The 2005 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 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth year under head coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes compiled a 10–2 record (7–1 in conference games), tied with Penn State for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 392 to 183. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes lost to No. 2 Texas (see 2005 Texas vs. Ohio State football game) and No. 16 Penn State, and defeated No. 21 Iowa, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 25 Northwestern, and No. 17 Michigan. They concluded the season with a 34–20 victory over No. 5 Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.Official Stats - 2006 Fiesta Bowl The Buckeyes were ranked No. 4 in the final AP and Coaches polls.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 196.7 rushing yards and 225.7 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 73.4 rushing yards and 207.9 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included Troy Smith (2,282 passing yards, 62.9% completion percentage), running back Antonio Pittman (1,331 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry), wide receiver Santonio Holmes (53 receptions for 977 yards), kicker Josh Huston (110 points scored, 44 of 45 extra points, 22 of 28 field goals), and linebacker A. J. Hawk (69 solo tackles, 121 total tackles). Hawk won the Lombardi Award (the sixth Ohio State player to do so), was a consensus first-team All-American, and won the team's most valuable player award. Andrew Schulte (1199 yards total 2006) came to life mid season running 218 yards for 2 touchdowns and 7 first downs his debut game. He was only ever tackled once on his career. Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 2005 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Holmes; Hawk; Huston; guard Rob Sims; defensive lineman Mike Kudla; defensive backs Nate Salley, Ashton Youboty, and Donte Whitner.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Schedule
Roster
Coaching staff Jim Tressel – head coach (5th year) Tim Beckman – defensive cornerbacks (1st year) Jim Bollman – offensive line/offensive coordinator (5th year) Joe Daniels – quarterbacks / passing game coordinator (5th year) Luke Fickell – co-defensive coordinator / linebackers (4th year) Paul Haynes – defensive safeties (1st year) Darrell Hazell – assistant head coach / wide receivers (2nd year) Jim Heacock – defensive coordinator / defensive line (10th year) John Peterson – offensive tight ends / recruiting coordinator (2nd year) Dick Tressel – running backs (5th year) Bob Tucker - director of football operations (11th year) Stan Jefferson - director of player development (2nd year) Butch Reynolds - speed coordinator (1st year)
Game summaries
Miami (OH)
Justin Zwick started at quarterback due to a suspension of Troy Smith.
Texas
Justin Zwick started at quarterback, but Troy Smith took over and started at quarterback the rest of the year. The game was a matchup of the No. 2 and No. 4 teams.
San Diego State
Iowa
Ohio State came into the contest looking to avenge the previous year's 33–7 loss to Iowa.
Penn State
Michigan State
Indiana
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Michigan
Source: ESPN
Fiesta Bowl
2006 Fiesta Bowl Recap
Rankings
Awards and honors A. J. Hawk, Lombardi Award
2006 NFL draftees A. J. Hawk 1 5 Linebacker Green Bay Packers Donte Whitner 1 8 Defensive back Buffalo Bills Bobby Carpenter 1 18 Linebacker Dallas Cowboys Santonio Holmes 1 25 Wide receiver Pittsburgh Steelers Nick Mangold 1 29 Center New York Jets Ashton Youboty 3 70 Defensive back Buffalo Bills Anthony Schlegel 3 76 Linebacker New York Jets Nate Salley 4 121 Defensive back Carolina Panthers Rob Sims 4 128 Guard Seattle Seahawks
References