American college football season
2015 Ohio State Buckeyes football Conference Big Ten Conference Division East Division Coaches No. 4 AP No. 4 2015 record 12–1 (7–1 Big Ten) Head coach Offensive coordinator Ed Warinner (4th season)Co-offensive coordinator Tim Beck (1st season)Offensive scheme Spread Defensive coordinator Luke Fickell (10th; 15th overall season)Co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash (2nd season)Base defense Multiple Captain J. T. Barrett Jacoby BorenJoshua Perry Tyvis Powell Home stadium Ohio Stadium (Capacity: 104,944)Seasons
2015 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
East Division
No. 6 Michigan State xy$^
7
–
1
12
–
2
No. 4 Ohio State x
7
–
1
12
–
1
No. 12 Michigan
6
–
2
10
–
3
Penn State
4
–
4
7
–
6
Indiana
2
–
6
6
–
7
Rutgers
1
–
7
4
–
8
Maryland
1
–
7
3
–
9
West Division
No. 9 Iowa xy
8
–
0
12
–
2
No. 23 Northwestern
6
–
2
10
–
3
No. 21 Wisconsin
6
–
2
10
–
3
Nebraska
3
–
5
6
–
7
Minnesota
2
–
6
6
–
7
Illinois
2
–
6
5
–
7
Purdue
1
–
7
2
–
10
Championship : Michigan State 16 , Iowa 13
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll
The 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season . It was the Buckeyes' 126th season overall, the 103rd as a member of the Big Ten Conference , and second as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was led by Urban Meyer , in his fourth year as head coach, and played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio . They finished the season 12–1, 7–1 in Big Ten play, to finish in a tie for the East Division championship with Michigan State . Due to their head-to-head loss to Michigan State, they did not represent the East Division in the Big Ten Championship Game . They were invited to the Fiesta Bowl where they defeated Notre Dame .
Schedule [ ]
The Big Ten Conference released the schedule for the 2015 season on June 3, 2013.[1] Ohio State will face all six Eastern Division opponents Indiana , Maryland , Michigan , Michigan State , Penn State and Rutgers .[1] Ohio State will also face two Western Division opponents: rival Illinois and Minnesota .[1] Ohio State will play four non-conference games: Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference , Hawaii of the Mountain West Conference , and Northern Illinois and Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference . Ohio State has one bye week during the season between their games against Rutgers and Minnesota.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 7 8:00 p.m. at Virginia Tech * No. 1 Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA ESPN W 42–2465,632
September 12 3:30 p.m. Hawaii * No. 1 BTN W 38–0107,145
September 19 3:30 p.m. Northern Illinois * No. 1 ABC/ESPN2 W 20–13104,095
September 26 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan * No. 1 ABC/ESPN2 W 38–12106,123
October 3 3:30 p.m. at Indiana No. 1 Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN ABC/ESPN2 W 34–2752,929
October 10 12:00 p.m. Maryland No. 1 BTN W 49–28107,869
October 17 8:00 p.m. Penn State No. 1 ABC W 38–10108,423
October 24 8:00 p.m. at Rutgers No. 1 High Point Solutions Stadium Piscataway, NJ ABC W 49–753,111
November 7 8:00 p.m. Minnesota No. 3 ABC W 28–14108,075
November 14 12:00 p.m. at Illinois No. 3 ABC W 28–351,515
November 21 3:30 p.m. No. 9 Michigan State No. 3 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (College GameDay ) ABC L 14–17108,975‡
November 28 12:00 p.m. at No. 10 Michigan No. 8 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (The Game )ABC W 42–13111,829
January 1, 2016 1:00 p.m. vs. No. 8 Notre Dame No. 7 University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl )ESPN W 44–2871,123
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 3) released prior to game All times are in Eastern time
[2]
‡ New Ohio Stadium attendance record
Personnel [ ]
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was his fourth year as the Buckeye's head coach during the 2015 season. In his previous three seasons with Ohio State, he led the Buckeyes to an overall record of 38 wins and 3 losses (38–3) and the 2014 national championship . On December 16, 2014, offensive coordinator Tom Herman accepted the head coaching position at Houston .[3] On January 11, 2015, Ohio State announced the hiring of former Nebraska coach Tim Beck to replace Herman as co-offensive coordinator.[4] On February 2, 2015, Stan Drayton accepted the running backs coach position with the Chicago Bears , and was replaced by former Notre Dame coach Tony Alford .[5]
Coaching staff [ ]
Name
Position
Seasons at Ohio State
Alma mater
Urban Meyer
Head coach
4th
Cincinnati (1986)
Luke Fickell
Co-Defensive Coordinator /Linebackers
14th
Ohio State (1997)
Chris Ash
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2nd
Drake (1995)
Larry Johnson
Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
2nd
Elizabeth City State (1973)
Kerry Coombs
Special Teams Coordinator /Cornerbacks
4th
Dayton (1983)
Tim Beck
Co-Offensive Coordinator /Quarterbacks
1st
Central Florida (1988)
Ed Warinner
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
4th
Mount Union (1984)
Tony Alford
Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs
1st
Colorado State (1992)
Zach Smith
Wide Receivers
4th
Florida (2007)
Tim Hinton
Tight Ends, Fullbacks
4th
Wilmington (1982)
Quinn Tempel
Offensive Graduate Assistant
1st
Ohio State (2013)
Mickey Marotti
Assistant Athletic Director for Football Sports Performance
4th
West Liberty (1987)
Reference: [6]
Roster [ ]
Rankings [ ]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Final
AP
1 (61)
1 (61)
1 (61)
1 (59)
1 (42)
1 (45)
1 (38)
1 (27)
1 (28)
1 (39)
2 (26)
3 (23)
8
6
7
4
Coaches
1 (62)
1 (62)
1 (63)
1 (62)
1 (61)
1 (61)
1 (50)
1 (47)
1 (48)
1 (49)
1 (34)
2 (32)
8
6
5
4
CFP
Not released
3
3
3
8
6
7
Not released
Game summaries [ ]
Virginia Tech [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• #1 Ohio State
14
0 14 14
42
Virginia Tech
0
17 0 7
24
Location: Blacksburg, VirginiaGame start: 8:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:30Game attendance: 65,632TV announcers (ESPN ): Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit
Scoring summary 1 9:44 Ohio State Curtis Samuel 24 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 7–0
1 6:39 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 80 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–0
2 13:13 Virginia Tech Sam Rogers 51 yd pass from Michael Brewer (Joey Slye kick) Ohio State 14–7
2 7:05 Virginia Tech Joey Slye 46 yd field goal Ohio State 14–10
2 0:16 Virginia Tech Ryan Malleck 1 yd pass from Michael Brewer (Joey Slye kick) Virginia Tech 17–14
3 13:53 Ohio State Braxton Miller 54 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 21–17
3 2:05 Ohio State Braxton Miller 53 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 28–17
4 12:26 Ohio State Cardale Jones 10 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 35–17
4 8:14 Ohio State Michael Thomas 26 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 42–17
4 1:55 Virginia Tech Isaiah Ford 9 yd pass from Brenden Motley (Joey Slye kick) Ohio State 42–24
Hawaii [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Hawaii
0
0 0 0
0
• #1 Ohio State
7
7 3 21
38
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 3:30 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:28Game attendance: 107,145Game weather: SunnyTV announcers (BTN ): Kevin Kugler , Matt Millen , and Lisa Byington
Scoring summary 1 3:25 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 1 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 7–0
2 4:03 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 3 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–0
3 8:34 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 20 yd field goal Ohio State 17–0
4 9:07 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 1 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 24–0
4 7:48 Ohio State Vonn Bell 14 yd fumble return (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 31–0
4 3:51 Ohio State Bri'onte Dunn 5 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 38–0
Northern Illinois [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Northern Illinois
7
3 0 3
13
• #1 Ohio State
3
7 10 0
20
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 3:30 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:28Game attendance: 104,095Game weather: Cloudy, Light RainTV announcers (ABC/ESPN2 ): Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham
Scoring summary 1 12:43 Northern Illinois Aregeros Turner 5 yd run (Christian Hagan kick) Northern Illinois 7–0
1 6:21 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 31 yd field goal Northern Illinois 7–3
2 12:20 Northern Illinois Christian Hagan 38 yd field goal Northern Illinois 10–3
2 8:21 Ohio State Michael Thomas 23 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Jack Willoughby kick) 10–10
3 8:27 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 24 yd field goal Ohio State 13–10
3 1:44 Ohio State Darren Lee 41 yd interception return (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 20–10
4 7:46 Northern Illinois Christian Hagan 31 yd field goal Ohio State 20–13
Western Michigan [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Western Michigan
0
6 6 0
12
• #1 Ohio State
7
17 7 7
38
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 3:30 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:25Game attendance: 106,123Game weather: CloudyTV announcers (ABC/ESPN2 ): Adam Amin and Kelly Stouffer
Scoring summary 1 13:26 Ohio State Michael Thomas 38 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 7–0
2 10:35 Ohio State Jalin Marshall 37 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–0
2 8:19 Western Michigan Daniel Braverman 55 yd pass from Zach Terrell (PAT missed) Ohio State 14–6
2 4:09 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 30 yd field goal Ohio State 17–6
2 4:02 Ohio State Adolphus Washington 20 yd interception return (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 24–6
3 10:50 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 6 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 31–6
3 4:26 Western Michigan Jeremiah Mullinax 1 yd pass from Zach Terrell (2 pt conversion failed) Ohio State 31–12
4 8:24 Ohio State Curtis Samuel 40 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 38–12
Indiana [ ]
See also: 2015 Indiana Hoosiers football team
1
2 3 4 Total
• #1 Ohio State
0
6 14 14
34
Indiana
3
7 7 10
27
Location: Bloomington, IndianaGame start: 3:30 p.m. Elapsed time: 4:10Game attendance: 52,929Game weather: Cloudy, Light RainTV announcers (ABC/ESPN2 ): Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham
Scoring summary 1 7:26 Indiana Griffin Oakes 34 yd field goalIndiana 3–0
2 13:38 Indiana Devine Redding 1 yd run (Griffin Oakes kick) Indiana 10–0
2 10:21 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 23 yd field goal Indiana 10–3
2 6:50 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 26 yd field goal Indiana 10–6
3 8:57 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 55 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 13–10
3 2:23 Indiana Devine Redding 1 yd run (Griffin Oakes kick) Indiana 17–13
3 1:02 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 65 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 20–17
4 14:54 Ohio State Michael Thomas 23 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 27–17
4 10:37 Indiana Griffin Oakes 34 yd field goal Ohio State 27–20
4 10:24 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 75 yd run (Jack Wiloughby kick) Ohio State 34–20
4 10:03 Indiana Zander Diamont 79 yd run (Griffin Oakes kick) Ohio State 34–27
Maryland [ ]
See also: 2015 Maryland Terrapins football team
1
2 3 4 Total
Maryland
7
7 7 7
28
• #1 Ohio State
7
14 14 14
49
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 12:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:30Game attendance: 107,869Game weather: SunnyTV announcers (BTN ): Eric Collins , Glen Mason
Scoring summary 1 10:52 Maryland D.J. Moore 52 yd pass from Perry Hills (Brad Craddock kick) Maryland 7–0
1 4:23 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 3 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) 7–7
2 14:32 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 2 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–7
2 6:41 Ohio State Braxton Miller 19 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 21–7
2 0:43 Maryland Perry Hills 3 yd run (Brad Craddock kick) Ohio State 21–14
3 11:17 Maryland Perry Hills 4 yd run (Brad Craddock kick) 21–21
3 6:58 Ohio State Jalin Marshall 48 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 28–21
3 0:15 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 1 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 35–21
4 6:38 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 16 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 42–21
4 5:46 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 18 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 49–21
4 0:55 Maryland Wes Brown 1 yd run (Brad Craddock kick) Ohio State 49–28
Penn State [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Penn State
3
0 7 0
10
• #1 Ohio State
0
21 0 17
38
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 8:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:45Game attendance: 108,423Game weather: Partly CloudyTV announcers (ABC ): Chris Fowler , Kirk Herbstreit , Heather Cox
Scoring summary 1 11:32 Penn State Joey Julius 33 yd field goalPenn State 3–0
2 13:43 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 5 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 7–3
2 9:26 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 10 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–3
2 3:17 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 13 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 21–3
3 13:59 Penn State DaeSean Hamilton 8 yd pass from Christian Hackenberg (Joey Julius kick) Ohio State 21–10
4 12:54 Ohio State Jack Willoughby 39 yd field goal Ohio State 24–10
4 6:25 Ohio State Braxton Miller 5 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 31–10
4 4:14 Ohio State Michael Thomas 6 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 38–10
"Dark Night at the Shoe" – Ohio State wears all-black uniforms for the first time in school history.[7]
Rutgers [ ]
See also: 2015 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
1
2 3 4 Total
• #1 Ohio State
7
14 21 7
49
Rutgers
0
0 0 7
7
Location: Piscataway, New JerseyGame start: 8:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:30Game attendance: 53,111Game weather: ClearTV announcers (ABC ): Chris Fowler , Kirk Herbstreit , Heather Cox
Scoring summary 1 0:10 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 2 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 7–0
2 6:48 Ohio State Michael Thomas 50 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–0
2 3:02 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 2 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 21–0
3 13:13 Ohio State Curtis Samuel 30 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 28–0
3 8:24 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 10 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 35–0
3 4:34 Ohio State Jalin Marshall 1 yd pass from J.T. Barrett Ohio State 42–0
4 13:42 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 55 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 49–0
4 0:13 Rutgers Andre Patton 4 yd pass from Hayden Rettig (Kyle Federico kick) Ohio State 49–7
Minnesota [ ]
See also: 2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
1
2 3 4 Total
Minnesota
0
0 0 14
14
• #3 Ohio State
0
14 7 7
28
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 8:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:35Game weather: ClearTV announcers (ABC ): Brad Nessler , Todd Blackledge , Holly Rowe
Scoring summary 2 4:53 Ohio State Vonn Bell 16 yd interception return (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 7–0
2 0:54 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 15 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 14–0
3 6:43 Ohio State Michael Thomas 6 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 21–0
4 10:25 Minnesota KJ Maye 4 yd pass from Mitch Leidner (Ryan Santoso kick) Ohio State 21–7
4 2:10 Minnesota Rashad Still 10 yd pass from Mitch Leidner (Ryan Santoso kick) Ohio State 21–14
4 1:53 Ohio State Cardale Jones 38 yd run (Jack Willoughby kick) Ohio State 28–14
Illinois [ ]
Illibuck
1
2 3 4 Total
• #3 Ohio State
7
7 7 7
28
Illinois
0
3 0 0
3
Location: Champaign, IllinoisGame start: 12:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:35Game attendance: 51,515Game weather: SunnyTV announcers (ABC ): Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Todd McShay
Scoring summary 1 3:43 Ohio State Michael Thomas 24 yd pass from J.T. Barrett (Sean Nuernberger kick) Ohio State 7–0
2 10:12 Illinois Taylor Zalewski 46 yd field goal Ohio State 7–3
2 0:50 Ohio State J.T. Barrett 6 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) Ohio State 14–3
3 6:57 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 1 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) Ohio State 21–3
4 9:47 Ohio State Ezekiel Elliott 10 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) Ohio State 28–3
Michigan State [ ]
See also: 2015 Michigan State Spartans football team
1
2 3 4 Total
• #9 Michigan State
0
7 0 10
17
#3 Ohio State
0
7 7 0
14
Location: Columbus, OhioGame start: 3:30 p.m. TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Heather Cox
Michigan [ ]
The Game
1
2 3 4 Total
• #8 Ohio State
7
7 14 14
42
#12 Michigan
0
10 0 3
13
Location: Ann Arbor, MichiganGame start: 12:00 p.m. Game attendance: 111,829Game weather: Mostly cloudyReferee: Jerry McGinnTV announcers (ABC): Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, and Holly Rowe
Notre Dame–Fiesta Bowl [ ]
BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl
1
2 3 4 Total
#8 Notre Dame
0
14 7 7
28
• #7 Ohio State
14
14 7 9
44
Location: Glendale, AZGame start: 1:07 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:31Game attendance: 71,123Game weather: None (Indoor Stadium)Referee: Hubert Owens (SEC )[8] TV announcers (ESPN ): Sean McDonough , Chris Spielman , & Todd McShay (ESPN)
Adam Amin , Kelly Stouffer , & Olivia Harlan (ESPN Radio)
2016 NFL Draft [ ]
The Buckeyes had 12 players (5 in the first round) in the 2016 NFL Draft .
Round
Pick Number
NFL Team
Player
Position
1
3
San Diego Chargers
Joey Bosa
DE
1
4
Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott
RB
1
10
New York Giants
Eli Apple
CB
1
16
Detroit Lions
Taylor Decker
OT
1
20
New York Jets
Darron Lee
OLB
2
47
New Orleans Saints
Michael Thomas
WR
2
61
New Orleans Saints
Vonn Bell
S
3
80
Buffalo Bills
Adolphus Washington
DT
3
85
Houston Texans
Braxton Miller
WR
3
94
Seattle Seahawks
Nick Vannett
TE
4
102
San Diego Chargers
Joshua Perry
OLB
4
139
Buffalo Bills
Cardale Jones
QB
In addition, 3 players were signed as undrafted free agents
References [ ]
^ a b c "Big Ten Announces 2015 Conference Football Schedule" . Big Ten Conference. June 3, 2013. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014 .
^ "2015 Ohio State Football Schedule" . FBS Schedules . Retrieved January 7, 2015 .
^ Mark, Schlabach (December 28, 2014). "Tom Herman focuses on Buckeyes now, Houston later" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 30, 2015 .
^ Schad, Joe (January 11, 2015). "Source: Ohio State to hire Tim Beck" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 30, 2015 .
^ "Ohio State hires Tony Alford to coach running backs" . USA Today. February 10, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015 .
^ "2014 Spring Football" (PDF) . The Ohio State University Department of Athletics. p. 2. Retrieved March 24, 2014 .
^ FoxSports.com . Retrieved 2016-Oct-09.
^ "2016 Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Stats" . Stat Broadcast. Retrieved January 1, 2016 .
^ "Undrafted free agent signings 2016: Every team's pickups in one place" . Undrafted Free Agents . Retrieved May 3, 2016 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore Media People Seasons National championship seasons in bold