Yesterday I relived the 10 worst games of the 90s and by the end it I was exhausted. To be fair to John Cooper he only had 29 losses in the decade and 17 of those occurred from 1990-92 and in 1999. The years 1993 to 1998 put Ohio State football back on the national stage in a way that hadn't happened since the 70s. With 91 games to choose from it was quite difficult to pick 10 top moments but it was a lot more enjoyable (many thanks to Our Honor Defend website for many of the videos linked on You Tube).
Top 10 Buckeye Games of the 90s
#10 - 1996 Notre Dame 29-16 - We beat Notre Dame at their place the year before at home but could we do it again at their place? This one was really never in doubt from the opening kickoff return and tied the all time series at 2-2.
#9 - 1992 Michigan 13-13 - To the anguish of Buckeye nation, univerity president Gordon Gee said after the game, "A tie is one of a greatest wins ever. You don't have to read between the lines to figure out that this guy is doing a hell of a job." He was talking about John Cooper as a way to let everyone know that the coach wasn't going to be fired. It is too bad the comment has overshadowed the game because it was a good one. Down 13-3 in the 4th quarter, senior QB Kirk Herbstreit lead the Buckeyes to consecutive scores to tie the game with under 2 minutes remaining. The coach of the Wolverines (Gary Moeller) decided to play for the tie and ran out the clock in this era before overtime. The sight of the captain Herbstreit leaving the field with tears in his eyes is one I will never forget. He gave his all and realized that he was going to graduate without ever beating Michigan. I also have a personal reason for a tie being on the list -- this was my first OSU-Michigan game and I was able to attend with my dad.
#8 - 1992 Syracuse 35-12 - Kirk Herbstreit always has spoke of this game as one he loved as a player because no one thought the Buckeyes could win. The Buckeyes had lost to the same Syracuse team in the Holiday Bowl in January and had the same team back. The national perception was the #8 ranked Orangemen lead by Marvin Graves were athletic and that the Buckeyes were a bunch of "slow white guys". The Buckeyes went into the Carrier Dome and dominated both sides of the ball from the start of the game to the finish. It's too bad that 17 years later the Buckeye's still haven't been able to shake that non-athletic tag. On a personal note, this game was made a bit more exciting because I got a call at the end of the first quarter and had to leave the comfort of my condo to watch the rest of the game in a sports bar near downtown Columbus. The reason was due to an event that I like to call "Kool-aid gate" but you'd have to ask my brother for details as he's sworn me to secrecy.
#7 - 1995 Illinois 41-3 - Eddie George had a bit of revenge for his fumble issues against Illinois 3 years earlier with this dominating 314 yard performance. He pretty much cemented his Heisman trophy on this day vs Illinois. I almost missed the kickoff because the parking lots were so icy that day so many were closed. I basically ended up leaving my car on a sidestreet, gave some guy 10 dollars to watch my car, and jogged to the stadium. When I got there I realized the kickoff had just occurred and I watched Eddie on the first drive from the tunnel in A deck. I eventually made it to my B deck seats to watch the rest of the game in style and was pleased to find my car where I left it after the game.
#6 - 1995 Penn State 28-25 - The Nitanny Lions had beaten the Buckeyes 63-14 in 1994 and were still loaded. For some reason we had to travel to Happy Valley for the second year in a row and the main thing I remember is that this game was a battle. The clincher was when Bobby Hoying hit tight end Rickey Dudley on a slant up the middle that took the ball to the 13. A few plays Eddie George scored to give the Buckeyes the lead for good.
#5 - 1993 Washington 21-12 - Washington was 2 years from a national championship and had won 3 Pac-10 titles in a row. This game was the first night game that I ever remember in Ohio Stadium and the crowd was well lubricated with all the extra tailgate time. The defense held the potent Washington offense in check and the balanced offense kept the Huskies on their heels all game. This was the first exposure of America to the names Raymont Harris, Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Eddie George, and Bobby Hoying among others and it was just the beginning. Ohio State was back!
#4 - 1993 Penn State 24-6 - This was Ohio State's first game vs Penn State since they had joined the Big 10 and the Buckeyes showed the Nitanny Lions that conference play is a bit different than an independant schedule. It rained all afternoon with the temperature in the 40s and the winds whipped around C Deck like a typhoon. Due to a poor clothing choice (no poncho) I've never been so cold. I wasn't alone in my discomfort and I remember fans begging others to stay in the 4th quarter just for people to slow down the wind. I stayed to the very end then went home and took a shower for about an hour.
#3 - 1994 Michigan 22-6 - If this were anyone other game or any other team this wouldn't be on the list. The Wolverines hadn't lost to Ohio State since 1987 and the Buckeye faithful were ready to turn the tables. I sold my normal C deck tickets for a pair of A Deck tickets and was able to run on to the field for the only time in my life. It seemed like half of the stadium had the same idea and when the pepper spraying began my buddy and I decided to hug the 50 yard line as the police were protecting the goal posts. No sooner did we get to midfield when someone ran over me. As I got up ready to fight, I realized it was the ABC camera crew following John Cooper. I'm pretty sure I'm the idiot at the 3:23 mark in this video giving me 2 seconds of my total 15 minutes of fame. I remember my exact words at the time was, "Hey that's John Cooper" (I'm a master of the obvious). Soon after the pepper spray got too bad and we retreated the parking lot to bask in the afterglow of the victory.
#2 - 1995 Notre Dame 45-26 - Notre Dame under Lou Holtz had been to 8 straight New Year's day bowls and had become a national juggernaut. The Buckeyes were still upset that they had lost back to back in their only other games vs. the Fighting Irish in 1937 and 1938. The remaining players from that game along with 100s of other former Buckeyes formed a line from the Buckeye locker room to their bench to form the first "Tunnel of Pride" as the Buckeyes entered the field. The game was hard fought and Notre Dame clung to a lead 20-14 in the 3rd quarter. Then came the most amazing set of series I've ever seen. Notre Dame fumbles a punt that lead to one Buckeye score, soon followed an amazing interception by Shawn Springs and a quick 83 yard pass to Terry Glenn. Notre Dame fumbled the first snap of the next drive and Eddie George put a capper on the turnaround with a scamper around the end for a touchdown. The crowd was definitely a factor in this game and they became a 12th player during the amazing 3rd quarter run. My seats were in B deck this season and I've never heard the stadium louder. It was so loud that you aren't really sure if anything is coming out of your mouth because you can't hear yourself ... "INSIDE YOUR OWN HEAD!!!" The noise was so loud it penetrated my skull! After Glenn's long touchdown run I actually wanted people to stop because I thought perhaps my ears were starting to bleed and I was going to get permanent hearing damage. The lady behind me was literally rocking back and forth, crying with her hands over her earth's mutters something I imagined to be "Please god make it stop!" it was so loud. I'm sure being at the 50yd line in the sound chamber that is B deck had something to do with it but it was awesome and awful at the same time. Ah, good times!
#1 - 1996 Arizona State 20-17 - I scrapped together the money to go to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with my dad and some friends. We were 1:41 from disappointment but Joe Germaine, Demtrious Stanley, and David Boston could not be stopped on the last drive. I can't put into words the feeling of bliss as the 4 of us sat watching the celebration. Travelling so far from home to see this game with my dad makes this an extra special game to me.
Extra Points (because there were just too many good moments to ignore):
1998 Texas A&M 24-14 - Michigan State stopped our national championship hopes in 1998 but we still were able to go to the Sugar Bowl and put a beat down on the Aggies. Little did we know that this was crest of the tide for the Cooper era.
1997 Missouri 31-10 - Missouri came into the game with high expectations and took an early 10-7 lead. They were driving towards another score when Andy Katzenmoyer planted Corby Jones on 3rd down. It was all Buckeyes after that. I've never seen one play change a game so much.
1990 Iowa 27-26 - An amazing comeback capped off with a pass from Greg Frey to Bobby Olive. Fun game to watch but I'm guessing this is on some Hawkeye fan's most depressing list.
1999 UCLA 42-20 - The Joe Germaine era had ended and tonight was going to be split duties between Austin Mohermann and Steve Bellisari. The previous year Bellisari was a hero to Buckeye nation with his willingness to sacrifice his body on special teams. This night the Buckeyes thought they found a quarterback as he was on target all night and ran the ball effectively as well. My favorite moment was at the 7:46 mark when he flattened the UCLA defender on a reverse. The Bellisari era started on this night but some might say this game was the high point as the promise displayed in this game never really made an appearance again.
Damn ... I just depressed myself again. Oh well ... the Bellisari years did lead us to Jim Tressel so it wasn't all bad.
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