# 1989 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The 1989 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Buckeyes compiled an 8–4 record, including the 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Florida, where they lost, 31–14, to the Auburn Tigers. Their biggest highlight was their game against Minnesota, in which they trailed 31–0, but came back to stun the Gophers 41–37. This tied the record for the largest comeback win in college football history at the time. It still stands as the biggest comeback win in school history.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Oklahoma State* | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 37–13 | 88,670 |
| September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 12 USC* | No. 25 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | ABC | L 3–42 | 69,876 |
| September 30 | 1:30 p.m. | Boston College* | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 34–29 | 88,936 |
| October 7 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 18 Illinois | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy) | ABC | L 14–34 | 69,088 |
| October 14 | 1:30 p.m. | Indiana | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 35–31 | 89,750 |
| October 21 | 1:30 p.m. | Purdue | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 21–3 | 89,091 |
| October 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at Minnesota | | Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN | ABC | W 41–37 | 33,945 |
| November 4 | 2:00 p.m. | at Northwestern | | Dyche StadiumEvanston, IL | | W 52–27 | 28,236 |
| November 11 | 12:30 p.m. | Iowa | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ESPN | W 28–0 | 89,536 |
| November 18 | 1:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 22 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 42–22 | 89,626 |
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Michigan | No. 20 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 18–28 | 106,137 |
| January 1, 1990 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Auburn* | No. 21 | Tampa StadiumTampa, FL (Hall of Fame Bowl) | NBC | L 14–31 | 52,235 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Game summaries
### Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oklahoma St | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Ohio St | 6 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 37 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Overcast, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 88,670
* Referee: John Nealon
Game information :
First quarter
OHST – Carlos Snow 20-yard run (pass failed), 9:51. Ohio St 6–0. Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards, 0:54.
OKST – Curtis Mayfield 21-yard pass from Mike Gundy (Cary Blanchard kick), 4:57. Oklahoma St 7–6. Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:02.
Second quarter
OKST – Cary Blanchard 20-yard field goal, 12:00. Oklahoma St 10–6. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 5:16.
OHST – Pat O'Morrow 46-yard field goal, 7:32. Oklahoma St 10–9. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:23.
OKST – Cary Blanchard 33-yard field goal, 0:32. Oklahoma St 13–9. Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 7:00.
OHST – Carlos Snow 2-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 0:07. Ohio St 16–13. Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:20.
Third quarter
OHST – Bernard Edwards 33-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 9:17. Ohio St 23–13. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 1:34.
OHST – Scottie Graham 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 1:47. Ohio St 30–13. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 4:55.
Fourth quarter
OHST – Bobby Olive 27-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 10:21. Ohio St 37–13. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:13.
Top passers
OKST – Mike Gundy – 6/14, 55 yards, TD, 2 INT
OHST – Greg Frey – 16/21, 205 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
OKST – Gerald Hudson – 29 rushes, 146 yards
OHST – Carlos Snow – 12 rushes, 67 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
OKST – Curtis Mayfield – 4 receptions, 44 yards, TD
OHST – Bobby Olive – 5 receptions, 108 yards, TD :

### At USC

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| USC | 0 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 69,876
* Referee: Pat Flood
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 45-yard field goal, 4:18. Ohio St 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards, 5:20.
Second quarter
USC – Scott Galbraith 3-yard pass from Shane Foley (Quin Rodriguez kick), 11:20. USC 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 5:12.
USC – John Jackson 87-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 8:21. USC 14–3. Drive: 3 plays, 95 yards, 1:36.
USC – Scott Galbraith 11-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 7:31. USC 21–3. Drive: 1 play, 11 yards, 0:08.
Third quarter
USC – Gary Wellman 19-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 3:16. USC 28–3. Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, 3:46.
USC – Gary Wellman 17-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 0:04. USC 35–3. Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 2:41.
Fourth quarter
USC – Mazio Royster 1-yard run (Quin Rodriguez kick), 1:38. USC 42–3. Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:57.
Top passers
OSU – Greg Frey – 13/28, 135 yards, INT
USC – Todd Marinovich – 14/22, 246 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
OSU – Carlos Snow – 11 rushes, 83 yards
USC – Ricky Ervins – 21 rushes, 117 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Jeff Graham – 3 receptions, 43 yards
USC – John Jackson – 2 receptions, 108 yards, TD :

### Boston College

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boston College | 0 | 7 | 16 | 6 | 29 |
| Ohio St | 10 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 88,936
* Referee: Jerry Hendrickson
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Jeff Graham 80-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 13:12. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:12.
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 29-yard field goal, 0:49. Ohio St 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 3:31.
Second quarter
OSU – Carlos Snow 24-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 10:51. Ohio St 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 3:26.
OSU – Carlos Snow 16-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 2:09. Ohio St 24–0. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 3:59.
BC – Marcus Cherry 41-yard pass from Mark Kamphaus (Brian Lowe kick), 1:38. Ohio St 24–7. Drive: 2 plays, 60 yards, 0:24.
OSU – Scottie Graham 70-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 1:09. Ohio St 31–7. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:23.
Third quarter
BC – Mark Chmura 2-yard pass from Willie Hicks (run good), 10:51. Ohio St 31–15. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 2:00.
BC – Tim Frager 28-yard run (pass good), 5:49. Ohio St 31–23, Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:48.
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 35-yard field goal, 1:33. Ohio St 34–23. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 4:14.
Fourth quarter
BC – Ed Toner 1-yard run (pass failed), 5:33. Ohio St 34–29. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:58.
Top passers
BC – Willie Hicks – 9/12, 184 yards, TD
OSU – Greg Frey – 15/26, 252 yards, TD
Top rushers
BC – Mike Sanders – 12 rushes, 63 yards
OSU – Scottie Graham – 19 rushes, 151 yards, TD
Top receivers
BC – Marcus Cherry – 4 receptions, 161 yards, TD
OSU – Jeff Graham – 2 receptions, 101 yards, TD :
* Carlos Snow 23 rushes, 147 yards

### At Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Illinois | 7 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
* Date: October 7
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 54 °F (12 °C)
* Game attendance: 69,088
* Referee: Gil Marchman
* TV: ABC
Game information :
First quarter
ILL – Howard Griffith 1-yard run (Doug Higgins kick), 1:01. Illinois 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 1:59.
Second quarter
OSU – Carlos Snow 7-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 13:31. Tie 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 2:30.
ILL – Doug Higgins 26-yard field goal, 9:07. Illinois 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards, 4:24.
Third quarter
ILL – Howard Griffith 5-yard run (Chris Siambekos kick), 8:57. Illinois 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:49.
OSU – Jeff Graham 66-yard punt return (Pat O'Morrow kick), 4:22. Illinois 17–14.
ILL – Mike Bellamy 34-yard pass from Steve Williams (Chris Siambekos kick), 3:30. Illinois 24–14. Drive: 3 plays, 60 yards, 0:52.
Fourth quarter
ILL – Chris Siambekos 36-yard field goal, 14:49. Illinois 27–14. Drive: 7 plays, 11 yards, 2:26.
ILL – Ken Thomas 36-yard run (Chris Siambekos kick), 3:27. Illinois 34–14. Drive: 10 plays, 99 yards, 4:17.
Top passers
OSU – Greg Frey – 13/25, 137 yards, INT
ILL – Jeff George – 12/20, 130 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
OSU – Carlos Snow – 21 rushes, 97 yards, TD
ILL – Howard Griffith – 20 rushes, 117 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
OSU – Jeff Graham – 5 receptions, 71 yards
ILL – Mike Bellamy – 10 receptions, 152 yards, TD :

### Indiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Indiana | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Ohio St | 7 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 89,750
* Referee: John Nealon
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Jim Palmer 2-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 8:47. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:01.
Second quarter
IU – Anthony Thompson 9-yard run (Scott Bonnell kick), 11:04. Tie 7–7. Drive: 12 plays, 88 yards, 6:15.
OSU – Scottie Graham 60-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 9:21. Ohio St 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:43.
OSU – Carlos Snow 10-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 5:15. Ohio St 21–7. Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:42.
OSU – Jim Palmer 4-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 3:45. Ohio St 28–7. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 1:29.
IU – Terry Saunders 2-yard pass from Dave Schnell (Scott Bonnell kick), 0:19. Ohio St 28–14. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 3:26.
Third quarter
OSU – Scottie Graham 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 10:00. Ohio St 35–14. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:00.
IU – Anthony Thompson 2-yard run (Scott Bonnell kick), 4:17. Ohio St 35–21. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 5:40.
Fourth quarter
IU – Anthony Thompson 6-yard run (run good), 3:25. Ohio St 35–29. Drive: 10 plays, 90 yards, 3:29.
IU – Safety, Greg Frey ran out of end zone, 1:38. Ohio St 35–31.
Top passers
IU – Dave Schnell – 22/30, 247 yards, TD, 3 INT
OSU – Greg Frey – 5/6, 37 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
IU – Anthony Thompson – 34 rushes, 177 yards, 3 TD
OSU – Carlos Snow – 27 rushes, 143 yards, TD
Top receivers
IU – Eddie Thomas – 7 receptions, 82 yards
OSU – Bernard Edwards – 2 receptions, 21 yards :
* Scottie Graham 16 rushes, 124 yards

### Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Purdue | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Ohio St | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: October 21
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 89,091
* Referee: Jim Kemerling
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Greg Frey 4-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 11:40. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 0:53.
OSU – Carlos Snow 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 3:59. Ohio St 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:43.
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
OSU – Carlos Snow 3-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 9:50. Ohio St 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 0:59.
PUR – Larry Sullivan 25-yard field goal, 5:35. Ohio St 21–3. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 4:15.
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Top passers
PUR – Eric Hunter – 6/16, 147 yards
OSU – Greg Frey – 3/9, 47 yards
Top rushers
PUR – Jerome Sparkman – 18 rushes, 85 yards
OSU – Carlos Snow – 18 rushes, 149 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PUR – Jerome Sparkman – 6 receptions, 86 yards
OSU – Jeff Graham – 2 receptions, 37 yards :

### At Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 41 |
| Minnesota | 17 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 37 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: October 28
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 33,945
* Referee: Jerry Hendrickson
Game information :
First quarter
MINN – Darrell Thompson 12-yard run (Brent Berglund kick), 12:11. Minnesota 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 1:18.
MINN – Brent Berglund 30-yard field goal, 4:17. Minnesota 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 9 yards, 3:00.
MINN – Sean Lumpkin 85-yard fumble return (Brent Berglund kick), 3:07. Minnesota 17–0.
Second quarter
MINN – Steve Rhem 29-yard pass from Scott Schaffner (Brent Berglund kick), 9:50. Minnesota 24–0. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:40.
MINN – Chris Gaiters 5-yard pass from Scott Schaffner (Brent Berglund kick), 4:29. Minnesota 31–0. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 3:36.
OSU – Carlos Snow 1-yard run (pass good), 0:10. Minnesota 31–8. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:19.
Third quarter
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 25-yard field goal, 10:04. Minnesota 31–11. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:56.
OSU – Carlos Snow 15-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 0:20. Minnesota 31–18. Drive: 11 plays, 98 yards, 4:52.
Fourth quarter
MINN – Brent Berglund 32-yard field goal, 11:24. Minnesota 34–18. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 3:56.
OSU – Carlos Snow 27-yard pass from Greg Frey (pass good), 9:51. Minnesota 34–26. Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:33.
MINN – Brent Berglund 42-yard field goal, 5:15. Minnesota 37–26. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 2:10.
OSU – Greg Frey 1-yard run (pass good), 3:04. Minnesota 37–34. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:11.
OSU – Jeff Graham 15-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 0:51. Ohio St 41–37. Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 1:01.
Top passers
OSU – Greg Frey – 20/31, 362 yards, 3 TD, INT
MINN – Scott Schaffner – 13/18, 154 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
OSU – Carlos Snow – 23 rushes, 74 yards, TD
MINN – Darrell Thompson – 29 rushes, 133 yards, TD
Top receivers
OSU – Jeff Graham – 6 receptions, 104 yards, TD
MINN – Steve Rhem – 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD :

### At Northwestern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 7 | 21 | 7 | 17 | 52 |
| Northwestern | 7 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 27 |
at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Overcast, 45 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 28,236
* Referee: John Nealon
* TV announcers (WOSU-TV): Jack Kramer and Paul Warfield
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Carlos Snow 25-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 9:04. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 85 yards, 5:56.
NW – Tim O'Brien 11-yard run (Ira Adler kick), 4:52. Tie 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:12.
Second quarter
OSU – Scottie Graham 20-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 5:05. Ohio St 14–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:16.
OSU – James Bryant 63-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 2:04. Ohio St 21–7. Drive: 2 plays, 77 yards, 0:17.
OSU – James Bryant 46-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 0:59. Ohio St 28–7. Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:16.
Third quarter
OSU – Dante Lee 5-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 5:20. Ohio St 35–7. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 9:40.
NW – Bob Christian 3-yard run (run failed), 2:46. Ohio St 35–13. Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 2:34.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 19-yard field goal, 14:13. Ohio St 38–13. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:33.
OSU – Dante Lee 8-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 10:49. Ohio St 45–13. Drive: 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:48.
NW – Richard Buchanan 14-yard pass from Tim O'Brien (pass failed), 8:14. Ohio St 45–20. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 2:35.
OSU – Dante Lee 6-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 1:15. Ohio St 52–20. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:59.
NW – Mark Benson 21-yard pass from Kevin Krebs (run good), 0:00. Ohio St 52–28. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:15.
Top passers
OSU – Greg Frey – 8/10, 106 yards, TD
NW – Tim O'Brien – 15/21, 172 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
OSU – Dante Lee – 24 rushes, 157 yards, 3 TD
NW – Bob Christian – 27 rushes, 144 yards, TD
Top receivers
OSU – James Bryant – 1 reception, 46 yards, TD
NW – Richard Buchanan – 8 receptions, 101 yards, TD :
* Scottie Graham 17 Rush, 102 Yds
* Carlos Snow 17 Rush, 100 Yds
Ohio State versus Northwestern on YouTube

### Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Iowa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio St | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: November 11
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Overcast, 52 °F (11 °C)
* Game attendance: 89,536
* Referee: Jerry Hendrickson
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Scottie Graham 3-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 7:18. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 3:54.
Second quarter
OSU – Jeff Graham 8-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 12:24. Ohio St 14–0. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 5:44.
Third quarter
OSU – Scottie Graham 9-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 6:35. Ohio St 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 87 yards, 2:14.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Dante Lee 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 10:51. Ohio St 28–0. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 7:42.
Top passers
IOWA – Matt Rodgers – 15/33, 201 yards
OSU – Greg Frey – 11/19, 168 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
IOWA – Richard Bass – 6 rushes, 30 yards
OSU – Dante Lee – 13 rushes, 99 yards, TD
Top receivers
IOWA – Travis Watkins – 4 receptions, 69 yards
OSU – Jeff Graham – 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD :

### Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
| Ohio St | 7 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: November 10
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 28 °F (−2 °C)
* Game attendance: 89,626
* Referee: Jim Kemmerling
Game information :
First quarter
WIS – Rich Thompson 40-yard field goal, 12:06. Wisconsin 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 16 yards, 2:45.
OSU – Dante Lee 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 5:00. Ohio St 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 66 yards, 7:01.
Second quarter
WIS – Rich Thompson 36-yard field goal, 10:35. Ohio St 7–6. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 6:04.
WIS – Troy Vincent 71-yard punt return (Rich Thompson kick), 8:35. Wisconsin 13–7.
OSU – Jim Palmer 9-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 6:25. Ohio St 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:05.
OSU – Dante Lee 18-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 1:24. Ohio St 21–13. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:00.
OSU – David Brown 43-yard interception return (Pat O'Morrow kick), 1:07. Ohio St 28–13.
Third quarter
OSU – Scottie Graham 16-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 12:13. Ohio St 35–13. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:38.
WIS – Rich Thompson 35-yard field goal, 9:34. Ohio St 35–18. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2:33.
OSU – Scottie Graham 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 3:10. Ohio St 42–18. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 6:16.
Fourth quarter
WIS – Craig Hudson 5-yard run (run failed), 8:26. Ohio St 42–24. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 3:54.
Top passers
WIS – Lionell Crawford – 0/8, 0 yards, INT
OSU – Greg Frey – 10/15, 151 yards, TD
Top rushers
WIS – Lionell Crawford – 16 rushes, 104 yards
OSU – Scottie Graham – 23 rushes, 152 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
WIS – None
OSU – Bobby Olive – 3 receptions, 44 yards :

### At Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 18 |
| Michigan | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: November 25
* Game weather: Partly sunny, 46 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 106,137
* TV: ABC
Game information :
First quarter
MICH – Leroy Hoard 1-yard run (J.D. Carlson kick), 3:13. Michigan 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 3:04.
Second quarter
MICH – Allen Jefferson 2-yard run (J.D. Carlson kick), 2:23. Michigan 14–0. Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 6:28.
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 20-yard field goal, 0:25. Michigan 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 1:58.
Third quarter
OSU – Pat O'Morrow 22-yard field goal, 10:45. Michigan 14–6. Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 2:24.
OSU – Scottie Graham 3-yard run (run failed), 4:03. Michigan 14–12. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:11.
Fourth quarter
MICH – Jarrod Bunch 5-yard pass from Michael Taylor (J.D. Carlson kick), 12:22. Michigan 21–12. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:32.
OSU – Scottie Graham 4-yard run (kick blocked), 7:04. Michigan 21–18. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:18.
MICH – Jarrod Bunch 23-yard run (J.D. Carlson kick), 1:20. Michigan 28–18. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 1:28.
Top passers
OSU – Greg Frey – 14/25, 220 yards, 2 INT
MICH – Michael Taylor – 8/16, 100 yards, TD
Top rushers
OSU – Scottie Graham – 28 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TD
MICH – Leroy Hoard – 21 rushes, 152 yards, TD
Top receivers
OSU – Jim Palmer – 5 receptions, 61 yards
MICH – Greg McMurtry – 3 receptions, 39 yards :

### Hall of Fame Bowl (vs Auburn)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Auburn | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: January 1, 1990
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 52,535
* Referee: Bill McDonald
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Carlos Snow 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 6:50. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:40.
AUB – Win Lyle 19-yard field goal, 2:14. Ohio St 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 4:36.
Second quarter
OSU Brian Stablein 9-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 13:36. Ohio St 14–3. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 3:38.
AUB – Greg Taylor 11-yard pass from Reggie Slack (Win Lyle kick), 0:11. Ohio St 14–10. Drive: 3 plays, 33 yards 0:37.
Third quarter
AUB – Greg Taylor 4-yard pass from Reggie Slack (Win Lyle kick), 9:50. Auburn 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 3:58.
Fourth quarter
AUB – Reggie Slack 5-yard run (Win Lyle kick), 9:22. Auburn 24–14. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 3:33.
AUB – Herbert Casey 2-yard pass from Reggie Slack (Win Lyle kick), 7:20. Auburn 31–14. Drive: 3 plays, 32 yards, 0:57.
Top passers
OSU – Greg Frey – 16/31, 232 yards, TD, INT
AUB – Reggie Slack – 16/22, 141 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
OSU – Scottie Graham – 12 rushes, 53 yards
AUB – Stacy Danley – 20 rushes, 85 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Jeff Graham – 5 receptions, 105 yards
AUB – Alexander Wright – 4 receptions, 59 yards :

## Draft picks

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. |
| 5 | 111 | Denver Broncos | Jeff Davidson | OG |
| 7 | 185 | San Diego Chargers | Joe Staysniak | OG |
| 9 | 243 | Washington Redskins | Tim Moxley | OG |