Sept. 6, 2011

Ohio State Game Notes | Toledo Game Notes

September 10, 2011

Toledo (1-0) at #15/15 Ohio State (1-0)

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 – Noon ET

Ohio Stadium (102,329)

Columbus, Ohio

The Broadcasts

Television: BTN will televise the game with Tom Hart and Derek Rackley in the booth and Lisa Byington on the sidelines.

Radio: WBNS (FM 97.1 The Fan) is the flagship station for the 73-station Ohio State radio network. The Luke Fickellpregame show airs 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Paul Keels will call the play-by-play with former Buckeye Jim Lachey in the booth and Marty Bannister on the sidelines. The game can also be heard live on Sirius XM satellite radio channel 94 and 198.

First And 10

 Ohio State is 2-0 all-time against Toledo.

 OSU won the last meeting with Toledo, 38-0 on Sept. 19, 2009 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

 Joe Bausermanbecame the sixth Ohio State quarterback to win in his first start.

 A total of 11 Buckeyes made their first starts last Saturday vs. Akron.

 A dozen true freshmen played vs. the Zips. Only two FBS schools – Texas (18) and Auburn (13) – played more true freshmen than Ohio State on Saturday.

 Jake Stoneburnerset a modern day OSU record with three TD catches by a tight end vs. Akron.

 The shutout against Akron marked just the second time since 1977 Ohio State opened the season with a shutout.

 Ohio State is 53-5 at Ohio Stadium since the start of the 2002 season.

 Ohio State has won 55 consecutive regular-season non-conference home games against teams not ranked in the AP Top 25.

 Ohio State has had 64 consecutive crowds of more than 100,000 at Ohio Stadium.

Did You Know?

With the 42-0 win over Akron last Saturday, Luke Fickellbecame the first Ohio State head coach to record a shutout in his head coaching debut since Woody Hayes in 1951.

About Toledo

The Rockets are 1-0 on the season after opening with a 58-22 win over FCS opponent New Hampshire last Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo. The Rockets featured a balanced offense in the win with 304 yards passing — including five TDs — and 287 yards rushing.

Starting QB Autsin Dantin completed 15 of 21 passes for 161 yards and three TDs while sophomore QB Terrance Owens came in and added two more TDs on 10 of 13 for 122 yards. Running back Adonis Thomas rushed for 115 yards and a score on nine carries while receiver Bernard Reedy had five catches for 113 yards and two TDs.

Tim Beckman, a former Ohio State assistant coach from 2005-06, is in his third year at Toledo with a record of 14-12 overall. He served two years as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State before taking over the Toledo program in 2009.

Last season the Rockets finished 8-5 with a 34-32 loss to Florida International in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. They have the ninth-most BCS wins by a non-BCS school (6) since the 2003 season and have defeated five BCS teams in the past five years:

2010: Toledo 31, Purdue 20

2009: Toledo 54, Colorado 38

2008: Toledo 13, Michigan 10

2007: Toledo 36, Iowa State 35

2006: Toledo 37, Kansas 31 – 2OT

OSU-Toledo Series History

The Buckeyes lead the all-time series with Toledo 2-0 and have outscored the Rockets 87-0 in those two meetings. Ohio State is 25-1 all-time against teams currently in the Mid-American Conference.

1998: at Ohio State 49, Toledo 0

2009: Ohio State 38, at Toledo 0 (at Cleveland Browns Stadium)

Buckeyes vs. the State of Ohio

Ohio State is 177-48-15 in its history against opponents from the state of Ohio; that list includes Akron, Bowling Green, Case, Cincinnati, Denison, Heidelberg, Kent State, Kenyon, Marietta, Miami, Mount Union, Muskingum, Oberlin, Ohio Medical, Ohio, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Toledo, Western Reserve, Wilmington, Wittenberg, Wooster and Youngstown State.

The Buckeyes have played at least one team from Ohio each season since 1997. Ohio State has not lost to an Ohio opponent since 1921, falling to Oberlin 7-6; the Buckeyes tied Wooster 7-7 in 1924 in Columbus.

Game Captains

Game captains for the Toledo game will be senior QB Joe Bauserman, junior DB Nate Ebner and senior LB Andrew Sweat.

Impressive Debut

Ohio State won its 33rd consecutive home opener with a 42-0 win over Akron in front of 105,001 fans on a steamy 95 degree day inside Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes recorded 517 yards of total offense to the Zips’ 90, marking the fifth time in the past six years that the Buckeyes opened the season with at least 400 yards of total offense. Defensively, the Silver Bullets held Akron to just five first downs, 35 yards rushing and only allowed the Zips to cross the 50 once. They also combined for 10 TFL for minus-49 yards — five of those being sacks. Joe Bauserman started his first career game and accounted for four TDs (three passing) while completing 12 of 16 passes for 163 yards. He also rushed for 32 yards, including a 15-yard TD run. Freshman Braxton Miller was 8 of 12 for 130 yards and one TD and also rushed for 30. Running backs Carlos Hyde (93) and Rod Smith (74) combined for 167 yards rushing while Jake Stoneburnerset an OSU modern day record with three TD catches (28, 11 and 2 yards) by a tight end.

11 First-Time Starters

Eleven Buckeyes made their first starts Saturday vs. Akron. On offense, LT Andrew Norwell, LG Jack Mewhort, WR Verlon Reed, QB Joe Bauserman and TB Carlos Hyde all experienced their first start. And on defense six Buckeyes were first-time starters: defensive linemen Johnathan Hankins, Adam Bellamy and Garrett Goebel, LB Storm Klein and CBs Dominic Clarke and Bradley Roby.

Young Bucks

A dozen true freshmen played last Saturday vs. Akron. Only two FBS schools – Texas with 18 and Auburn with 13 – played more true freshmen than Ohio State on Saturday. Virginia, Tennessee and Clemson also played 12 true frosh Saturday.

Coaches Are 21-1-1 in Game One

In guiding OSU to a season-opening win in his first game as coach, Luke Fickelljoins 20 other Buckeye coaches with a first-game win. OSU has had only 23 head coaches in 122 years of football and that group is 21-1-1 in first games.

12 Have Started 2-0

Just over half of Ohio State’s head coaches – 12 of 23 – have started their Ohio State coaching career 2-0, with Earle Bruce the last to do so in 1979. Bruce won his first 11 games as coach. Carroll Widdoes opened his career 12-0, covering the 1944 and 1945 seasons.

Joe Cool

Despite temperatures reaching into the mid-90’s, Ohio State first-time starter Joe Bauserman was calm, cool, collected and consistent at quarterback. The 26-year-old senior scored the first touchdown of the season on a broken-play, 15-yard weave up the middle. He would then add three touchdown passes – all to Jake Stoneburner– to his day and finished 12 of 16 passing for 163 yards. He ranks third nationally in passing efficiency after the first weekend of the season.

Bauserman, who was Ohio State’s primary back up the past two seasons, has played in 25 career games with one start, completing 58.7 percent of his passes (37-63) with five touchdowns and one interception.

Efficient QB Play

Joe Bauserman and backup QB Braxton Millereach played about one-half of football and together they combined for 355 yards of total offense. Miller, who got all but three snaps of his playing time in the second half, passed for 130 yards and rushed for 30 in support of Bauserman’s 163-yard passing and 32-yard rushing game.

Comparing Past Six QB Debuts

Looking at the first starts for the last six Ohio State quarterbacks, Joe Bauserman’s numbers stack up quite well. His 163 yards passing is topped only by Todd Boeckman’s 225-yard day vs. Youngstown State on Sept. 1, 2007 and Justin Zwick’s 213-yards passing vs. Cincinnati on Sept. 4, 2004. His three TD passes are topped among this group only by Terrelle Pryor’sfour TD passes vs. Troy on Sept. 20, 2008.

Bruise Brothers

A pair of 230-plus pound running backs bashed their way to a combined 167 yards rushing on 37 carries vs. Akron. Starter Carlos Hyde rushed for 93 yards on 19 carries (4.9 avg.) and his backup, Rod Smith, added 74 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries (4.1 avg.).

Stoneburner Sets Record

Tight end Jake Stoneburnerset a modern day Ohio State record for tight ends by catching three touchdown passes vs. Akron, from 28, 11 and 2 yards out with Bauserman throwing all three. Stoneburner, who came into the game with two career touchdowns, finished with four catches for 50 yards. The Ohio State record for career touchdowns by a tight end: 10 by John Lumpkin from 1996-98.

Stoneburner was the fourth-leading receiver on the team last season with 21 catches for 222 yards and two TDs. He caught five passes for 61 yards and a TD in the Ohio win. Over the final three games, he caught nine passes for 98 yards.

Noting the Buckeyes

 Ohio State has started 1-0 every year since 2000. The Buckeyes last lost an opener when they suffered a 23-12 defeat to Miami (FL) in the 1999 Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium.

 Ohio State is 31-2 in its last 33 season-openers. Both of those 0-1 starts took place in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium – 1999 to Miami and 1986 to Alabama.

 Joe Bausermancompleted 72.7 percent of his passes in 2010 by connecting on 16 of 22 attempts. That was fifth among all FBS players with a minimum of 20 attempts in 2010, trailing Oregon’s Nate Costa (75.8 pct), Houston’s Cotton Turner (74.2 pct), Northwestern’s Dan Persa (73.5 pct) and Wisconsin’s Scott Tolzien (72.9 pct).

 Bauserman joined Ohio State as a walk-on in 2007. This was after he spent three seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Prior to the Akron game he had not started a game since his senior season in 2003 at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla.

 Senior All-America center Mike Brewster is regarded by some as the best center in college football. He is a four-year starter with 37 career starts. In 2010 he was the only junior to rank among finalists for the Rimington Trophy, was a first team all-Big Ten selection and a FWAA and Phil Steele first team All-American. This season Brewster was named to the preseason Playboy All-America team, the Rimington and Outland Trophy watch lists and was voted one of 12 “players to watch” by a Big Ten media panel.

 True Freshman Braxton Millerled Wayne High School to the Division I state title game in 2010 while passing for 2,167 yards and 17 TDs while rushing for 658 yards and 17 TDs as a senior. He had a career record of 31-7 over three seasons and was a finalist for Ohio’s Mr. Football. A first team all-state selection, he also played in the 2010 Under Armour All-American Game.

 Ohio State has only started two true freshmen at quarterback in program history: Art Schlichter in 1978 and Terrelle Pryorin 2008.

 Junior defensive lineman John Simonwas named one of 12 “players to watch” at the Big Ten media days in July. Simon has 57 career tackles and 12 TFL. A promising defensive star with power and strength, Simon was an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection and Lott Trophy nominee in 2010 as a true sophomore.

 Senior linebacker Andrew Sweat recorded a team-high six tackles, including 2.0 TFL, a forced fumble and an interception against Akron. He has 67 career tackles and began to make a name for himself last season filling in for the injured Ross Homan. In 2010 he recorded an 18-yard interception at Wisconsin and led the team with 8 tackles and 2.5 TFL against Purdue before recording eight stops in the win at Iowa.

 Senior defensive end Nathan Williamswas named to the Ted Hendricks preseason watch list. Williams has recorded 92 career tackles and 21.5 TFL. Last season he recorded 46 tackles, which included 9.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks. He had a 22-yard interception against Miami on the Hurricanes’ first possession and a team-best 6 tackles against Eastern Michigan. He enjoyed his best game with 9 tackles, 2 TFL and a sack at Illinois before recording 6 tackles and 2.5 TFL against the Wolverines.

The Silver Bullet Defense

The Buckeyes have a long-standing tradition of producing the best defenses in the Big Ten and the nation year in, year out and the 2011 season is off to another great start after posting a shutout and giving up just 90 total yards against Akron. Here are some bullets that put into perspective the Silver Bullets dominance.

 Ohio State has featured a Top 20 scoring defense in each of the last nine seasons, including a top 6 in each of the last six.

Year PPG Allowed FBS Rank 2010 14.3 5th 2009 12.5 5th 2008 13.9 6th 2007 12.8 1st 2006 12.8 5th 2005 15.3 5th 2004 18.3 19th 2003 17.6 16th 2002 13.1 2nd

 Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Ohio State defense has allowed only 10 100-yard rushers during a span of 79 games and only six since the start of the 2007 season. Both of those marks are the third best among FBS schools during those spans.

Fewest 100-yd rushers allowed

(FBS Teams Since 2005)

1. Boston College 8 2. Alabama 9 3. Ohio State 10 4. Florida 14 5. TCU 15

Fewest 100-yd rushers allowed

(FBS Teams Since 2007)

1. Alabama 4 2. Boston College 6 3. Ohio State 6 4. Brigham Young 8 5. Pittsburgh 9

 Since the 2005 season, Ohio State has finished either first or second in scoring defense among Big Ten teams all six years. The Buckeyes were first in 2010, 2007 and 2005 and second in 2009, 2008 and 2006.

 Among FBS teams in 2010, Ohio State ranked fourth in total defense (262.2 ypg), third in rushing defense (96.7 ypg), eighth in pass defense (165.5 ypg), fifth in scoring defense (14.3 ppg) and fourth in TO margin (+1.15).

 Ohio State has held 63 opponents to 21 points or fewer since the start of the 2005 season, the most among FBS teams. TCU (61) is second.

 Ohio State has surrendered 122 touchdowns in 78 games since 2005. That is the fewest in the FBS in this span.

 Ohio State has allowed 110 touchdowns from scrimmage since the start of the 2005 season, the fewest by any FBS team in this span.

 Ohio State has surrendered 48 rushing touchdowns since the start of the 2005 season. That mark is tied with Alabama for the fewest among FBS teams during that span.

 Ohio State has surrendered 62 passing touchdowns since the start of the 2005 season, the second-fewest among FBS teams.

 Ohio State has allowed fewer than 10 points 30 times since the start of the 2006 season.

 It had been 29 games since the Buckeye defense had allowed a 100-yard individual rushing performance until John Clay ran for 104 yards Oct. 16, 2010 in Madison. The previous was USC’s Joe McKnight, who gained 105 yards on 12 carries in the 2008 meeting. That streak was second-longest in the nation at the time.

 The Ohio State defense averaged 5.69 three-and-outs per contest in 2010, second best among FBS teams behind TCU (6.0 per game). The game-by-game totals in that statistic: vs. Eastern Michigan (10); Ohio (8); Illinois (6); Marshall, Indiana (5); Miami (3); Wisconsin (1); Purdue (9); Minnesota (6); Penn State (7); Iowa (4); Michigan (5); Arkansas (5). Ohio State was third in the nation in 2009 behind TCU and Alabama, averaging 5.61 three-and-outs per game.

 Ohio State has allowed an average of 13.6 points over the last six full seasons. That is the best scoring defense among FBS teams in this span. TCU is second at 14.2 points per game.

 Ohio State had 30 takeaways last season. It was the second straight season that the Buckeyes forced at least 30 turnovers. The Buckeyes forced 35 in 2009.

Head Coach Luke Fickell

 New head coach Luke Fickellis backed by nine assistant coaches who have 184 years combined working as college assistant coaches or staff assistants in their careers.

 Fickell is among four first-year head coaches in the Big Ten. The last time the Big Ten featured four first-year coaches: 1997. Illinois (Ron Turner), Indiana (Cam Cameron), Minnesota (Glen Mason) and Purdue (Joe Tiller) were hired that season.

 Fickell will be the first Ohio State coach to face a defending Big Ten champion in his conference opener (Michigan State) since the Buckeyes began Big Ten competition in 1913.

 Since 1913, Ohio State coaches are 6-4-1 in their Big Ten debuts. The last six Ohio State coaches are 2-3-1 in their Big Ten debuts.

Team/Miscellaneous Notes

 Ohio State is tied with Oklahoma with eight BCS bowl appearances. USC is third with seven.

 Ohio State is 1-2 in national title games since the inception of the BCS in 1998. The three national title game appearances match Florida State for the second-most all-time. Only Oklahoma has more with four.

 Ohio State is 5-3 in BCS bowls, tied for second with Florida (5-1) for the most BCS Bowl wins all-time. USC is first at 6-1.

 Ohio State has not finished with a losing record since finishing 4-6-1 in 1988 (John Cooper’s first season leading the Buckeyes). Ohio State’s run of 21 straight seasons without a losing record is the third-longest among active FBS teams. Florida State has gone 34 straight seasons since finishing 5-6 in 1976 and Florida has gone 31 seasons since going 0-10-1 in 1979. Virginia Tech and Texas Tech have the fourth-longest runs at 18 seasons each.

 In Ohio State’s eight BCS bowl appearances, they have only been the Big Ten’s automatic BCS bowl qualifier four times (2002, 2006, 2007, 2009). They have received an at-large berth three times (1998, 2003, 2008) and were an automatic participant by the `3-4 rule’ in 2005.

 Ohio State has won the Fiesta Bowl three times, the Sugar Bowl once and the Rose Bowl once in the BCS era. The Buckeyes join Oklahoma (Orange, Rose and Fiesta), Florida (Orange, Sugar and BCS title game) and Miami (Sugar, Rose and Orange) as the only teams to win three different BCS bowls.

 Ohio State is among three different programs to have appeared in at least four different BCS bowls, joining Oklahoma and Miami. The Buckeyes only need to play in the Orange Bowl to join Oklahoma as the only program to appear in five different BCS bowls. While Miami has won the BCS title (2001 season), they have not played in a bowl game specifically called the BCS title game.

 Ohio State (19) is tied with Michigan (19) for the most bowl wins all-time by a Big Ten team. Nebraska is 24-23 in bowl games, but has not represented the Big Ten in the postseason.

 Ohio State has won 34 Big Ten titles. Only Michigan has more with 42.

 Ohio State has appeared in a bowl game in 15 of the last 17 seasons. Fourteen of those bowl appearances have taken place in January (2004 Alamo Bowl). Ohio State has appeared in a January bowl in five of the past six seasons.

 Ohio State has 820 wins all-time, the fifth-most among FBS teams.

Michigan 885 Texas 851 Notre Dame 845 Nebraska 838 Ohio State 820 Penn State 819 Oklahoma 812 Alabama 803

 Ohio State has featured 14 NFL Draft first-round picks since 2004. That is the most by any college team in this span.

 Ohio State has had 64 consecutive crowds of more than 100,000 at Ohio Stadium.

 Ohio State has not lost a home opener in 34 years – Sept. 16, 1978 to be exact when No. 6 Ohio State suffered a 19-0 loss to No. 5 Penn State in Woody Hayes’ final season as head coach.

 Ohio State has an all-time opening game record of 105-12-4. The Buckeyes’ last opening day loss away from Columbus was to Miami in the 1999 Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.

 All-time, the Buckeyes are 109-8-4 in home openers since 1890. The largest opening day crowd at Ohio Stadium was 105,092 in the 2009 opener vs. Navy.

Hall of Fame Weekend

The game vs. Toledo is Ohio State’s annual Hall of Fame Game. Members of the 2011 Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame class will honored at Friday’s induction dinner in the Archie M. Griffin Ballroom at the Ohio Union and once again at halftime of Saturday’s game.

The 2011 Hall of Fame class includes: Didi Albrecht (rowing), Raj Bhavsar (men’s gymnastics), Mitch Clark (wrestling), Katy Craig (women’s track and field), Mike Doss (football), Jessica Marshall (pistol), Orlando Pace (football), Leo Raskowski (football), Stacey Roth (softball), Bobby Watkins (football) and Kristen White (women’s golf).

Big Ten Announces 2013-14 Football Schedule

The Big Ten Conference has announced its 2013 and 2014 conference football schedules. Ohio State, a member of the Leaders division, will play four home and four away league contests in each of those seasons.

In 2013, OSU opens Big Ten play hosting Wisconsin Sept. 28. Other Big Ten games in 2013: Oct. 5 at Northwestern; Oct. 19 vs. Iowa; Oct. 26 vs. Penn State; Nov. 2 at Purdue; Nov. 16 at Illinois; Nov. 23 vs. Indiana; Nov. 30 at Michigan.

Ohio State has two non-conference dates confirmed for the 2013 season: Aug. 31 vs. Vanderbilt at Ohio Stadium; and Sept. 14 at California.

In 2014, Ohio State begins Big Ten action hosting Purdue Oct. 4. Other Big Ten contests in 2014: Oct. 18 at Iowa; Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern; Nov. 1 at Wisconsin; Nov. 8 vs. Illinois; Nov. 15 at Penn State; Nov. 22 at Indiana; Nov. 29 vs. Michigan.

The Buckeyes’ non-conference games for 2014 are Aug. 30 vs. Navy in Baltimore; followed by three games at Ohio Stadium: Sept. 6 vs. Cincinnati; Sept. 13 vs. Kent State; and Sept. 20 vs. Virginia Tech.

The champions of the Legends Division and the Leaders Division will meet in the Big Ten Football Championship Game on the first Saturday of December, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played in prime time on December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, while the second Big Ten Football Championship Game is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2012, at a site to be determined. FOX Sports will serve as the official broadcast partner of the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games.

Big Ten to Play Nine Conference Games Beginning with 2017 Season

The Big Ten will move to a nine-game conference schedule beginning with the 2017 season.

Three teams each from the Legends Division and Leaders Division will feature five conference home games during odd-numbered years, while the other three schools from each division will host five conference contests during even-numbered years. The 2017 schedule will include five conference home outings for Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska from the Legends Division and Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State from the Leaders Division. The 2018 schedule will feature five Big Ten home games for Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern of the Legends Division and Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin of the Leaders Division. The Big Ten will return to a full nine-game conference schedule for the first time since the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Eight of 10 conference schools played nine-game schedules during the 1981 and 1982 seasons, while two of 10 teams featured nine-game schedules from 1971-72 and 1977-80.

Up Next

Ohio State will hit the road for the first time this year next Saturday when they travel to Miami to face the Hurricanes.