The 1990 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 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled a 7–4–1 record (5–2–1 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 338 to 197. Against ranked opponents, they tied with No. 22 Indiana and lost to No. 18 USC, No. 13 Illinois, and No. 15 Michigan. They concluded the season with a loss to unranked Air Force in the 1990 Liberty Bowl. The Buckeyes were not ranked in the final AP poll.[1]
The Buckeyes gained an average of 177.7 rushing yards and 181.9 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 125.7 rushing yards and 164.9 passing yards per game.[2] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Greg Frey (1,952 passing yards, 51.8% completion percentage), running back Robert Smith (1,064 rushing yards, 6.5 yards per carry), and wide receiver Jeff Graham (39 receptions for 760 yards).[2] Graham, center Dan Beatty, and linebacker Steve Tovar received first-team honors on the 1990 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3]
[4][5]
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Texas Tech* | No. 18 | | ABC | W 17–10 | 88,707 |
September 15 | 12:00 p.m. | at Boston College* | No. 17 | | JPS | W 31–10 | 32,432 |
September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 18 USC* | No. 15 | | ABC | L 26–35 | 89,422 |
October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 13 Illinois | No. 20 | | ABC | L 20–31 | 89,404 |
October 13 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 22 Indiana | | | ESPN | T 27–27 | 52,080 |
October 20 | 2:00 p.m. | at Purdue | | | | W 42–2 | 57,031 |
October 27 | 1:30 p.m. | Minnesota | | | | W 52–23 | 89,688 |
November 3 | 1:30 p.m. | Northwestern | | | | W 48–7 | 89,177 |
November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Iowa | | | ABC | W 27–26 | 70,033 |
November 17 | 2:00 p.m. | at Wisconsin | No. 21 | | | W 35–10 | 41,403 |
November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 15 Michigan | No. 19 | | ABC | L 13–16 | 90,054 |
December 27 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Air Force* | No. 24 | | ESPN | L 11–23 | 39,262 |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Eastern time
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[6]
Game summaries
Texas Tech
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Texas Tech |
0 |
3 | 7 | 0 |
10 |
• Ohio St |
0 |
0 | 10 | 7 |
17 |
Scoring summary |
Q2 | | TTU | Elliott 37 yard field goal | TTU 3–0 |
|
Q3 | | OHST | T. Williams 32 yard field goal | Tie 3–3 |
|
Q3 | | TTU | Lynn 52 yard pass from Gill (Elliott kick) | TTU 10–3 |
|
Q3 | | OHST | Smith 2 yard run (T. Williams kick) | Tie 10–10 |
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Q4 | | OHST | J. Graham 50 yard punt return (T. Williams kick) | OHST 17–10 |
[7]
At Boston College
USC
Illinois
At Indiana
At Purdue
Minnesota
Northwestern
At Iowa
Game information
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First quarter
- IOWA – Matt Rodgers 3-yard run (Jeff Skillett kick), 11:12. Iowa 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:46.
Second quarter
- OSU – Greg Frey 1-yard run (Tim Williams kick), 14:58. Tie 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:35.
- IOWA – Jeff Skillett 34-yard field goal, 9:04. Iowa 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 50 yards, 5:48.
- IOWA – Lew Montgomery 1-yard run (Jeff Skillett kick), 2:17. Iowa 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:54.
- OSU – Jeff Graham 48-yard pass from Greg Frey (Tim Williams kick), 0:00. Iowa 17–14. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 0:43.
Third quarter
- IOWA – Jeff Skillett 37-yard field goal, 0:23. Iowa 20–14. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 2:57.
Fourth quarter
- IOWA – Lew Montgomery 1-yard run (run failed), 11:00. Iowa 26–14. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 3:41.
- OSU – Bobby Olive 21-yard pass from Greg Frey (Tim Williams kick), 6:34. Iowa 26–21. Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 0:48.
- OSU – Bobby Olive 3-yard pass from Greg Frey (run failed), 0:01. Ohio St 27–26. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 0:57.
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- Top passers
- Top rushers
- Top receivers
- OSU – Jeff Graham – 5 receptions, 105 yards, TD
- IOWA – Michael Titley – 4 receptions, 79 yards
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At Wisconsin
Michigan
Liberty Bowl (vs Air Force)
Personnel
1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
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Players
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Coaches
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Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
K
|
|
Tim Williams
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- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
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Awards and honors
1991 NFL draftees
[9]
References
- ^ "1990 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ a b "1990 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ "Hawks dominate AP's All-Big Ten" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. November 28, 1990. p. 1B.
- ^ "Leaders dominate AP All-Big Ten team". The Daily Reporter. November 28, 1990. p. 6.
- ^ "Michigan, Iowa tops in balloting". The Argus-Press (AP story). November 27, 1990. p. 9.
- ^ Park, Jack (2003). The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-695-7.
- ^ Gainesville Sun. 1990 Sept 9.
- ^ "Flashback: Ohio State Stuns Iowa in 1990 to End the Hawkeyes' National Championship Hopes". Eleven Warriors. November 3, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.
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National championship seasons in bold |