The 1985 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 1985 Big Ten season. In their seventh year under head coach Earle Bruce, the Buckeyes compiled a 9–3 record (5–3 in conference games), tied for fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 315 to 205. Against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 1 Iowa, lost to No. 6 Michigan, and defeated No. 9 BYU in the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 14 in the final AP poll.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 163.8 rushing yards and 184.1 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 147.2 rushing yards and 180.3 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jim Karsatos (2,115 passing yards, 62.2% completion percentage), running back John Wooldridge (728 rushing yards, 4.9 yards per carry), and wide receiver Cris Carter (53 receptions for 879 yards). Linebackers Pepper Johnson and Chris Spielman received first-team All-America honors from the UPI and NEA, respectively. Six received first-team honors on the 1985 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Johnson (AP/UPI); Spielman (AP/UPI); Carter (AP/UPI); center Bob Maggs (AP/UPI); offensive tackle Rory Graves (UPI); and punter Tom Tupa (UPI).
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Schedule
Game summaries Pittsburgh
Colorado
Washington State
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue
at No. 20 Minnesota
No. 1 Iowa
Source:
Iowa Ohio St First downs 21 16 Rushing yards 186 233 Passing 17–34–4 10–17–2 Passing yards 169 151 Total Offense 345 370 Fumbles Lost 2–1 1–0 Punts-Average 4–32.5 4–45.3 Penalties 3–16 7–57
Team Category Player StatisticsIowa Passing Chuck Long 19–26, 169 yards, 4 INT Rushing Ronnie Harmon 26 carries, 120 yards, TD Receiving Ronnie Harmon 5 receptions, 19 yardsOhio State Passing Jim Karsatos 10–17, 151 yards, 2 INT Rushing George Cooper 17 carries, 104 yards Receiving Cris Carter 3 receptions, 65 yards
Northwestern
Wisconsin
at No. 6 Michigan
vs No. 9 BYU (Citrus Bowl)
Personnel Roster
Depth chart
1986 Ohio State Football Media Guide
Awards and honors Pepper Johnson, UPI First Team All-America, Football News First Team All-America
1986 NFL draftees Keith Byars 1 10 Running back Philadelphia Eagles Pepper Johnson 2 51 Linebacker New York Giants Byron Lee 7 176 Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles Larry Kolic 7 193 Linebacker Miami Dolphins
References