2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten Champions
BCS Championship Game, L 38-24 vs. LSU
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#4
AP	#5
2007 record	11-2 (7-1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Jim Tressel
Offensive coordinator	Jim Bollman
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Jim Heacock
Base defense	4-3
Captain	3 James Laurinaitis 2 Time Captain Kirk Barton Dionte Johnson
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium (c. 101,568, Field Turf)
Seasons « 2006 2008 »

2007 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#5/4 Ohio State †		7	–	1					11	–	2
#18/19 Michigan		6	–	2					9	–	4
#20/18 Illinois ‡		6	–	2					9	–	4
#24/21 Wisconsin		5	–	3					9	–	4
#NR/25 Penn State		4	–	4					9	–	4
Iowa		4	–	4					6	–	6
Purdue		3	–	5					8	–	5
Indiana		3	–	5					7	–	6
Michigan State		3	–	5					7	–	6
Northwestern		3	–	5					6	–	6
Minnesota		0	–	8					1	–	11
† – BCS representative as champion ‡ – BCS at-large representative Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

The 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of the Ohio State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Tressel led the Buckeyes to their fourth Big Ten championship and third National Title game in six years, and their second straight National Title game defeat.

Contents 1 Schedule 2 Previous season 3 Preseason 3.1 Watch lists 4 Results 4.1 Youngstown State 4.2 Akron 4.3 Washington 4.4 Northwestern 4.5 Minnesota 4.6 Purdue 4.7 Kent State 4.8 Michigan State 4.9 Penn State 4.10 Wisconsin 4.11 Illinois 4.12 Michigan 4.13 National Championship Game 5 Players 5.1 Roster 6 Coaching staff 7 2008 NFL draftees 8 External links 9 References

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	12:00 p.m.	Youngstown State*	#10	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	Big Ten Network	W 38–6	105,038
September 8	12:00 p.m.	Akron*	#11	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	Big Ten Network	W 20–2	104,317
September 15	3:30 p.m.	at Washington*	#10	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	ABC	W 33–14	74,927
September 22	3:30 p.m.	Northwestern	#9	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	ESPN	W 58–7	105,178
September 29	8:00 p.m.	at Minnesota	#8	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome • Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	W 30–7	51,611
October 6	8:00 p.m.	at #20 Purdue	#4	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	ABC	W 23–7	65,497
October 13	12:00 p.m.	Kent State*	#3	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	Big Ten Network	W 48–3	105,051
October 20	3:30 p.m.	Michigan State	#1	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	ABC	W 24–17	105,287
October 27	8:00 p.m.	at #25 Penn State	#1	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	W 37–17	110,134
November 3	12:00 p.m.	#19 Wisconsin	#1	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	Big Ten Network	W 38-17	105,449
November 10	3:30 p.m.	Illinois	#1	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (Illibuck)	ABC	L 28–21	105,453
November 17	12:00 p.m.	at #23 Michigan	#7	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (The Game)	ABC	W 14-3	111,941
January 7	7:00 p.m.	#2 LSU*	#1	Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA (BCS Championship)	FOX	L 38-24	79,651
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Previous season

The 2006 Buckeyes squad finished the season as Big Ten Conference champions and ranked #2 in the final AP and Coaches' polls. They finished the regular season undefeated and advanced to the 2007 BCS National Championship Game where they lost to the Florida Gators, ending the season with a record of 12-1.

Preseason

On March 6, Coach Jim Tressel announced the hiring of Assistant Coach Taver Johnson. Johnson is a native of Cincinnati and a graduate of Wittenberg University. He had spent most of his coaching career at Miami University and had a very brief stint with the Oakland Raiders. Coach Johnson will replace Tim Beckman, who left Ohio State to become Defensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State University. Coach Johnson will coach the Cornerbacks.

Watch lists

Linebackers James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman along with defensive end Vernon Gholston were among the list of 65 players under consideration for the Bednarik Award while Chris "Beanie" Wells was on the 65-player list for the Maxwell Award.

Results

Youngstown State

Akron

Washington

Northwestern

Minnesota

Purdue

Kent State

Michigan State

Penn State

Wisconsin

Illinois

Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 7 7 0 14 Michigan 3 0 0 0 3 at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI Date: November 17 Game time: 12:00 PM Game weather: low 40s (cloudy), wind W 5-10 mph Game attendance: 111,941 Referee: John O'Neill Recap Game information Scoring MICH - K.C. Lopata 33 yard field goal OSU - Chris Wells 1 yard run (Ryan Pretorius kick) OSU - Chris Wells 62 yard run (Ryan Pretorius kick) Passing OSU - Todd Boeckman 7/13, 50 yards, INT MICH - Chad Henne 11/34, 68 yards, Ryan Mallett 1/3, 8 yards Rushing OSU - Chris Wells 39-222, Brandon Saine 9-20, Maurice Wells 1-2, Todd Boeckman 7-(-6), Ray Small 2-(-7) MICH - Mike Hart 18-44, Mario Manningham 1-(-1), Ryan Mallett 1-(-6), Chad Henne 3-(-20) Receiving OSU - Brian Robiskie 2-21, Brian Hartline 1-9, Jake Ballard 2-8, Dane Sanzenbacher 1-7, Ray Small 1-5 MICH - Mario Manningham 5-34, Carson Butler 4-24, Adrian Arrington 2-13, Greg Mathews 1-5 Defense OSU - Marcus Freeman 9 tackles, Vernon Gholston 3.0 sacks, Dexter Larimore 1.0 sack MICH - Obi Ezeh 12 tackles, Jamar Adams 12 tackles, Shawn Crable Forced Fum, Brandent Englemon INT

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring Information Score Plays Yards TOP Ohio State Michigan 1 1:37 49 4:22 Michigan 33-yard field goal by K.C. Lopata 0 3 2 10:08 44 3:11 Ohio State Chris Wells 1-yard touchdown run, Ryan Pretorius kick good 7 3 3 13:40 62 :11 Ohio State Chris Wells 62-yard touchdown run, Ryan Pretorius kick good 14 3 "TOP" = Time of Possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 3

National Championship Game

On January 7, 2008 the Buckeyes played at the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans, Louisiana in the Louisiana Superdome. This was the first time in the school's history that the football team had played back to back National Championship games. The Buckeyes ended up losing the game to the Louisiana State University Tigers, 38-24. After a strong initial start (a 10-0 run in the first quarter in favor of the Buckeyes), the LSU Tigers went on one of their own, 31-0, from the first to third quarters. Two key pivotal special teams plays contributed to the LSU run, one being a blocked 38 yard Ryan Pretorius (Ohio State) field goal in the first quarter, and a roughing the kicker penalty committed by Austin Spitler (Ohio State) on a punt that extended an LSU touchdown drive in the third.Though the LSU run was simply too much to overcome, the Buckeyes added two more touchdowns to make a respectable final score.

Players

Roster

Wide Receivers 5 Dukes, Albert - Junior 9 Hartline, Brian - Sophomore 89 Hummel, Garrett - Freshman Jordan, Devin - Senior 18 Sharp, Luke - Junior 18 Lyons, Devon - Junior 86 Potokar, Dan - Sophomore 80 Robiskie, Brian - Junior 15 Ruhl, Kyle - Junior 12 Sanzenbacher, Dane - Freshman 4 Small, Ray - Sophomore 81 Ullery, Brent - Senior 19 Washington, Taurian - Freshman Offensive Tackles 74 Barton, Kirk - Senior 75 Boone, Alex - Junior 65 Ebner, Doug - Junior 66 Moses, Andrew - Sophomore 77 Smith, Connor - Freshman 76 Sika, Scott - Sophomore 69 Slagle, Zach - Freshman Offensive Guards 68 Blankenship, Evan - Freshman 70 Browning, Bryant - Freshman 78 Dye, Daniel - Senior 67 Mitchum, Kyle - Junior 63 Person, Ben - Junior 71 Rehring, Steve - Sophomore 79 Skinner, Jon - Junior Centers 64 Cordle, Jim - Sophomore 57 Malone, Chris - Sophomore Tight End 86 Ballard, Jake - Sophomore 46 Larson, J.D - Sophomore 82 Miller, Andy - Freshman 88 Nicol, Rory - Junior 87 Smith, Brandon - Junior Quarterback 17 Boeckman, Todd- Junior 14 Bauserman, Joe - Freshman 7 Henton, Antonio - Freshman 13 Kacsandi, Ben - Junior 11 Schoenhoft, Rob - Sophomore		Running Back 46 Christian, K.C. - Freshman 35 DeLande, Bo - Freshman 33 Gantz, Joe - Sophomore 2 Herron, Daniel - Freshman 16 Robinson, Trever - Senior 3 Saine, Brandon - Freshman 28 Wells, Chris - Sophomore 34 Wells, Maurice - Junior 24 Williams, Marcus - Freshman Fullback 49 Johnson, Dionte - Senior 43 Olson, Aram - Freshman 48 Smith, Spencer - Freshman 42 Whaley, Tyler - Senior Defensive Lineman 92 Daly, Brett - Senior 92 Denlinger, Todd - Sophomore 50 Gholston, Vernon - Junior 90 Gray, Bryan - Sophomore 95 Rietschlin, Chris - Junior Defensive Tackles 93 Abdallah, Nader - Junior 97 Heyward, Cameron - Freshman 72 Larimore, Dexter - Freshman Defensive End 78 Barrow, Alex - Junior 57 Ingham, Tom - Sophomore 9 Rose, Robert - Freshman 98 Thomas, Solomon - Freshman 87 Wilson, Lawrence - Junior 84 Worthington, Doug - Sophomore Cornerbacks 13 Amos, Andre - Sophomore 4 Coleman, Kurt - Sophomore 2 Jenkins, Malcolm - Junior 29 Lane, Shaun - Junior Defensive Backs 5 Chekwa, Chimdi - Freshman 32 Clifford, Eugene - Freshman 36 Daniels, Matt - Junior 39 Dougherty, Michael - Junior 30 Evege, Donnie - Freshman 41 Haslam, De'Angelo - Senior 24 Schwartz, Grant - Freshman 11 Scott, James - Freshman 20 Washington, Donald - Sophomore 17 Willis, Zach - Junior		Linebackers 1 Freeman, Marcus Jr. 37 Gibson, Thaddeus - Freshman 6 Grant, Larry - Senior 7 Hines, Jermale - Freshman 51 Homan, Ross - Sophomore 44 Johnson, Mark - Freshman 33 Laurinaitis, James - Junior 59 Libby, Kyle - Freshman 49 Lukens, Ryan - Junior 26 Moeller, Tyler - Freshman 36 Rolle, Brian - Freshman 38 Spitler, Austin - Sophomore 55 Terry, Curtis - Senior Safety 8 Gant, Aaron So. 3 O'Neal, Jamario Jr. 14 Oliver, Nate Fr. 23 Patterson, Nick Jr. 25 Pentello, Rocco Fr. 21 Russell, Anderson So. 10 Torrence, Devon Fr. Long Snappers 52 Curtis, Don - Freshman 61 Haas, Jackson - Senior 53 Howe, Patrick - Freshman 56 Makridis, Dimitrios - Senior 96 McQuaide, Jake - Freshman Kickers 12 Barclay, Devin - Freshman 39 Good, Andrew Jr. 41 Mattimoe, Matt - Sophomore 20 Pettrey, Aaron - Sophomore 85 Pretorius, Ryan Jr.

Coaching staff

• Jim Tressel - Head Coach
• Jim Bollman - Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
• Jim Heacock - Defensive Coordinator
• Darrell Hazell - Asst. Head Coach/Wide Receivers
• Dick Tressel - Running Backs
• Joe Daniels - Quarterbacks

2008 NFL draftees

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL Club
Vernon Gholston	1	6	Defensive End	New York Jets
Larry Grant	7	214	Linebacker	San Francisco 49ers
Kirk Barton	7	247	Tackle	Chicago Bears

External links

• Ohio State Buckeyes Football official site

References

Draft data

• Ohio State Drafted Players

Ohio State Buckeyes football Venues Recreation Park (1890–1897) Ohio Field (1898–1921) Ohio Stadium (1922–present) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Illibuck (Illinois) Michigan Penn State Culture & lore History Brutus Buckeye "Across the Field" "Buckeye Battle Cry" "Carmen Ohio" The Ohio State University Marching Band Block O "Hang On Sloopy" People Head coaches All-Century Team Yearly statistical leaders 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 National championship seasons in bold