2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football
2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten co-champion
Fiesta Bowl, L 21–24 vs. Texas
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 9
Record	10–3 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Jim Tressel (8th season);
Offensive coordinator	Jim Bollman (8th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Jim Heacock (4th; 13th overall season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Luke Fickell (4th; 8th overall season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	4 James Laurinaitis 2 Time Captain; Malcolm Jenkins; Todd Boeckman; Brian Robiskie;
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium; (Capacity: 102,329)
	Seasons ← 2007 2009 →

2008 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 8 Penn State $+	7	–	1	11	–	2
No. 9 Ohio State %+	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 24 Michigan State	6	–	2	9	–	4
Northwestern	5	–	3	9	–	4
No. 20 Iowa	5	–	3	9	–	4
Wisconsin	3	–	5	7	–	6
Minnesota	3	–	5	7	–	6
Illinois	3	–	5	5	–	7
Purdue	2	–	6	4	–	8
Michigan	2	–	6	3	–	9
Indiana	1	–	7	3	–	9

$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished with a record of 10–3 (7–1 Big Ten) and were Big Ten Conference co-champions.

Before the season

The Buckeyes lost 2007 starters RT Kirk Barton, FB Dionte Johnson and LB Larry Grant to graduation.

Junior DE Vernon Gholston declared for the 2008 NFL draft.

Number 1 high school recruit Terrelle Pryor officially signed with the team.

Sophomore backup quarterbacks Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton transferred to the University of Delaware and Georgia Southern University respectively.

Offensive lineman Justin Boren transferred to Ohio State University from the University of Michigan.

In July Defensive Back Eugene Clifford was dismissed from the team and transferred to Tennessee State University. Clifford was also suspended for the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	12:00 p.m.	Youngstown State*	No. 2	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	BTN	W 43–0	105,011
September 6	12:00 p.m.	Ohio*	No. 3	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ESPN	W 26–14	105,002
September 13	8:00 p.m.	at No. 1 USC*	No. 5	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (College GameDay)	ABC	L 3–35	93,607
September 20	12:00 p.m.	Troy*	No. 13	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	BTN	W 28–10	102,989
September 27	12:00 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 14	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	BTN	W 34–21	105,175
October 4	8:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Wisconsin	No. 14	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ABC	W 20–17	81,608
October 11	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 12	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ABC/ESPN	W 16–3	105,378
October 18	3:30 p.m.	at No. 20 Michigan State	No. 12	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ABC/ESPN2	W 45–7	77,360
October 25	8:00 p.m.	No. 3 Penn State	No. 10	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry, College GameDay)	ABC	L 6–13	105,711
November 8	12:00 p.m.	at Northwestern	No. 12	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPN2	W 45–10	47,130
November 15	12:00 p.m.	at Illinois	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy)	ESPN	W 30–20	62,870
November 22	12:00 p.m.	Michigan	No. 10	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC	W 42–7	105,546
January 5, 2009	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 3 Texas*	No. 10	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	FOX	L 21–24	72,047
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Vs. Youngstown State

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Penguins	0	0	0	0	0
#3 Buckeyes	13	13	7	10	43

The Buckeyes began the season against Jim Tressel's former team for the second straight year. Going into the game, Tressel planned to play all three quarterbacks within the first half. Top recruit Terrelle Pryor led the Buckeyes to a field goal on his first drive. Pryor also rushed for a touchdown in the second half. However, the 43–0 victory was marred when star running back Chris Wells left the game in the third quarter with a toe injury.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

12:06 OSU Wells 43-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU
7:54 OSU Pretorius 28-yard field goal 10–0 OSU
0:08 OSU Pretorius 31-yard field goal 13–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

12:51 OSU Pretorius 26-yard field goal 16–0 OSU
5:17 OSU Pretorius 50-yard field goal 19–0 OSU
1:16 OSU Robiskie 31-yard pass from Boeckman (Pretorius kick) 26–0 OSU

3rd Quarter

2:01 OSU Posey 25-yard pass from Boeckman (Pretorius kick) 33–0 OSU

4th Quarter

12:48 OSU Pryor 18-yard run (Pretorius kick) 40–0 OSU
5:08 OSU Pettrey 54-yard field goal 43–0 OSU

Vs. Ohio

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	0	7	7	0	14
#3 Buckeyes	3	3	6	14	26

With Chris Wells watching from the sideline with a foot injury, the Buckeyes struggled to move the ball in the first half against the lightly regarded Ohio. The Buckeyes scored first with a 3–0 lead but finished the first half down 7–6. Six minutes into the 3rd quarter quarterback Todd Boeckman fumbled a snap in the Buckeyes end zone which was recovered by Ohio for a touchdown to increase their lead to 14–6. The Buckeyes quickly responded with a Dan Herron 1-yd TD with 2:51 left in the 3rd capped by a missed point-after kick. The Bobcats then began to falter. Parson fumbled a punt, with Ohio State's Shaun Lane falling on the ball as it tumbled out of bounds at the Ohio 25. The recovery was confirmed on video review. Ohio State then capped their 6-play drive with a 2-yd TD run by Brandon Saine to take the 19–14 lead. With around 6 minutes left to play, Ray Small returned an Ohio punt 69 yards for a touchdown which sealed the sluggish win for the Buckeyes.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

5:00 OSU Pretorius 27-yard field goal 3–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

6:56 OHIO Harden 15-yard run (Way kick) 7–3 OHIO
5:02 OSU Pretorius 38-yard field goal 7–6 OHIO

3rd Quarter

9:00 OHIO Meyers recovered fumble in end zone (Way kick) 14–6 OHIO
2:51 OSU Herron 1-yard run 14–12 OHIO

4th Quarter

14:00 OSU Saine 2-yard run (Pretorius kick) 19–14 OSU
5:57 OSU Small 69-yard punt return (Pretorius kick) 26–14 OSU

At USC

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

	1	2	3	4	Total
#5 Buckeyes	3	0	0	0	3
#1 Trojans	7	14	14	0	35

This game between two perennial powers had long been identified as a major non-conference game with potential championship implications for either program.^[2]^[3] In the preseason it was named as the most anticipated regular-season game of 2008.^[4]

By the end of the 2007–08 season, the non-conference game between the Buckeyes and Trojans garnered interest as a possible early-season battle between top-10 teams.^[5] USC or Ohio State had played in five of the last six BCS title games. The teams have not faced one another since September 29, 1990, when Todd Marinovich led the Trojans to a 35–26 victory in Ohio Stadium in a game that was called because of a thunderstorm with 2 minutes 36 seconds to play.^[6] In naming it the top potentially season-defining game of 2008, Sports Illustrated highlighted a theme of credibility: Ohio State enters the game trying to move past the BCS title game losses of the previous two seasons and USC enters trying to show it remains highly competitive with its new starting quarterback and four of five new players on the offensive line.^[4]^[7]

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

3:06 OSU Pretorius 29-yard field goal 3–0 OSU
0:33 USC Havili 35-yard pass from Sanchez (Buehler kick) 7–3 USC

2nd Quarter

11:00 USC Ayles 1-yard pass from Sanchez (Buehler kick) 14–3 USC
2:49 USC Maualuga 48-yard interception return (Buehler kick) 21–3 USC

3rd Quarter

6:02 USC Williams 24-yard pass from Sanchez (Buehler kick) 28–3 USC
1:33 USC Williams 17-yard pass from Sanchez (Buehler kick) 35–3 USC

Vs. Troy

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Trojans	0	10	0	0	10
#14 Buckeyes	7	7	0	14	28

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

10:14 OSU Nicol 13-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

13:35 TROY Glusman 22-yard field goal 7–3 OSU
9:08 OSU Hartline 39-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 14–3 OSU
1:49 TROY Jernigan 45-yard pass from Hampton (Glusman kick) 14–10 OSU

4th Quarter

13:28 OSU Robiskie 38-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 21–10 OSU
4:46 OSU Hartline 16-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 28–10 OSU

Vs. Minnesota

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	3	0	3	15	21
#13 Buckeyes	7	13	7	7	34

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

12:47 OSU Pryor 33-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU
7:01 MINN Monroe 33-yard field goal 7–3 OSU

2nd Quarter

9:45 OSU Pretorius 22-yard field goal 10–3 OSU
4:10 OSU Pretorius 44-yard field goal 13–3 OSU
0:33 OSU Robiskie 8-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 20–3 OSU

3rd Quarter

10:40 MINN Monroe 28-yard field goal 20–6 OSU
7:37 OSU Pryor 1-yard run (Pretorius kick) 27–6 OSU

4th Quarter

14:55 OSU Robiskie 31-yard pass from Boeckman (Pretorius kick) 34–6 OSU
8:24 MINN Spry 3-yard run (Monroe kick) 34–13 OSU
1:13 MINN McKnight 22-yard pass from Weber (Decker pass from Maciejowski) 34–21 OSU

At Wisconsin

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Buckeyes	7	0	3	10	20
#17 Badgers	0	10	0	7	17

This game was seen by many as the toughest conference game on the Buckeyes' schedule. With a healthy Chris Wells, the Buckeyes would start the game out strong, with a touchdown on the opening drive. Momentum would begin to turn in the second quarter as the Badgers would intercept a long pass from Terrelle Pryor. The game went into halftime with the Buckeyes trailing 10–7.

Late in the fourth quarter, down 17–13, Terrelle Pryor orchestrated a late drive and would rush in the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 left. In a last chance for the Badgers, the Buckeyes intercepted a pass to seal a 20–17 win. The game was unusual for the Wisconsin fans as the Wisconsin Marching Band was suspended for the game due to accusations of alcohol abuse, hazing and sexual misconduct. The crowd had to rely on music played over the loud speakers.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

11:49 OSU Wells 33-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

4:35 WISC Turner 9-yard pass from Evridge (Welch kick) 7–7
0:01 WISC Welch 20-yard field goal 10–7 WISC

3rd Quarter

7:43 OSU Pretorius 21-yard field goal 10–10

4th Quarter

10:52 OSU Pretorius 34-yard field goal 13–10 OSU
6:31 WISC Hill 2-yard run (Welch kick) 17–13 WISC
1:08 OSU Pryor 11-yard run (Pretorius kick) 20–17 OSU

Vs. Purdue

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	0	0	3	0	3
#11 Buckeyes	10	3	0	3	16

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

11:41 OSU Sabino 20-yard return of blocked punt (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU
0:57 OSU Pretorius 24-yard field goal 10–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

4:54 OSU Pettrey 49-yard field goal 13–0 OSU

3rd Quarter

11:03 PUR Wiggs 53-yard field goal 13–3 OSU

4th Quarter

14:30 OSU Pretorius 22-yard field goal 16–3 OSU

At Michigan State

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Buckeyes	21	7	0	17	45
#20 Spartans	0	0	7	0	7

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

8:25 OSU Pryor 18-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU
4:33 OSU Robiskie 7-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 14–0 OSU
2:44 OSU Wells 1-yard run (Pretorius kick) 21–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

6:34 OSU Wells 12-yard run (Pretorius kick) 28–0 OSU

3rd Quarter

10:51 MSU Gantt 3-yard pass from Cousins (Swenson kick) 28–7 OSU

4th Quarter

14:41 OSU Gibson 69-yard fumble return (Pretorius kick) 35–7 OSU
5:27 OSU Pettrey 40-yard field goal 38–7 OSU
0:15 OSU Hines 48-yard fumble return (Pettrey kick) 45–7 OSU

Vs. Penn State

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
#3 Nittany Lions	0	3	0	10	13
#10 Buckeyes	0	3	3	0	6

For the fourth straight year, ESPN's College GameDay crew broadcast from the site of the Penn State–Ohio State match-up.^[8]^[9]

In front of an Ohio Stadium-record crowd of 105,711, the Nittany Lions got their first win at Ohio State since 1978 by defeating the Buckeyes 13–6 in a game where both offenses were held below their season averages. The turning point of the game occurred early in the fourth quarter with the Buckeyes holding a three-point lead and facing a third-and-1. Penn State safety Mark Rubin tackled Terrelle Pryor, and forced a fumble which was recovered by Penn State. Nittany Lions' backup quarterback Pat Devlin, playing for injured starter Daryll Clark, scored on a quarterback sneak for the only touchdown of the game. After PSU placekicker Kevin Kelly's second field goal, the Buckeyes last drive was ended by an interception at the goal line—Pryor's second turnover of the game. The Buckeyes were limited to their lowest point total in Ohio Stadium since 1982, and the Nittany Lions were charged with zero penalties.

Clark completed 12 of 20 passes for 121 yards before leaving, while the Nittany Lions defense held the Buckeyes running game in check, holding Pryor to six yards on nine attempts, and Beanie Wells to 55 yards on 22 carries.^[10]^[11] The Buckeyes were the only team in 2008 to hold the Lions below 20 points, and the only team to prevent Penn State from scoring a touchdown in the first half.

Scoring summary

2nd Quarter

1:33 PSU Kelly 31-yard field goal 3–0 PSU
0:00 OSU Pettrey 41-yard field goal 3–3

3rd Quarter

3:19 OSU Pettrey 36-yard field goal 6–3 OSU

4th Quarter

6:25 PSU Devlin 1-yard run (Kelly kick) 10–6 PSU
1:07 PSU Kelly 35-yard field goal 13–6 PSU

At Northwestern

at Ryan Field, Evanston, Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Buckeyes	7	17	7	14	45
#24 Wildcats	7	0	3	0	10

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

10:48 OSU - Wells 2-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU
4:43 NW - Kafka 1-yard run (Villarreal kick) 7–7

2nd Quarter

14:03 OSU - Wells 55-yard run (Pretorius kick) 14–7 OSU
10:04 OSU - Pretorius 33-yard field goal 17–7 OSU
1:26 OSU - Robiskie 15-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 24–7 OSU

3rd Quarter

11:03 NW - Villarreal 25-yard field goal 24–10 OSU
0:34 OSU - Nicol 6-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 31–10 OSU

4th Quarter

7:36 OSU - Robiskie 34-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 38–10 OSU
0:07 OSU - Herron 16-yard run (Pretorius kick) 45–10 OSU

At Illinois

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Buckeyes	9	14	0	7	30
Fighting Illini	7	6	0	7	20

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

8:48 OSU - Pryor 1-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU
5:30 ILL - Cumberland 7-yard pass from Williams (Eller kick) 7–7
1:10 OSU - Jenkins blocked punt through end zone 9–7 OSU

2nd Quarter

14:15 OSU - Wells 3-yard run (Pretorius kick) 16–7 OSU
6:30 OSU - Sanzenbacher 20-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 23–7 OSU
2:39 ILL - Eller 28-yard field goal 23–10 OSU
0:00 ILL - Eller 44-yard field goal 23–13 OSU

4th Quarter

11:55 OSU - Herron 12-yard run (Pretorius kick) 30–13 OSU
0:42 ILL - Duvalt 24-yard pass from Williams (Eller kick) 30–20 OSU

Vs. Michigan

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolverines	0	7	0	0	7
#10 Buckeyes	7	7	14	14	42

Ohio State extended their win streak over Michigan to a record five and enjoyed their second biggest victory margin (35) in the series, superseded only by a 38–0 shutout in 1935.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

3:57 OSU - Wells 59-yard run (Pretorius kick) 7–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

13:10 OSU - Hartline 53-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 14–0 OSU
2:51 MICH - Minor 1-yard run (Lopata kick) 14–7 OSU

3rd Quarter

11:04 OSU - Herron 49-yard run (Pretorius kick) 21–7 OSU
3:34 OSU - Robiskie 8-yard pass from Pryor (Pretorius kick) 28–7 OSU

4th Quarter

14:52 OSU - Herron 2-yard run (Pretorius kick) 35–7 OSU
13:16 OSU - Hartline 18-yard pass from Boeckman (Pretorius kick) 42–7 OSU

2009 Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State vs. Texas

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Buckeyes	3	3	0	15	21
#3 Longhorns	0	3	14	7	24

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

7:28 OSU - Pettrey 51-yard field goal 3–0 OSU

2nd Quarter

11:45 TEX - Lawrence 27-yard field goal 3–3
5:39 OSU - Pretorius 30-yard field goal 6–3 OSU

3rd Quarter

8:29 TEX - McCoy 14-yard rush (Lawrence kick) 10–6 TEX
1:04 TEX - Cosby 7-yard pass from McCoy (Lawrence kick) 17–6 TEX

4th Quarter

13:22 OSU - Pettrey 44-yard field goal 17–9 TEX
7:26 OSU - Pryor 5-yard pass from Boeckman (two-point conversion failed) 17–15 TEX
2:05 OSU - Herron 15-yard run (two-point conversion failed) 21–17 OSU
0:16 TEX - Cosby 26-yard pass from McCoy (Lawrence kick) 24–21 TEX

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	2 (21)	3 (15)	5 (1)	13	14	14	12	12	10	13	12	10	10	10	10	10	9
Coaches	3 (14)	3 (10)	5 (1)	14	13	12	11	11	10	13	12	10	10	10	10	10	11
Harris	Not released						12	13	10	12	11	10	10	10	10	10	Not released
BCS	Not released								9	12	11	11	10	10	10	10	Not released

Coaching staff

Jim Tressel – Head coach (8th year)
Jim Bollman – Offensive line/OC (8th year)
Joe Daniels – Quarterbacks (8th year)
Luke Fickell – Co-defensive coordinator / linebackers coach (7th year)
Jim Heacock – Defensive coordinator / defensive line (13th year)
Paul Haynes – Defensive safeties (4th year)
Darrell Hazell – Assistant head coach / wide receivers (5th year)
Traver Johnson – Defensive cornerbacks (2nd year)
John Peterson – Tight ends coach / recruiting coordinator (5th year)
Dick Tressel – Running backs (8th year)
Bob Tucker – Director of football operations (14th year)
Stan Jefferson – Director of player development (5th year)
Eric Lichter – Director of football performance (3rd year)
Butch Reynolds – Speed coordinator (4th year)
Doug Davis – Strength coordinator (2nd year)
Troy Sutton – Strength coordinator (1st year)

Roster

Wide Receivers

9 Hartline, Brian - Junior*
89 Hummel, Garrett - Sophomore
18 Lisko, David - Senior
86 Potokar, Dan - Junior
80 Robiskie, Brian - Senior*
15 Ruhl, Kyle - Senior
12 Sanzenbacher, Dane - Sophomore
82 Small, Ray - Junior
10 Torrence, Devon - Sophomore
5 Washington, Taurian - Sophomore
11 Stoneburner, Jake - Freshman
8 Posey, DeVier - Freshman
7 Thomas, Lamaar - Freshman

Offensive Tackles

75 Boone, Alex- Senior *
65 Ebner, Doug - Senior
66 Moses, Andrew - Junior
77 Smith, Connor - Sophomore
76 Sika, Scott - Junior
69 Slagle, Zach - Sophomore
76 J.B Shugarts - Freshman
74 Mike Adams - Freshman

Offensive Guards

68 Blankenship, Evan - Freshman
70 Browning, Bryant - Sophomore
67 Mitchum, Kyle - Senior
63 Person, Ben - Senior *
71 Rehring, Steve - Junior*
79 Skinner, Jon - Senior

Centers

64 Cordle, Jim - Junior*
57 Malone, Chris - Junior
50 Brewster, Michael - Freshman*

Tight End

86 Ballard, Jake - Junior
46 Larson, J.D - Junior
82 Miller, Andy - Sophomore
88 Nicol, Rory - Senior *
87 Smith, Brandon - Senior
DiLillo, Nic - Freshman

Quarterback

17 Boeckman, Todd – Senior
14 Bauserman, Joe - Sophomore
2 Pryor, Terrelle – Freshman*

Running Back

46 Christian, K.C. - Sophomore
35 DeLande, Bo - Sophomore
33 Gantz, Joe - Junior
1 Herron, Daniel - Freshman
3 Saine, Brandon - Sophomore
28 Wells, Chris - Junior*
34 Wells, Maurice - Senior
24 Williams, Marcus - Sophomore

Fullback

49 Lukens, Ryan - Senior
43 Olson, Aram - Sophomore
48 Smith, Spencer - Sophomore
Martin, Jermil - Freshman

Defensive Lineman

92 Denlinger, Todd - Junior
90 Gray, Bryan - Junior
95 Rietschlin, Chris - Senior

Defensive tackles

93 Abdallah, Nader - Senior
97 Heyward, Cameron - Sophomore *
72 Larimore, Dexter - Sophomore *
Rowell, Shawntel - Freshman
53 Goebel, Garrett - Freshman

Defensive End

90 Gibson, Thaddeus - Sophomore *
57 Ingham, Tom - Junior
44 Johnson, Mark - Sophomore
9 Rose, Robert - Sophomore *
98 Thomas, Solomon - Freshman
87 Wilson, Lawrence - Junior (Out for season)
84 Worthington, Doug - Junior
96 Mobley, Willie - Freshman
94 Wells, Keith - Freshman

Cornerbacks

13 Amos, Andre - Junior
4 Coleman, Kurt - Junior *
2 Jenkins, Malcolm - Senior *
29 Lane, Shaun - Senior
Howard, Travis - Freshman

Defensive Backs

5 Chekwa, Chimdi - Sophomore*
36 Daniels, Matt - Senior
39 Dougherty, Michael - Senior
30 Evege, Donnie - Freshman
24 Schwartz, Grant - Sophomore
11 Scott, James - Sophomore
20 Washington, Donald - Junior
17 Willis, Zach - Senior

Linebackers

1 Freeman, Marcus - Senior *
7 Hines, Jermale - Sophomore * (safety)
51 Homan, Ross - Sophomore *
33 Laurinaitis, James - Senior*
59 Libby, Kyle - Sophomore
26 Moeller, Tyler - Sophomore
36 Rolle, Brian - Sophomore
38 Spitler, Austin - Junior
55 Terry, Curtis - Senior
6 Sabino, Etienne - Freshman
42 Sweat, Andrew - Freshman
Williams, Nathan - Freshman

Safety

8 Gant, Aaron - Junior
3 O'Neal, Jamario - Senior
14 Oliver, Nate - Freshman
23 Patterson, Nick - Senior
25 Pentello, Rocco - Freshman
21 Russell, Anderson - Junior*
Domicone, Zach - Freshman
Johnson, Orhian - Freshman

Long Snappers

52 Curtis, Don - Sophomore
53 Howe, Patrick - Sophomore
96 McQuaide, Jake - Sophomore

Kickers

12 Barclay, Devin - Sophomore
39 Good, Andrew - Junior
41 Mattimoe, Matt - Junior
20 Pettrey, Aaron - Junior *
85 Pretorius, Ryan - Senior
Buchanan, Ben - Freshman

Players drafted into the NFL


Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	14	Malcolm Jenkins	CB	New Orleans Saints
1	31	Beanie Wells	RB	Arizona Cardinals
2	35	James Laurinaitis	LB	St. Louis Rams
2	36	Brian Robiskie	WR	Cleveland Browns
4	102	Donald Washington	CB	Kansas City Chiefs
4	108	Brian Hartline	WR	Miami Dolphins
5	154	Marcus Freeman	LB	Chicago Bears

Source:^[12]

References

^ Green, Kristofer (July 27, 2008) BIG TEN FOOTBALL: Ohio State's Eugene Clifford to Transfer, bleacherreport.com, Retrieved August 5, 2008.
^ Mandel, Stewart (May 7, 2008)Why a 'plus-one' was shot down; post-Perrilloux LSU and more, SI.com, Retrieved May 9, 2008.
^ Walters, John (June 9, 2008) Top 10 impact games Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, NBC Sports, Retrieved June 9, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Feldman, Bruce (July 21, 2008) Ohio State-USC tops must-see games of 2008, ESPN.com, Retrieved July 30, 2008.
^ Schlabach, Mark (January 8, 2006) Georgia takes top spot in early look at 2008's Top 25, ESPN.com, Retrieved January 8, 2008.
^ Crowe, Jerry (January 10, 2008). "Trojans Can Buck Recent Trend". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
^ Mandel, Stewart (July 1, 2008) Ten season-defining games in '08, SI.com, Retrieved July 2, 2008.
^ "PSU vs. OSU Countdown". Altoona Mirror. October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
^ Black, John (October 27, 2008). "The Football Letter: Notes from the Cuff". The Penn State Alumni Association. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
^ Musselman, Ron (October 26, 2008). "PSU Football: Ends Jinx in Columbus with 13–6 Win". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
^ "No. 3 Nittany Lions Top No. 10 Buckeyes, 13–6". October 25, 2008. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

[1] Green, Kristofer (July 27, 2008) BIG TEN FOOTBALL: Ohio State's Eugene Clifford to Transfer, bleacherreport.com, Retrieved August 5, 2008.

[SI050708-2] Mandel, Stewart (May 7, 2008)Why a 'plus-one' was shot down; post-Perrilloux LSU and more, SI.com, Retrieved May 9, 2008.

[NBCJune08-3] Walters, John (June 9, 2008) Top 10 impact games Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, NBC Sports, Retrieved June 9, 2008.

[ESPN072108-4] Feldman, Bruce (July 21, 2008) Ohio State-USC tops must-see games of 2008, ESPN.com, Retrieved July 30, 2008.

[ESPN010808ms-5] Schlabach, Mark (January 8, 2006) Georgia takes top spot in early look at 2008's Top 25, ESPN.com, Retrieved January 8, 2008.

[LAT011008-6] Crowe, Jerry (January 10, 2008). "Trojans Can Buck Recent Trend". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2008.

[SI070108-7] Mandel, Stewart (July 1, 2008) Ten season-defining games in '08, SI.com, Retrieved July 2, 2008.

[8] "PSU vs. OSU Countdown". Altoona Mirror. October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008.

[gameday4times-9] Black, John (October 27, 2008). "The Football Letter: Notes from the Cuff". The Penn State Alumni Association. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008.

[10] Musselman, Ron (October 26, 2008). "PSU Football: Ends Jinx in Columbus with 13–6 Win". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 26, 2008.

[11] "No. 3 Nittany Lions Top No. 10 Buckeyes, 13–6". October 25, 2008. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2008.

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v t e Ohio State Buckeyes football
Venues	Recreation Park (1890–1897) Ohio Field (1898–1921) Ohio Stadium (1922–present) Woody Hayes Athletic Center (practice)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Illinois: Battle for Illibuck Michigan (The Ten Year War) Penn State
Culture & lore	History Block O Brutus Buckeye "Across the Field" "Buckeye Battle Cry" "Carmen Ohio" "Hang On Sloopy" Marching band Neutron Man The Ten Year War Snow Bowl (1950) 1969 Michigan game 1973 Michigan game The Kick Holy Buckeye 2005 Texas game 2006 Michigan game 2016 Penn State game
Media	WBNS-TV WBNS WBNS-FM Ohio State Sports Network
People	Head coaches All-Century Team NFL draftees Statistical leaders Retired numbers
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Big Ten Conference football champions
Western Conference	Wisconsin (1896) Wisconsin (1897) Michigan (1898) Chicago (1899) Iowa & Minnesota (1900) Michigan & Wisconsin (1901) Michigan (1902) Michigan, Minnesota, & Northwestern (1903) Michigan & Minnesota (1904) Chicago (1905) Michigan, Minnesota, & Wisconsin (1906) Chicago (1907) Chicago (1908) Minnesota (1909) Illinois & Minnesota (1910) Minnesota (1911) Wisconsin (1912) Chicago (1913) Illinois (1914) Illinois & Minnesota (1915) Ohio State (1916)
Big Ten	Ohio State (1917) Illinois, Michigan, & Purdue (1918) Illinois (1919) Ohio State (1920) Iowa (1921) Chicago, Iowa, & Michigan (1922) Illinois & Michigan (1923) Chicago (1924) Michigan (1925) Michigan & Northwestern (1926) Illinois & Minnesota (1927) Illinois (1928) Purdue (1929) Michigan & Northwestern (1930) Purdue, Michigan & Northwestern (1931) Michigan & Purdue (1932) Michigan & Minnesota (1933) Minnesota (1934) Minnesota & Ohio State (1935) Northwestern (1936) Minnesota (1937) Minnesota (1938) Ohio State (1939) Minnesota (1940) Minnesota (1941) Ohio State (1942) Michigan & Purdue (1943) Ohio State (1944) Indiana (1945)
Big Nine	Illinois (1946) Michigan (1947) Michigan (1948) Michigan & Ohio State (1949)
Big Ten	Michigan (1950) Illinois (1951) Purdue & Wisconsin (1952) Illinois & Michigan State (1953) Ohio State (1954) Ohio State (1955) Iowa (1956) Ohio State (1957) Iowa (1958) Wisconsin (1959) Minnesota & Iowa (1960) Ohio State (1961) Wisconsin (1962) Illinois (1963) Michigan (1964) Michigan State (1965) Michigan State (1966) Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue (1967) Ohio State (1968) Michigan & Ohio State (1969) Ohio State (1970) Michigan (1971) Michigan & Ohio State (1972) Michigan & Ohio State (1973) Michigan & Ohio State (1974) Ohio State (1975) Michigan & Ohio State (1976) Michigan & Ohio State (1977) Michigan & Michigan State (1978) Ohio State (1979) Michigan (1980) Iowa & Ohio State (1981) Michigan (1982) Illinois (1983) Ohio State (1984) Iowa (1985) Michigan & Ohio State (1986) Michigan State (1987) Michigan (1988) Michigan (1989) Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, & Michigan State (1990) Michigan (1991) Michigan (1992) Ohio State & Wisconsin (1993) Penn State (1994) Northwestern (1995) Ohio State & Northwestern (1996) Michigan (1997) Michigan, Ohio State, & Wisconsin (1998) Wisconsin (1999) Michigan, Northwestern, & Purdue (2000) Illinois (2001) Ohio State & Iowa (2002) Michigan (2003) Iowa & Michigan (2004) Ohio State & Penn State (2005) Ohio State (2006) Ohio State (2007) Ohio State & Penn State (2008) Ohio State (2009) Michigan State & Wisconsin (2010) Wisconsin (2011) Wisconsin (2012) Michigan State (2013) Ohio State (2014) Michigan State (2015) Penn State (2016) Ohio State (2017) Ohio State (2018) Ohio State (2019) Ohio State (2020) Michigan (2021) Michigan (2022) Michigan (2023) Oregon (2024)
National championships in bold