Koufos added 10 for the Buckeyes. Defensively, the Nittany Lions went 10-plus minutes in the second half without a basket

Right: Penn State’s 5-foot-11 point guard Talor Battle leads the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game.
(The Daily Collegian Photo)

In my five-plus years of owning and writing on this blog, never once have I uttered the words, “this is a big game,” when it comes to Ohio State vs. Penn State in basketball.

Oh sure, every year on the gridiron, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are fierce battles. But basketball? Never. Until now.

Ohio State has been on the losing end the last three times out, dropping decisions to Wisconsin, Northwestern and Illinois, and desperately needs a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Penn State, who has not played a game since last Wednesday in which they scored a paltry 38 points and freakin’ won, should be well-rested.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, can’t say the same thing after playing the Illini on Sunday. It appears that Thad Matta’s cagers are running out of gas as the season draws to an end.

The Nittany Lions have also lost three-straight this month, dropping decisions to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Purdue between Feb. 5-11, before righting the ship and winning two in a row against Minnesota and the aforementioned Illinois.

Penn State’s Talor Battle, a 5-foot-11 sophomore point guard, leads the Big Ten in scoring by one-tenth of a point over Ohio State’s Evan Turner. Battle is scoring on average 17.3 points per ball game.

Battle, though, has struggled with his shooting through most of February. Since hitting on 11-of-19 shots in a victory against Michigan State on Feb. 1, Battle has gone 16-of-63 for the rest of this month (25.3 percent), dropping his season shooting percentage from 44 percent down to 40.9.

Jamelle Cornley, a Columbus Brookhaven grad, is the Lions’ second-leading scorer (14.6 ppg) and top rebounder (6.6 rpg).

Stanley Pringle, Penn State’s third-leading point contributor (12.7 ppg), is the Lions’ best shooter from beyond the arc at 46.7 percent.

For the Buckeyes to win, it’s all about defense. It’s really time for Matta to get rid of the match-up zone, but that’s not going to happen this season. And the lack of depth is killing the Buckeyes. But Ohio State needs to be aware of the shooters on the perimeter, especially behind the arc. Penn State doesn’t have much of an inside game except for Cornley. Matching up against the Lions in a man-to-man defense would benefit the Buckeyes, though it expends more energy and you run the risk of getting into foul trouble.

The Buckeyes are going to have to dig deep, but they can and will pull of a win Tuesday night.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Ohio State’s Jon Diebler slides by Illinois’ Trent Meacham for a deuce.
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

It has become quite apparent after Ohio State’s 70-68 loss to 18th-ranked Illinois on Sunday that the lack of depth is really starting to take its’ toll on the young Buckeyes.

Though nine white-clad Buckeyes’ entered the game, only seven Ohio State players played more than four minutes and three starters played 37 minutes or more. Starting guard Jon Diebler played the entire game.

Yes, the injuries to David Lighty and Nikola Kecman have literally and figuratively hurt the Buckeyes, as well as the transfer of backup point guard Anthony Crater, who decided that playing time and smoking doob was more important than the whole team concept.

Sure, playing on the road is never easy in the Big Ten, and after dropping close decisions to Wisconsin and Northwestern away from Value City Arena, by coming back home one had hoped that it would energized the young Bucks’.

Against Illinois, Ohio State never even led at any point of the contest. A pair of free throws from Jon Diebler tied the game at 24-all wtih 3:10 left until intermission, but the Fighting Illini closed out the half going on a 8-3 run to take a 32-27 advantage heading into the break.

Illinois’ biggest lead was 58-48 after Chester Frazier knocked down a triple with 6:01 remaining to play, and the Illini still had a two-possession advantage with 49 ticks on the clock after Mike Davis scored on a tip-in that put UI up 67-61.

Evan Turner then scored on a jumper and P.J. Hill added an offensive putback with 36 seconds left that made it a two-point game at 67-65, but the Buckeyes could not get any closer.

As I was saying last month, it’s time for Thad Matta to scrap the match-up zone defense. Illinois made the extra pass and found wide-open shooters. The Illini scorched the nets, shooting 58.3 percent from the field, while connecting on 9 of their 17 three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, Ohio State chucked the rock fairly well, too. The Buckeyes were 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from beyond the arc. The problem was, OSU couldn’t get a defensive stop when they needed it most.

Up next, Ohio State will host Penn State at Value City Arena. Tip-off is scheduled from 7:00 p.m., and it will be televised on ESPN.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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