Ohio State Football: Series history against Akron dates back to 1891

It’s not that common for the Ohio State football program to have such an ancient series history with an opponent but that’s the case when Akron comes to Columbus on Saturday night. The Buckeyes have only played Akron eight times but the Ohio programs first met way back in 1891. Before Ohio State started taking on teams like Cincinnati, Michigan, West Virginia, and plenty of other Ohio schools in the late 1890s, they played Akron five years in a row.

Ohio State enters the games as 48.5-point favorites with Kyle McCord making his first start under center as CJ Stroud is sidelined with a shoulder injury. There’s no doubt more points will be scored this weekend than the first-ever meeting in 1891 when the Buckeyes escaped Akron 4-0 on the road. Ohio State started the series with three consecutive wins by a combined score of 98-18, including a couple of blowouts in Columbus the following two years.

John Heisman became head coach at Buchtel College, now known as Akron University, in 1893 and was able to pull off an upset over the Buckeyes the year after though. Before Heisman went on to coach at Auburn, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Rice, he gave a boost to the Buchtel program. In September 1894, Heisman’s team beat Ohio State 12-6 in a 5-team tournament at the Ohio State Fair. It was Heisman’s last game before returning to coach Oberlin College.

The two teams would meet again in 1895, a Buckeyes 14-6 win at home, before not playing for another 106 seasons. Ohio State has since scheduled and defeated Akron in 2001, 2007, and 2011. Jonathan Wells led OSU to a 28-14 win 20 years ago, before Beanie Wells went for a game-high 143 yards in a 20-2 victory in 2007. The most recent meeting between Akron and Ohio State was a 42-0 blowout in 2011 as Jake Stoneburner caught three touchdowns.

10 years later and all signs point to another runaway win for Ohio State. Even though Ryan Day’s team is giving up an alarming 471.3 yards per game, the Buckeyes will be able to contain quarterback DJ Irons and the Zips and win by multiple scores.

Look for TreVeyon Henderson to be the catalyst after a historic 277-yard performance against Tulsa. Day should also make sure McCord leans on veteran receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson as the freshman makes his first start.