The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their sixth year under head coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes compiled a 12–1 record (8–0 in conference games), won the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 450 to 166. Ranked No. 1 from the beginning of the season, the Buckeyes' notable games included victories over No. 2 Texas and No. 2 Michigan. Their sole loss was to national champion Florida in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 2 in the final AP and Coaches polls.
Quarterback Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy (best player in college football), the Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback in college football), and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football (best player in Big Ten). He received the highest percentage of first-place votes in Heisman voting history to that point. He tallied 2,379 passing yards and led the Big Ten in completion percentage (63.9%) and passer efficiency rating (148.9).
The team's other statistical leaders included running back Beanie Wells (1,609 rushing yards, 5.9 yards per carry), wide receiver Brian Robiskie (55 receptions for 935 yards), kicker Ryan Pretorious (102 points, 48 of 49 extra points, 18 of 23 field goals), and linebacker James Laurinaitis (121 total tackles). Laurinaitis won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the best defensive player in college football. Three Ohio State players were selected as consensus first-team All-Americans: Troy Smith; Laurinitis; and defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Schedule
Rankings
Following their victory over arch-rival Michigan on November 18, Ohio State became the first team ever to score a perfect 1.000 in the BCS composite score.
Preseason
Head coach Jim Tressel was signed to a contract extension through the 2012 season.
In August, Ohio State was named the No. 1 team by the coaches' poll. Terry Bowden, a sports broadcaster and former coach, named Ohio State No. 1 in his preseason Sweet 16 rankings and stated Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. were Heisman Trophy hopefuls. Ohio State thus garnered pre-season number one from USA Today, the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN The Magazine.
On August 9, 2006, the OSU Athletic Department announced the season-long suspension of junior tight end Marcel Frost by Coach Tressel for unspecified violations of team rules. The suspension resulted in the elevation of sophomore Rory Nicol to the top of the depth chart as the only tight end with significant game experience. Nicol played as a true freshman but missed most of 2005 with a broken right foot. Sophomore Brandon Smith, a former linebacker moved to tight end as a freshman in 2005, moves to second on the depth chart. Frost subsequently announced his transfer to Jackson State, joining former Buckeye Erik Haw.
Team captains were announced August 25, 2006. Defensive captains named were seniors Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson. Offensive captains were seniors Troy Smith and Doug Datish.
On August 30, Jim Tressel announced the awarding of scholarships to four former walk-ons—senior WR Derek Harden, senior fullback Ryan Franzinger, RS junior fullback and wedge buster Trever Robinson, and RS sophomore center Tyler "Tank" Whaley.
These scholarships were freed due to the departures of Sirjo Welch (grades), Chad Hoobler (transferred to Ashland), Devon Jordan (injuries) and the aforementioned Marcel Frost. Mike Roberts (transferred to Indiana State) and Sian Cotton (grades) also left the program earlier in the year.
On August 31, 2006, senior linebacker Mike D'Andrea underwent knee surgery and was declared out for the season.
Game summaries
Ohio State 35, Northern Illinois 12
All-time record against Northern Illinois: 1–0–0 (first meeting)
Ohio State's offense scored the first four times it had the ball, rolling up 28 points in the first 15:05 of the game. After moving out to a big lead, the Buckeyes rotated a number of players in and out of the game on both offense and defense en route to an easy 35–12 opening game victory.
Northern Illinois running back Garrett Wolfe gained 285 of the Huskies' 343 total yards, including 171 rushing yard, while touching the ball on half of Northern Illinois's offensive plays. Except for Wolfe, the Huskies were ineffective on offense, converting only one out of thirteen third downs. The Buckeye defense, which featured five first-time starters, sacked Huskie quarterbacks Phil Horvath and Dan Nicholson four times and intercepted Horvath once.
On offense, Troy Smith completed 18 of 25 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Ted Ginn Jr. had four receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 58-yard score. Anthony Gonzalez tallied four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Running back Antonio Pittman carried the ball 19 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, while true freshman Beanie Wells, in his first game as a Buckeye, carried the ball 10 times for 50 yards and a touchdown. The Buckeyes' 488 yards of total offense were marred by two fumbles lost inside the Huskie ten-yard line and a pair of missed field goal attempts by Ohio State kickers.
Smith was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Ohio State 24, Texas 7
All-time record against Texas: 0-1–0
Ohio State employed an effective vertical passing game in the first half and a relentless ball control offense in the second half, coupled with a defense that improved in both efficiency and stamina as the game progressed, to beat second-ranked Texas, 24–7, in Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin. Quarterback Troy Smith, well protected by the Buckeye offensive line, threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, directing a 10-play 72-yard drive in the fourth quarter that took 5:47 off the clock and secured the win. Although the teams were nearly equal in yardage (348 Ohio State to 326 Texas) and first downs (20–17 in favor of Texas), Ohio State did not turn the ball over and converted a recovered fumble and a Colt McCoy interception, both forced by linebacker James Laurinaitis, into 10 points.
Standouts for Ohio State were Anthony Gonzalez, who made eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown, and Ted Ginn Jr., who caught 5 passes for 97 yards including a 29-yard touchdown late in the first half that countered the lone score by the Longhorns. Antonio Pittman rushed for 74 yards on 16 carries and scored the final touchdown. Punter A. J. Trapasso was particularly effective; his six punts averaged 50.8 yards a kick and won Ohio State the battle for field position. Texas had two streaks ended by the loss: a 12-game streak in which it had scored at least 40 points a game (and averaged 52), and a 21-game winning streak.
Laurinaitis and Trapasso were named Big Ten Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively. Laurinaitis also received national recognition for Player of the Week honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and as the Football Writers Association of America-Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.
Ohio State 37, Cincinnati 7
All-time record against Cincinnati: 12–3–0
Ohio State overcame a slow start, three quarters without much offensive rhythm, and a good Cincinnati defensive game plan that employed stunting and looping its quick linemen to blow out the Bearcats in the fourth quarter, 37–7. Cincinnati scored on its second possession of the game, driving 80 yards in five plays and capping the drive with a 22-yard pass from Dustin Grutza to Jared Martin. However, despite allowing a number of long gains on broken plays, Ohio State effectively stopped Cincinnati's offense after the scoring drive, accumulating eight sacks, three interceptions, and holding the Bearcats to 212 total yards and −4 rushing yards. Cincinnati's longest gain on the ground was a 23-yard scramble by Grutza on its touchdown drive.
Ohio State, after kicking a field goal on its opening series, trailed most of the first half until an 80-yard drive midway through the second quarter ended in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith to Ted Ginn Jr. on a crossing pattern with three minutes remaining. The offense again started slowly in the second half until effective rushing by Antonio Pittman, including a 48-yard sprint for a touchdown, put the game away. Justin Zwick entered the game at quarterback and effectively led a scoring drive, and late in the game third and fourth-string quarterbacks Todd Boeckman and Rob Schoenhoft took snaps. For the game, Ohio State outgained Cincinnati 444 yards to 212, made 22 first downs to Cincinnati's 11, and scored all four times it had the ball in the red zone.
Troy Smith completed 21 of his 30 passing attempts without an interception, producing 203 yards and two touchdowns, both to Ginn. He was sacked once for a loss of five yards. Zwick was two for three and 63 yards. Eleven receivers caught passes for the Buckeyes, with Anthony Gonzalez catching five for 85 yards and several key first downs, and Ginn five for 33 yards. Pittman finished the day with 155 yards on 16 carries. On defense Quinn Pitcock recorded three sacks and penetrated the Cincinnati backfield the entire game. James Laurinaitis led in tackles with nine, including a sack, and intercepted his second pass of the season. Ohio State played sixty-one players. Aaron Pettrey was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his two field goals, ten points, and five kickoffs for touchbacks.
Ohio State 28, Penn State 6
All-time record against Penn State: 11–11–0
The game was even in all but the score. However Ohio State made all the big plays to overcome a strong defensive effort by Penn State and win going away, 28–6. First downs were 16 to 14 in favor of Penn State, rushing yardage 142 to 138 (PSU), and passing yardage 106 to 115 (Ohio State). Penn State intercepted two passes and Ohio State three. Tony Hunt with four more carries outrushed Antonio Pittman, 138 yards to 110, and Troy Smith (12 of 22 passing) was virtually even with Anthony Morelli in passing statistics. However, Ohio State recorded the only three sacks of the day, stopped Penn State twice inside the ten-yard line, and the defense scored two touchdowns in a second half where the momentum gradually shifted from the Nittany Lions to the Buckeyes.
The game was played in a persistent, sometimes heavy rain, but field conditions were not a factor. The 1st quarter ended scoreless as James Laurinaitis grabbed his third interception of the season to stop a PSU drive but the Buckeyes squandered the opportunity with a missed field goal by Aaron Pettrey. Penn State took the ball at its 30 with six minutes left in the first half and with the aid of a pass interference penalty drove to the Ohio State 7. The Buckeyes held at the 3, but committed a penalty on a missed field goal attempt, giving the Nittany Lions a second chance on an untimed down. Kevin Kelly converted this second chance and PSU led at the half 3–0.
The 3rd quarter started disastrously for Ohio State as Penn State intercepted Troy Smith at the OSU 26 on the third play of the half. The Lions gained only a single yard, however, and missed a field goal. The series seemed to energize the Buckeyes, and they drove the length of the field to take the lead. Pittman made 60 of the 75 yards, including the last 12 for the score, on three carries and a screen pass. Early in the fourth quarter, Troy Smith threw a 37-yard pass from to sophomore wide receiver Brian Robiskie to avoid a sack. Despite the ball being thrown as what is known as "up for grabs", luck was on Ohio State's side for that drive.