-
New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
LGHL Ohio State dishes out multiple scholarship offers, including 2027 four-star WR
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State dishes out multiple scholarship offers, including 2027 four-star WR
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2027 four-star wide receiver Damani Warren | via Blair Angulo, 247Sports
The Buckeyes offered multiple blue-chip prospects on Monday and is set to host even more recruits this week.
The Ohio State football team is in the thick of spring ball. The Buckeyes are a few weeks into spring practices and the current roster is quickly coming to form. There is a lot more work to do, and the team reportedly looked a bit rusty at some positions in a recent practice open to the media and students.
Thankfully, there is still plenty of time before the start of the season, because the Ohio State coaching staff is also extremely busy recruiting the nation’s best recruits. On what seems like a daily occurrence, the Buckeyes are both hosting recruits on unofficial visits and scheduling future visits as well.
Ohio State has hosted dozens of recruits already this spring and they will only play host to more. On Monday the Buckeyes added more names to their recruiting board as they presented multiple recruits with official scholarship offers. Below are some of the recruits who took to social media to show off their new Ohio State offer:
Class: 2027
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV / Arbor View
Size: 6-foot-4 / 210 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 4 WR, No. 27 overall, No. 1 in NV
Recruitment Update: Warren was the marquee name to announce his scholarship offer Monday from the Buckeyes. Warren has had a busy spring and is quickly becoming one of the bigger names at wide receiver in the 2027 recruiting cycle.
Warren holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and many more.
Brian Hartline is obviously great at bringing in elite prospects, but the Buckeyes will have to make up some ground in this one.
Class: 2026
Hometown: Birmingham, AL / Parker
Size: 6-foot-3 / 305 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 16 DL, No. 135 overall, No. 9 in AL
Recruitment Update: Ohio State’s 2026 class is quickly coming together but the Buckeyes have not yet been able to secure a commitment on the defensive line, an area the team is making a big priority in this class. The Buckeyes have offered almost 40 recruits along the line so far and adding Cleveland to the mix shows they are serious.
However, they have some competition for him as he also holds offers from Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and others.
Class: 2027
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH / Anderson
Size: 5-foot-11 / 165 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: N/A
Recruitment Update: Alston has seen his stock rise this spring, even if his star ranking doesn’t show it. Ohio State makes it a priority to ensure the best recruits in Ohio state in state and Alston has the looks of being one of the best at his position in the state.
He holds more than two dozen scholarship offers already from the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, West Virginia and many others.
Class: 2027
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV / Arbor View
Size: 6-foot-5 / 220 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: N/A
Recruitment Update: Tight end is another position the Buckeyes are making a priority in the 2027 class. The team has already offered a dozen recruits at the position and they have now added Fares to that list. Like Alston above, Fares recruitment ranking does not reflect his impressive offer list.
Fares holds dozens of offers from the likes of Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Cal, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and others.
Ohio State added even more names to its spring visitor list. Below are just some of the recruits who will soon be taking an unofficial or official visit with the Buckeyes:
Continue reading...
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2027 four-star wide receiver Damani Warren | via Blair Angulo, 247Sports
The Buckeyes offered multiple blue-chip prospects on Monday and is set to host even more recruits this week.
The Ohio State football team is in the thick of spring ball. The Buckeyes are a few weeks into spring practices and the current roster is quickly coming to form. There is a lot more work to do, and the team reportedly looked a bit rusty at some positions in a recent practice open to the media and students.
Thankfully, there is still plenty of time before the start of the season, because the Ohio State coaching staff is also extremely busy recruiting the nation’s best recruits. On what seems like a daily occurrence, the Buckeyes are both hosting recruits on unofficial visits and scheduling future visits as well.
Ohio State has hosted dozens of recruits already this spring and they will only play host to more. On Monday the Buckeyes added more names to their recruiting board as they presented multiple recruits with official scholarship offers. Below are some of the recruits who took to social media to show off their new Ohio State offer:
Four-star WR Damani Warren
Class: 2027
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV / Arbor View
Size: 6-foot-4 / 210 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 4 WR, No. 27 overall, No. 1 in NV
Recruitment Update: Warren was the marquee name to announce his scholarship offer Monday from the Buckeyes. Warren has had a busy spring and is quickly becoming one of the bigger names at wide receiver in the 2027 recruiting cycle.
Warren holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and many more.
Brian Hartline is obviously great at bringing in elite prospects, but the Buckeyes will have to make up some ground in this one.
Four-star DL Vodney Cleveland
Class: 2026
Hometown: Birmingham, AL / Parker
Size: 6-foot-3 / 305 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 16 DL, No. 135 overall, No. 9 in AL
Recruitment Update: Ohio State’s 2026 class is quickly coming together but the Buckeyes have not yet been able to secure a commitment on the defensive line, an area the team is making a big priority in this class. The Buckeyes have offered almost 40 recruits along the line so far and adding Cleveland to the mix shows they are serious.
However, they have some competition for him as he also holds offers from Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and others.
After a great conversation with @R2X_Rushmen1 im Extremely blessed to receive an offer from The University of Ohio State Buckeyes️ pic.twitter.com/Xiu7UNzZKA
— Vodney Cleveland (@Vodney_Clev) April 7, 2025
CB Ace Alston
Class: 2027
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH / Anderson
Size: 5-foot-11 / 165 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: N/A
Recruitment Update: Alston has seen his stock rise this spring, even if his star ranking doesn’t show it. Ohio State makes it a priority to ensure the best recruits in Ohio state in state and Alston has the looks of being one of the best at his position in the state.
He holds more than two dozen scholarship offers already from the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, West Virginia and many others.
TE Zac Fares
Class: 2027
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV / Arbor View
Size: 6-foot-5 / 220 lbs.
247Sports Composite Ranking: N/A
Recruitment Update: Tight end is another position the Buckeyes are making a priority in the 2027 class. The team has already offered a dozen recruits at the position and they have now added Fares to that list. Like Alston above, Fares recruitment ranking does not reflect his impressive offer list.
Fares holds dozens of offers from the likes of Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Cal, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and others.
Quick Hits
Ohio State added even more names to its spring visitor list. Below are just some of the recruits who will soon be taking an unofficial or official visit with the Buckeyes:
- 2026 WR Savion Lewis
- 2026 RB Carsyn Baker
- 2026 OT Chancellor Campbell
Official Visit to Ohio State June 13️@TylerBowen @Coach_Dickey @mjohnson7672 @ryandaytime pic.twitter.com/vLidPdctrY
— Chancellor Campbell (@ChancellorCamp) April 7, 2025
Continue reading...
2027 NV WR Damani Warren (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 0 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: WR
School: Las Vegas(NV) Arbor View
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 210lbs
Login to view embedded media
Rivals
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: WR
School: Las Vegas(NV) Arbor View
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 210lbs
Login to view embedded media
2027 NV TE Zac Fares (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 2 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: TE
School: Las Vegas (NV) Arbor View
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 225 lbs
Login to view embedded media
Rivals
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: TE
School: Las Vegas (NV) Arbor View
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 225 lbs
Login to view embedded media
2027 OH CB Ashton Alston (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 10 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: CB
School: Cincinnati (OH) Anderson
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 170 lbs
Login to view embedded media
Rivals
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: CB
School: Cincinnati (OH) Anderson
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 170 lbs
Login to view embedded media
2026 AL DT Vodney Cleveland (Texas Verbal)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 0 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2026
Position: DT
School: Birmingham(AL) AH Parker
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 308lbs
Login to view embedded media
Rivals
HudL
Class: 2026
Position: DT
School: Birmingham(AL) AH Parker
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 308lbs
Login to view embedded media
LGHL Ranking all 19 Ohio State touchdowns in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff (Part 2)
- News
- 0 Replies
Ranking all 19 Ohio State touchdowns in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff (Part 2)
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
The offseason is dark and full of terrors, so let’s continue our look back at 19 enjoyable touchdowns in three easy-to-read columns.
Last week, we began our look back at all 19 of Ohio State’s touchdowns from the Buckeyes’ 2024 College Football Playoff national championship. The countdown began with numbers 19 through 11 — largely supersized due to four nearly identical 1-yard runs by Quinshon Judkins.
This week, we continue reviewing Ohio State’s historic four-game run through the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff with a look at touchdowns No. 10 through No. 6 in the countdown. This is, admittedly, completely subjective, but I did consider some criteria to make my decisions.
Among those was the degree of difficulty of each scoring play, the magnitude of the moment (i.e., how clutch they were), and the “wow” factor. Was I consistent in applying these criteria? I don’t know. As always, I’m just a guy with a keyboard who loves college football.
We open the Top 10 in the Rose Bowl, with the transfer quarterback firing a bomb to the freshman. As Pat McAfee says in the clip, Smith was “wide-ass open,” but it was the way he got open that makes him so special.
Blazing down the field, Smith was inexplicably left in one-on-one coverage with Tysheem Johnson. Although the clip I chose (poorly, but it does include the requisite desciption of how open Smith was) doesn’t show the end zone look. Smith sold a move to the left with his head and entire body lean.
Johnson, not realizing Smith is a literal wizard instead of a typical freshman wide receiver, bought every bit of that fake. Smith broke back to his right while Johnson was literally running the other direction. That’s why Howard only had to make sure he didn’t overthrow his receiver.
The Buckeyes were already up 17-0 when this play occurred early in the second quarter, and the Rose Bowl felt done and dusted when Smith crossed the goal line.
Although the Rose Bowl felt over two minutes earlier, it was seriously over with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. Ohio State took over the ball after stopping Oregon and added to its big lead.
Carnell Tate provided the eye candy for some backfield misdirection as Howard handed off to Henderson. The speedy tailback followed Donovan Jackson into a gaping hole up the middle and then cut sharply to the outside on the right, making mincemeat of the defensive back’s angle.
From there, the play was over as long as Henderson stayed in bounds, which he did, blasting down the field and into the end zone to extend the Buckeyes’ lead over the Ducks to 31-0 with more than eight minutes remaining in the first half.
At this point, Ohio State fans were happy to relax and enjoy the rest of the beatdown, knowing a spot in the semifinals was all but assured.
It wasn’t as long of a touchdown run that extended Ohio State’s lead to 42-10 against Tennessee in the Horseshoe, but it was an impressive run. Henderson took the handoff on second-and-10 and promptly ran into a wall a yard behind the line of scrimmage.
Giving ground, Henderson broke left, then set up his defender and cut sharply straight up the gut, racing 24 yards to the house early in the fourth quarter. It was time to get the backups into the game and make Rose Bowl travel plans.
Leading by one score late in the second quarter against the Fighting Irish, the Buckeyes made a smart play on second-and-4 to take control entering the break. While it wasn’t the most flashy play, there were a lot of moving parts.
Howard did well to field a low snap in the shotgun and surveyed the field. Feeling the pressure from his right, Howard stepped up and realized that he had three defenders closing on him. The math wasn’t there to make anything of the play with his feet, and Howards wisely kept his eyes downfield.
Judkins found space and threw up his hand to show Howard he was open. The quarterback pulled the defense toward him and sent a harder-than-it-looks pass back across his body to the running back to extend Ohio State’s lead in the national championship game with less than half a minute to play in the first half.
It was a critical play in a tight game with everything on the line.
The touchdown that set the tone for Ohio State’s run to the natty came early in the game against Tennessee. The Buckeyes went on offense first and started their first postseason possession of the 12-team College Football Playoff at their own 25-yard line.
It wasn’t a drive for the ages. The Volunteers extended what would have been a three-and-out with a facemask penalty, and the drive included a 1-yard loss on a Judkins run and a false start by Ohio State. Howard found Henderson to get the Buckeyes into plus territory and then went to work down the field.
Smith got single coverage on the left, and Howard let fly a perfect strike into the corner. Rickey Gibson III interfered with Smith, pulling down the freshman’s right arm before the abll arrived. That didn’t matter to Smith, who was strong enough to fight through the contact and haul in an over-the-shoulder catch to open the scoring.
The play electrified the Ohio Stadium crowd, gave the Buckeyes early momentum, and set the stage for a 42-17 dismantling of Tennessee.
That’ll do it for the second part of this three-week look at Ohio State’s touchdowns in the College Football Playoff run. We’ll bring you the top five next week.
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
The offseason is dark and full of terrors, so let’s continue our look back at 19 enjoyable touchdowns in three easy-to-read columns.
Last week, we began our look back at all 19 of Ohio State’s touchdowns from the Buckeyes’ 2024 College Football Playoff national championship. The countdown began with numbers 19 through 11 — largely supersized due to four nearly identical 1-yard runs by Quinshon Judkins.
This week, we continue reviewing Ohio State’s historic four-game run through the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff with a look at touchdowns No. 10 through No. 6 in the countdown. This is, admittedly, completely subjective, but I did consider some criteria to make my decisions.
Among those was the degree of difficulty of each scoring play, the magnitude of the moment (i.e., how clutch they were), and the “wow” factor. Was I consistent in applying these criteria? I don’t know. As always, I’m just a guy with a keyboard who loves college football.
10. Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith from 43 yards vs. Oregon
We open the Top 10 in the Rose Bowl, with the transfer quarterback firing a bomb to the freshman. As Pat McAfee says in the clip, Smith was “wide-ass open,” but it was the way he got open that makes him so special.
Blazing down the field, Smith was inexplicably left in one-on-one coverage with Tysheem Johnson. Although the clip I chose (poorly, but it does include the requisite desciption of how open Smith was) doesn’t show the end zone look. Smith sold a move to the left with his head and entire body lean.
Johnson, not realizing Smith is a literal wizard instead of a typical freshman wide receiver, bought every bit of that fake. Smith broke back to his right while Johnson was literally running the other direction. That’s why Howard only had to make sure he didn’t overthrow his receiver.
The Buckeyes were already up 17-0 when this play occurred early in the second quarter, and the Rose Bowl felt done and dusted when Smith crossed the goal line.
9. TreVeyon Henderson’s 66-yard run vs. Oregon
Although the Rose Bowl felt over two minutes earlier, it was seriously over with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. Ohio State took over the ball after stopping Oregon and added to its big lead.
Carnell Tate provided the eye candy for some backfield misdirection as Howard handed off to Henderson. The speedy tailback followed Donovan Jackson into a gaping hole up the middle and then cut sharply to the outside on the right, making mincemeat of the defensive back’s angle.
From there, the play was over as long as Henderson stayed in bounds, which he did, blasting down the field and into the end zone to extend the Buckeyes’ lead over the Ducks to 31-0 with more than eight minutes remaining in the first half.
At this point, Ohio State fans were happy to relax and enjoy the rest of the beatdown, knowing a spot in the semifinals was all but assured.
8. Henderson’s 24-yard run vs. Tennessee
It wasn’t as long of a touchdown run that extended Ohio State’s lead to 42-10 against Tennessee in the Horseshoe, but it was an impressive run. Henderson took the handoff on second-and-10 and promptly ran into a wall a yard behind the line of scrimmage.
Giving ground, Henderson broke left, then set up his defender and cut sharply straight up the gut, racing 24 yards to the house early in the fourth quarter. It was time to get the backups into the game and make Rose Bowl travel plans.
7. Howard to Judkins from six yards vs. Notre Dame
Leading by one score late in the second quarter against the Fighting Irish, the Buckeyes made a smart play on second-and-4 to take control entering the break. While it wasn’t the most flashy play, there were a lot of moving parts.
Howard did well to field a low snap in the shotgun and surveyed the field. Feeling the pressure from his right, Howard stepped up and realized that he had three defenders closing on him. The math wasn’t there to make anything of the play with his feet, and Howards wisely kept his eyes downfield.
Judkins found space and threw up his hand to show Howard he was open. The quarterback pulled the defense toward him and sent a harder-than-it-looks pass back across his body to the running back to extend Ohio State’s lead in the national championship game with less than half a minute to play in the first half.
It was a critical play in a tight game with everything on the line.
6. Howard to Smith from 37 yards vs. Tennessee
The touchdown that set the tone for Ohio State’s run to the natty came early in the game against Tennessee. The Buckeyes went on offense first and started their first postseason possession of the 12-team College Football Playoff at their own 25-yard line.
It wasn’t a drive for the ages. The Volunteers extended what would have been a three-and-out with a facemask penalty, and the drive included a 1-yard loss on a Judkins run and a false start by Ohio State. Howard found Henderson to get the Buckeyes into plus territory and then went to work down the field.
Smith got single coverage on the left, and Howard let fly a perfect strike into the corner. Rickey Gibson III interfered with Smith, pulling down the freshman’s right arm before the abll arrived. That didn’t matter to Smith, who was strong enough to fight through the contact and haul in an over-the-shoulder catch to open the scoring.
The play electrified the Ohio Stadium crowd, gave the Buckeyes early momentum, and set the stage for a 42-17 dismantling of Tennessee.
That’ll do it for the second part of this three-week look at Ohio State’s touchdowns in the College Football Playoff run. We’ll bring you the top five next week.
Continue reading...
LGHL Remembering the 1993 Holiday Bowl where Ohio State topped BYU, 28-21
- News
- 0 Replies
Remembering the 1993 Holiday Bowl where Ohio State topped BYU, 28-21
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes only made two trips to the Holiday Bowl, battling BYU on both occasions. We look back on the 1993 game, which Ohio State entered with a 9-1-1 record.
For today’s random Ohio State bowl game win, we travel back to 1993 when the Buckeyes met the BYU Cougars in the Holiday Bowl. There have only been three meetings all-time between the programs, with all of them coming in bowl games.
The first was in the 1982 Holiday Bowl, followed by the 1985 Citrus Bowl, and finally the 1993 Holiday Bowl. Ohio State has been on the winning end of all three matchups with the Cougars.
The 1993 regular season saw John Cooper put together one of his best seasons as Ohio State head coach, with the Buckeyes entering the Holiday Bowl with a 9-1-1 record. The tie came at Wisconsin in early November, when Bret Powers found Joey Galloway for a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, followed by Marlon Kerner blocking a Wisconsin 22-yard field goal with seven seconds left to preserve the draw.
Ohio State would get blanked by Michigan 28-0 in Ann Arbor to end the regular season, which allowed the Badgers to head to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1963 despite the teams being co-champions of the Big Ten.
With the Rose Bowl out of the picture for the Buckeyes, they still ended up in California for their bowl game, accepting a bid to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. This marked the second appearance for Ohio State in the Holiday Bowl, as they played in the 1982 Holiday Bowl, beating BYU 47-17.
Prior to their trip to San Diego in 1993, the Buckeyes spent the previous two seasons playing in bowl games in Florida, followed by two more appearances in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl to close out the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
BYU came out of the gates hot in LaVell Edwards’ 22nd season as head coach of the Cougars, posting a 4-0 record. Then things really fell apart for BYU, starting with a 68-14 loss at UCLA. After being shellacked by the Bruins, the Cougars lost to Notre Dame, Fresno State, and Utah State.
The setbacks to the Bulldogs and Aggies had to especially hurt since they came by a combined five points. BYU was able to regroup to close out the regular season by winning two of their final three games.
The biggest issue for BYU in 1993 was their terrible defense, which allowed 407 points. Quarterback John Walsh did his best to try and keep the Cougars in games, throwing for 3,727 yards and 28 touchdowns, but he was also prone to mistakes, tossing 15 interceptions.
Bryce Doman led the team with seven touchdown catches, while Eric Drage and Tyler Anderson each added five touchdown grabs. Kalin Hall and Jamal Willis combined to rush for 15 touchdowns to try and keep opposing defenses honest.
By comparison, Ohio State’s passing game was inconsistent at times. Bobby Hoying threw for 1,570 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while Bret Powers added 721 yards, seven touchdowns, and six picks. The top target was Joey Galloway, who found the end zone on 11 of his 47 receptions, finishing the year with 946 yards receiving.
Raymont Harris was a workhorse at running back, rolling up 1,344 yards and 12 scores. Butler By’not’e helped carry some of the load on the ground, grinding for 474 yards and four touchdowns.
The 1993 Holiday Bowl saw some fireworks early when Tim Patillo’s touchdown on a blocked punt opened up the scoring for Ohio State four minutes into the game. BYU responded quickly when Walsh found Jamal Willis for a 27-yard touchdown just over two minutes later. It wouldn’t take long for the Buckeyes to take back the lead, as Raymont Harris scored from two yards out with 5:30 left in the first quarter.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25941497/1784477.jpg "Raymont Harris")
Harris would extend Ohio State’s lead to 21-7 early in the second quarter when he again scored from two yards out. BYU would rally in the second quarter to tie the game at halftime when Walsh first found Lewis for an eight-yard touchdown, followed by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Doman.
After a thrilling first half, the scoring slowed down in the second half, with Harris scoring for the third time in the game to give the Buckeyes the lead for good. BYU would drive down to the Ohio State 6-yard-line but couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone late in the game.
The best chance for the Cougars came on third down when Tim Nowatzke dropped a pass from Walsh that would have been a touchdown. Then Walsh underthrew Nowatzke on fourth down to seal the victory for Ohio State.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25941496/228662.jpg "DAN WILKINSON OHIO")
Following the season, defensive tackle Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson was drafted first overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Wilkinson finished with 13 tackles for loss, which was tops on the Buckeye defense, bettering Jason Simmons’ total by one.
Ohio State would finish the 1994 season 9-4, losing to Alabama 24-17 in the Citrus Bowl. At least Cooper can fondly remember 1994 since it was one of the few seasons where he was able to earn a win over Michigan.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes only made two trips to the Holiday Bowl, battling BYU on both occasions. We look back on the 1993 game, which Ohio State entered with a 9-1-1 record.
For today’s random Ohio State bowl game win, we travel back to 1993 when the Buckeyes met the BYU Cougars in the Holiday Bowl. There have only been three meetings all-time between the programs, with all of them coming in bowl games.
The first was in the 1982 Holiday Bowl, followed by the 1985 Citrus Bowl, and finally the 1993 Holiday Bowl. Ohio State has been on the winning end of all three matchups with the Cougars.
The 1993 regular season saw John Cooper put together one of his best seasons as Ohio State head coach, with the Buckeyes entering the Holiday Bowl with a 9-1-1 record. The tie came at Wisconsin in early November, when Bret Powers found Joey Galloway for a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, followed by Marlon Kerner blocking a Wisconsin 22-yard field goal with seven seconds left to preserve the draw.
Ohio State would get blanked by Michigan 28-0 in Ann Arbor to end the regular season, which allowed the Badgers to head to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1963 despite the teams being co-champions of the Big Ten.
With the Rose Bowl out of the picture for the Buckeyes, they still ended up in California for their bowl game, accepting a bid to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. This marked the second appearance for Ohio State in the Holiday Bowl, as they played in the 1982 Holiday Bowl, beating BYU 47-17.
Prior to their trip to San Diego in 1993, the Buckeyes spent the previous two seasons playing in bowl games in Florida, followed by two more appearances in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl to close out the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
BYU came out of the gates hot in LaVell Edwards’ 22nd season as head coach of the Cougars, posting a 4-0 record. Then things really fell apart for BYU, starting with a 68-14 loss at UCLA. After being shellacked by the Bruins, the Cougars lost to Notre Dame, Fresno State, and Utah State.
The setbacks to the Bulldogs and Aggies had to especially hurt since they came by a combined five points. BYU was able to regroup to close out the regular season by winning two of their final three games.
The biggest issue for BYU in 1993 was their terrible defense, which allowed 407 points. Quarterback John Walsh did his best to try and keep the Cougars in games, throwing for 3,727 yards and 28 touchdowns, but he was also prone to mistakes, tossing 15 interceptions.
Bryce Doman led the team with seven touchdown catches, while Eric Drage and Tyler Anderson each added five touchdown grabs. Kalin Hall and Jamal Willis combined to rush for 15 touchdowns to try and keep opposing defenses honest.
By comparison, Ohio State’s passing game was inconsistent at times. Bobby Hoying threw for 1,570 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while Bret Powers added 721 yards, seven touchdowns, and six picks. The top target was Joey Galloway, who found the end zone on 11 of his 47 receptions, finishing the year with 946 yards receiving.
Raymont Harris was a workhorse at running back, rolling up 1,344 yards and 12 scores. Butler By’not’e helped carry some of the load on the ground, grinding for 474 yards and four touchdowns.
The 1993 Holiday Bowl saw some fireworks early when Tim Patillo’s touchdown on a blocked punt opened up the scoring for Ohio State four minutes into the game. BYU responded quickly when Walsh found Jamal Willis for a 27-yard touchdown just over two minutes later. It wouldn’t take long for the Buckeyes to take back the lead, as Raymont Harris scored from two yards out with 5:30 left in the first quarter.
Harris would extend Ohio State’s lead to 21-7 early in the second quarter when he again scored from two yards out. BYU would rally in the second quarter to tie the game at halftime when Walsh first found Lewis for an eight-yard touchdown, followed by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Doman.
After a thrilling first half, the scoring slowed down in the second half, with Harris scoring for the third time in the game to give the Buckeyes the lead for good. BYU would drive down to the Ohio State 6-yard-line but couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone late in the game.
The best chance for the Cougars came on third down when Tim Nowatzke dropped a pass from Walsh that would have been a touchdown. Then Walsh underthrew Nowatzke on fourth down to seal the victory for Ohio State.
Following the season, defensive tackle Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson was drafted first overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Wilkinson finished with 13 tackles for loss, which was tops on the Buckeye defense, bettering Jason Simmons’ total by one.
Ohio State would finish the 1994 season 9-4, losing to Alabama 24-17 in the Citrus Bowl. At least Cooper can fondly remember 1994 since it was one of the few seasons where he was able to earn a win over Michigan.
Continue reading...
