The Buckeyes were not bowl eligible due to NCAA violations committed in 2010, so going undefeated during the regular season was the best they could do. That said, a memorable moment occurring during a breakout game adds value to any performance.Ĩ. John Simon recorded four sacks against Wisconsin to help preserve OSU’s perfect 2012 season. The list is based on single games, not specific plays, or Clarett ripping the ball from Miami’s Sean Taylor in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl would be No. Coming up big in bowls and against Michigan count more than putting up big numbers against Rutgers. My list gives strong consideration to opponent strength and magnitude of the moment. What other Ohio State performances give Stroud and Smith-Njigba a run for their money? Glad you asked. Stroud’s 37-of-45 performance also broke, by 74 yards, the school record of 499 set by Dwayne Haskins in the 2018 Big Ten Championship win against Northwestern.īuckeyes: Ohio State looks for answers after Indiana delivers first decisive defeat of season
Four lousy yards from owning the record, but still not too shabby. Stroud’s 573 were the third most ever in a bowl, trailing the 576 thrown by Brigham Young’s Ty Detmer and Marshall’s Byron Leftwich. Give a slight edge to Smith-Njigba, since the 347 yards were the most ever in an FBS bowl game and broke the Ohio State record by 96 yards. The only question is which was better? Stroud’s school-record 573 yards and record-tying six touchdowns, both of which also set Rose Bowl records? Or Smith-Njigba’s 15 catches for 347 yards (both Rose Bowl records) and three touchdowns, which tied the Rose Bowl mark? The 347 yards also shattered the OSU single-game mark of 253 yards set by Terry Glenn in 1995 against Pittsburgh, while the 15 catches tied his own school record set Nov. View Gallery: Photos: Ohio State Buckeyes take on Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl What Stroud and Smith-Njigba accomplished does not match those two historic highlights, but as individual performances, they sit atop the list of Ohio State single-game achievements.
Secretariat winning the Belmont by 31 lengths is the single-best performance in horse racing history, just as Chamberlain’s 100-pointer for Philadelphia against the New York Knicks in 1962 remains the NBA single-game scoring ceiling.īuckeyes: Ohio State football lands Oklahoma State transfer safety Tanner McCalister Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba set records in a 48-45 Rose Bowl win over the Utah Utes that should last for years - unless the teammates go all 1973 Belmont Stakes on the next depleted defensive secondary they face. 1, when two Ohio State players went 100-point Wilt Chamberlain in the granddaddy of them all.īuckeyes quarterback C.J. One week into 2022 and odds are we won’t see better performances on a college football field the rest of the year than what already transpired on Jan.