Ohio State Football: Remembering when the Big Kat posterized Missouri

When it was announced that the Ohio State football team would be playing Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, my mind immediately went back to the 1990s when John Cooper’s Buckeyes played a home-and-home series against the Missouri Tigers in 1997 and 98’.

In the 1997 game on the road at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri, Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer had a tackle that has gone down in history as one of the most memorable in school history. It wasn’t a goal-line stop that won the game or even a tackle that produced a forced fumble that turned the momentum. It was, however, one of the most bone-jarring sticks I have ever seen.

This was a textbook tackle that shook Missouri quarterback Corby Jones to his core. At the time, the Tigers were leading 10-7, and after that third down stop in which hammer met nail, the game flipped for the Buckeyes, essentially taking all the wind out of the sails for Missouri. Ohio State went on a 24-0 run, defeating the Tigers in front of their home fans by a score of 31-10.

The hit by the Big Kat was so impressive, that color commentator Dan Fouts reviewed the hit on replay during the telecast stating, “Man, did you hear the air go out of this stadium when number 45 plants his helmet right on the number seven of his black jersey? Man! That’s why he is going to win the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in the country.”

Fouts was correct, Katzenmoyer went on to win the Butkus Award in 1997 finishing that season with 97 tackles, 13 for loss, in what was a consensus All-American sophomore season. Jones, who was being touted as a possible Heisman candidate in 1997, never recovered from being posterized by the Big Kat and finished his career playing in the CFL.

Jones’ is remembered for leading Missouri to back-to-back winning seasons. His 7-5 record in 1997 was the first winning season for the Tigers in 13 tries. Outside of Missouri however, Jones is remembered for being on the receiving end of one of the hardest hits in college football history.

This tackle would obviously be flagged for targeting and Katzenmoyer would have been disqualified for the remainder of the game if this hit had been made in today’s college football. Notwithstanding, it still remains one of college football’s most iconic tackles ever and the reason why the Big Kat became famous from coast to coast.

The Ohio State football team and Missouri will meet for the first time in a quarter century when the two programs square off on December 29, in the Cotton Bowl. Make sure you continue to follow Scarlet and Game as we prepare you for Ohio State’s trip to Arlington, Texas.