Ohio State Football: Near Misses In The Past Haunt, Teach
Ohio State claimed a national title in the 1970 season, but saw a dormant period for the next two decades. The Buckeyes only experienced one close call in Earle Bruce’s era, his inaugural season. The 1979 team fell in the Rose Bowl to squander an undefeated season and a number one ranking.
Ohio State found consistent success again in the mid-90s with coach John Cooper and numerous All-American players. However, they could not break through mostly due to Cooper’s well documented struggles against rival Michigan.
Losses to Michigan ended undefeated seasons in 1995 and 1996. A brief down year led into perhaps Cooper’s most promising team in 1998.
The 1998 Ohio State team entered the season ranked number one and featured elite talent all over the depth chart. Senior quarterback Joe Germaine led the offense with a Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year season. He had the luxury of throwing to an All-American and future NFL star David Boston.
In addition to the high-powered offense, Ohio State’s defense started two first round draft picks at corner and Butkus Award winner Andy Katzenmoyer in the middle.
Again, the results matched the talent with the Buckeyes cruising to an 8-0 start winning by an average of 31 points per game. With three games left, the last challenge appeared to be Michigan in the last week of the season.
Prior to The Game match, Ohio State hosted Michigan State to start November. The Spartans entered the game with a non-threatening 4-4 record, and the game played out accordingly early on. The Buckeyes scored 17 in the first quarter to set the pace, however, they would not get any more points out of their offense. Despite the offensive struggles, a pick six in the third quarter provided a 15 point cushion that appeared to enough for the win.
As with three decades prior, mistakes piled up though and defeat was grasped from the hands of victory. The downfall started with a Joe Germaine strip-sack and continued with a muffed punt. The turnovers resulted in 9 points to finish the third quarter and less than a touchdown lead going into the fourth.
The Buckeyes continued to sputter, going down 28-24. Despite the struggles, the Buckeye still found themselves with an opportunity to win. Joe Germaine drove the offense deep into opposing territory before facing a 4th and 10 in the red zone with just over one minute left. Germaine passed to the end-zone only to see it intercepted.
Most frustrating for the 1998 team is they finally defeated Michigan as part of a strong finish that saw three more double-digit wins and a final ranking at number two. However, that one spot in the polls was miles away from the goal as former receiver Dee Miller told Cleveland.com’s Meisel:
“Even though we won the Big Ten and we beat Texas A&M, we did not win the national championship and we felt like we were one of the best teams that ever came to Ohio State. It was just that one game.”