1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

American college football season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented Ohio State University in the 1918 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach John Wilce, the Buckeyes compiled a 3–3 record (0–3 against conference opponents) and outscored opponents by a combined total of 134 to 41.[1]

Record3–3 (0–3 Big Ten, 3–0 OAC)
Headcoach
HomestadiumOhio Field
Quick facts Ohio State Buckeyes football, Conference ...
1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference, Ohio Athletic Conference
Record3–3 (0–3 Big Ten, 3–0 OAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumOhio Field
Seasons
← 1917
1919 â†’
Close
More information Conf., Overall ...
1918 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Michigan +2–0–05–0–0
Illinois +4–0–05–2–0
Purdue +1–0–03–3–0
Iowa2–1–06–2–1
Minnesota2–1–05–2–1
Northwestern1–1–02–2–1
Wisconsin1–2–03–3–0
Indiana0–0–02–2–0
Ohio State0–3–03–3–0
Chicago0–5–04–6–1
  • $ – Conference champion
Close
More information Conf., Overall ...
1918 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Wittenberg $3–0–04–0–0
Miami (OH)4–0–15–0–1
Mount Union5–1–06–1–0
Wooster5–1–06–1–0
Western Reserve5–1–05–2–0
Ohio1–0–14–0–1
Cincinnati0–0–23–0–2
Ohio Wesleyan2–2–03–2–0
Case2–3–23–5–2
Akron1–2–12–2–1
Oberlin1–4–01–4–0
Baldwin–Wallace0–4–15–4–1
Kenyon0–4–01–4–0
Ohio Northern0–5–01–5–0
Denison0–5–01–6–0
Ohio State *3–0–03–3–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – did not complete for championship
Close

End Clarence A. MacDonald received first-team honors on the 1918 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[2][3]

With the country involved in World War I, many of the top football players did not play due to military service. Players serving in the military included Chic Harley and Gaylord Stinchcomb of Ohio State.[4][5]

In response to the Spanish flu pandemic, the football schedule was modified. The matchup with Northwestern was canceled while the game against Michigan was moved to the last game in November.[6]

Schedule

More information Date, Opponent ...
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
October 5Ohio WesleyanW 41–0
October 12Denison
  • Ohio Field
  • Columbus, OH
W 34–0
October 19Northwestern Canceled
November 9Case
  • Ohio Field
  • Columbus, OH
W 56–0
November 16at IllinoisL 0–132,786
November 23Wisconsin
  • Ohio Field
  • Columbus, OH
L 3–14
November 30MichiganL 0–147,000
Close

Game summaries

On October 5, 1918, Ohio State defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 41–0, in Columbus, Ohio.[7]

On October 12, 1918, Ohio State defeated Denison, 34–0, in Columbus, Ohio. With Chic Harley serving in the military, halfback Thomas Davies was the star for the Buckeyes.[8]

On November 9, 1918, Ohio State defeated Case, 56–0, on a muddy field in Columbus, Ohio.[9]

On November 16, 1918, Illinois defeated Ohio State, 13–0, on a muddy field in Champaign, Illinois. Kirkpatrick and Sabo scored touchdowns for Illinois.[10]

On November 23, 1918, Wisconsin defeated Ohio State, 14–3, in Columbus, Ohio.[11]

On November 30, 1918, Michigan defeated Ohio State, 14–0, in Columbus, Ohio.[12] The game was played on a wet, muddy and slippery field that handicapped the offensive players.[13] The teams played to a scoreless tie in a first half. Michigan's first touchdown was set up by a 73-yard punt from Frank Steketee that "stuck fast in the mud" at Ohio State's two- or three-yard line.[13][14] Michigan's defense held, and Ohio State was forced to punt from his end zone. Angus Goetz blocked the punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.[13] Later in the game, Steketee faked a run around the end and passed to Robert J. Dunne who was "camped near the uprights."[13][15] This was the first matchup between the rivals while they were both members of the Western (Big Ten) Conference.[16][17]

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI