The 1997 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 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled a 10–3 record (6–2 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 380 to 139. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes defeated No. 11 Iowa and No. 21 Michigan State and lost to No. 2 Penn State and No. 1 Michigan. The Buckeyes concluded the season with a 31–14 loss to No. 4 Florida State in the 1998 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State was ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 155.0 rushing yards and 226.1 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 114.7 rushing yards and 132.6 passing yards per game. Quarterback duties were split between junior Joe Germaine (1,674 passing yards) and senior Stanley Jackson (1,021 passing yards). The team's other statistical leaders included running back Pepe Pearson (809 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry) and wide receiver David Boston (70 receptions for 930 yards). Linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer was selected as a consensus first-team All-American. Defensive back Antoine Winfield also received first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Six Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 1997 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Boston; Katzenmoyer; Winfield; offensive tackle Eric Gohlstin; defensive back Damon Moore; and punter Brent Bartholomew.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Schedule
Rankings
Game summaries Wyoming
Bowling Green
Arizona
Missouri
Iowa
Penn State
Indiana
Northwestern
Michigan State
Minnesota
Illinois
Michigan
Sugar Bowl
Personnel Coaching staff John Cooper, head coach (10th year) Bill Conley, tight ends, recruiting coordinator (11th year) Jim Heacock, defensive line (2nd year) Mike Jacobs, offensive coordinator (3rd year) Fred Pagac, defensive coordinator (16th year) Tim Salem, quarterbacks (1st year) Shawn Simms, defensive ends (1st year) Tim Spencer, running backs (4th year) Chuck Stobart, wide receivers (3rd year) Jon Tenuta, defensive backs (2nd year)
Roster
NFL draft For the first time since the NFL draft's inception in 1936, no Ohio State players were selected in the 1998 NFL draft.
References