There's nothing tricky about this question, it's just an amazing record that will never be broken. In 1950, junior all-purpose player Vic Janowicz (halfback, safety, kicker, punter) won the Heisman Trophy with 314 yards rushing and 561 yards passing. However, in just one game during that season Janowicz had an unbelievable 685 yards punting on 21 punts, both of which will be forever engraved in the Buckeye record books. Here's the story: It was the infamous Snow Bowl, when Ohio State played Michigan in Columbus on November 25, 1950. The weather report reads like something from an Arctic expedition: 10 degrees; 30 mile per hour winds; snow falling at two inches per hour, which (allegedly) caused four feet of snow to accumulate on the tarp that covered the field. Besides his record-setting punting performance, Janowicz kicked a 38-yard field goal into swirling winds to give the Buckeyes an early 3-0 lead; his epic kick was dubbed one of the "Greatest Feats in American Sports" by a panel of writers. Unfortunately, four of Janowicz's 21 punts were blocked – one out of the end zone for a safety, another recovered in the end zone for a touchdown – and this was enough to give the Wolverines a 9-3 victory despite the fact that they did not gain a first down for the entire game.
Side note: According to the
Toledo Blade, neither Ohio State head coach Wes Fesler nor Michigan head coach Bennie Oosterbaan wanted to play the game, and Michigan athletic director Fritz Crisler offered to forfeit the game (but he would not reschedule it). However, Ohio State AD Dick Larkins would not accept the forfeit, perhaps due to the fact that 50,000 fans had braved the frigid weather and wanted to see some football despite the blizzard conditions. Never look a gift Wolverine in the mouth....