1997 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
American college football season
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The 1997 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled a 10–3 record (6–2 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 380 to 139. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes defeated No. 11 Iowa and No. 21 Michigan State and lost to No. 2 Penn State and No. 1 Michigan. The Buckeyes concluded the season with a 31–14 loss to No. 4 Florida State in the 1998 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State was ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll.[2]
| 1997 Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
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Sugar Bowl, L 14–31 vs. Florida State | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 12 |
| AP | No. 12 |
| Record | 10–3 (6–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike Jacobs (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Singleback[1] |
| Defensive coordinator | Fred Pagac (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| MVP | Antoine Winfield |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Michigan $ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Ohio State | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Penn State | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Purdue | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Buckeyes gained an average of 155.0 rushing yards and 226.1 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 114.7 rushing yards and 132.6 passing yards per game.[3] Quarterback duties were split between junior Joe Germaine (1,674 passing yards) and senior Stanley Jackson (1,021 passing yards). The team's other statistical leaders included running back Pepe Pearson (809 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry) and wide receiver David Boston (70 receptions for 930 yards).[3] Linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer was selected as a consensus first-team All-American.[4] Defensive back Antoine Winfield also received first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Six Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 1997 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Boston; Katzenmoyer; Winfield; offensive tackle Eric Gohlstin; defensive back Damon Moore; and punter Brent Bartholomew.[5]
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | 8:00 p.m. | Wyoming* | No. 9 | ESPN2 | W 24–10 | 89,122 | ||
| September 13 | 1:30 p.m. | Bowling Green* | No. 9 |
| W 44–13 | 93,151 | ||
| September 20 | 3:30 p.m. | Arizona* | No. 9 |
| ABC | W 28–20 | 91,152 | |
| September 27 | 12:00 p.m. | at Missouri* | No. 7 | ABC | W 31–10 | 58,882 | ||
| October 4 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 11 Iowa | No. 7 |
| ABC | W 23–7 | 92,536 | |
| October 11 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Penn State | No. 7 | ABC | L 27–31 | 97,282 | ||
| October 18 | 12:30 p.m. | Indiana | No. 11 |
| ESPN2 | W 31–0 | 92,368 | |
| October 25 | 3:30 p.m. | Northwestern | No. 9 |
| ABC | W 49–6 | 92,445 | |
| November 1 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 21 Michigan State | No. 9 | ABC | W 37–13 | 74,903 | ||
| November 8 | 4:00 p.m. | at Minnesota | No. 7 | W 31–3 | 47,706 | |||
| November 15 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | No. 4 |
| ESPN Plus | W 41–6 | 92,008 | |
| November 22 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 1 Michigan | No. 4 | ABC | L 14–20 | 106,982 | ||
| January 1, 1998 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 4 Florida State* | No. 9 | ABC | L 14–31 | 67,289 | [6] | |
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Rankings
Game summaries
Wyoming
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Ohio State | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Date: August 28, 1997
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 75°, Clear, wind 5-10 N
- Game attendance: 89,112
- Referee: J. Kemerling
| Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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Bowling Green
Arizona
Missouri
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Missouri | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri
- Date: September 27, 1997
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 78°, Partly Cloudy, wind 5-10 S
- Game attendance: 58,882
- Referee: Randy Christal
| Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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Iowa
Penn State
Indiana
Northwestern
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 49 |
at Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio
- Date: October 25
- Game time: 3:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Overcast • 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind NE 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn) to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
- Game attendance: 92,445
- Referee: D. Witvoet
| Game information |
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| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michigan State
Minnesota
Illinois
Michigan
Sugar Bowl
Personnel
Coaching staff
- John Cooper, head coach (10th year)
- Bill Conley, tight ends, recruiting coordinator (11th year)
- Jim Heacock, defensive line (2nd year)
- Mike Jacobs, offensive coordinator (3rd year)
- Fred Pagac, defensive coordinator (16th year)
- Tim Salem, quarterbacks (1st year)
- Shawn Simms, defensive ends (1st year)
- Tim Spencer, running backs (4th year)
- Chuck Stobart, wide receivers (3rd year)
- Jon Tenuta, defensive backs (2nd year)
Roster
| 1997 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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NFL draft
For the first time since the NFL draft's inception in 1936, no Ohio State players were selected in the 1998 NFL draft.[8]