# 1985 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The 1985 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1985 Big Ten Conference football season. The Buckeyes compiled a 9–3 record, including the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, where they won, 10–7, against the BYU Cougars. One major highlight of the season for the Buckeyes was when they beat #1 Iowa 22–13 at home on November 2.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 14 | 8:00 p.m. | Pittsburgh* | No. 9 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | WTBS | W 10–7 | 88,518 |
| September 21 | 3:30 p.m. | at Colorado* | No. 7 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | | W 36–13 | 47,022 |
| September 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Washington State* | No. 5 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 48–32 | 89,954 |
| October 5 | 2:00 p.m. | at Illinois | No. 5 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy) | | L 28–31 | 76,343 |
| October 12 | 1:30 p.m. | Indiana | No. 15 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 48–7 | 89,846 |
| October 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | No. 11 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | CBS | W 41–27 | 89,888 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 20 Minnesota | No. 9 | Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN | CBS | W 23–19 | 64,455 |
| November 2 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 1 Iowa | No. 8 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | CBS | W 22–13 | 90,467 |
| November 9 | 12:30 p.m. | at Northwestern | No. 4 | Dyche StadiumEvanston, IL | WTBS | W 35–17 | 26,477 |
| November 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 3 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | L 7–12 | 89,873 |
| November 23 | 1:30 p.m. | at No. 6 Michigan | No. 12 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | CBS | L 17–27 | 106,102 |
| December 28 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 BYU* | No. 17 | Florida Citrus BowlOrlando, FL (Florida Citrus Bowl) | NBC | W 10–7 | 50,920 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Pittsburgh

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Ohio St | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Ohio St | 7 | 15 | 0 | 14 | 36 |
| Colorado | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |

### Washington State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Washington St | 14 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 32 |
| • Ohio St | 7 | 28 | 3 | 10 | 48 |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| • Illinois | 14 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 31 |

### Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Indiana | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Ohio St | 7 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 48 |

### Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Purdue | 0 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| Ohio St | 14 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: October 19, 1985
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Overcast, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 89,888
* Referee: Otho Kortz
* TV: CBS
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – George Cooper 4-yard pass from Jim Karsatos (Rich Spangler kick), 8:14. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 4:31.
OSU – Mike Lanese 12-yard pass from Jim Karsatos (Rich Spangler kick), 3:11. Ohio St 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 2:56.
Second quarter
OSU – Rich Spangler 39-yard field goal, 13:32. Ohio St 17–0. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 2:40.
PUR – Rodney Carter 15-yard pass from Jim Everett (Jonathan Briggs kick), 3:02. Ohio St 17–7. Drive: 11 plays, 95 yards, 3:42.
PUR – Jonathan Briggs 22-yard field goal, 0:01. Ohio St 17–10. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 1:54.
Third quarter
OSU – Cris Carter 4-yard pass from Jim Karsatos (Rich Spangler kick), 9:37. Ohio St 24–10. Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 4:34.
PUR – Ray Wallace 8-yard pass from Jim Everett (Jonathan Briggs kick), 8:12. Ohio St 24–17. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:21.
PUR – Jonathan Briggs 21-yard field goal, 2:25. Ohio St 24–20. Drive: 14 plays, 45 yards, 4:36.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Rich Spangler 30-yard field goal, 12:46. Ohio St 27–20. Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 4:39.
PUR – James Medlock 2-yard run (Jonathan Briggs kick), 8:35. Tie 27–27. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:11.
OSU – Keith Byars 1-yard run (Rich Spangler kick), 4:41. Ohio St 34–27. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:50.
OSU – Keith Byars 9-yard run (Rich Spangler kick), 2:10. Ohio St 41–27. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 2:02.
Top passers
PUR – Jim Everett – 35/55, 497 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
OSU – Jim Karsatos – 14/26, 174 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
PUR – Ray Wallace – 3 rushes, 35 yards
OSU – Keith Byars – 23 rushes, 106 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PUR – Rodney Carter – 15 receptions, 190 yards, TD
OSU – Cris Carter – 4 receptions, 96 yards, TD :

### at No. 20 Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 23 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: October 26, 1985
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 64,455
* Referee: Jim Kemmerling
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
MINN – Chip Lohmiller 36-yard field goal, 8:34. Minnesota 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:51.
Second quarter
MINN – Chip Lohmiller 50-yard field goal, 14:56. Minnesota 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 5:41.
OSU – Keith Byars 2-yard run (Rich Spangler kick), 9:37. Ohio St 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:19.
OSU – Rich Spangler 38-yard field goal, 4:26. Ohio St 10–6. Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 4:16.
MINN – Ricky Foggie 7-yard run (run failed), 0:05. Minnesota 12–10. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:15.
Third quarter
MINN – Ricky Foggie 1-yard run (Chip Lohmiller kick), 6:15. Minnesota 19–10. Drive: 18 plays, 88 yards, 8:45.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Ed Taggart 1-yard pass from Jim Karsatos (Rich Spangler kick), 14:31. Minnesota 19–17. Drive: 16 plays, 90 yards, 6:44.
OSU – Vince Workman 16-yard run (pass failed), 10:36. Ohio St 23–19. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:55.
Top passers
OSU – Jim Karsatos – 11/17, 115 yards, TD, INT
MINN – Ricky Foggie – 14/20, 147 yards, INT
Top rushers
OSU – Keith Byars – 18 rushes, 67 yards, TD
MINN – Ricky Foggie – 18 rushes, 57 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
OSU – Mike Lanese – 2 receptions, 36 yards
MINN – Melvin Anderson – 7 receptions, 74 yards :

### No. 1 Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Hawkeyes | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| • No. 8 Buckeyes | 5 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 22 |
| | 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 | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 19–26, 169 yards, 4 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 26 carries, 120 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Ronnie Harmon | 5 receptions, 19 yards |
| Ohio State | Passing | Jim Karsatos | 10–17, 151 yards, 2 INT |
| Ohio State | Rushing | George Cooper | 17 carries, 104 yards |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Cris Carter | 3 receptions, 65 yards |

### Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Ohio St | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |

### Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wisconsin | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Ohio St | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

### at No. 6 Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio State | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Michigan | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: November 23
* Game weather: Overcast, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 106,102
* TV: CBS
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
MICH – Pat Moons 34-yard field goal, 1:59. Michigan 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards.
Second quarter
OSU – Rich Spangler 48-yard field goal, 11:40. Tie 3–3. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards.
OSU – Keith Byars 2-yard run (Rich Spangler kick), 8:41. Ohio St 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards.
MICH – Gerald White 4-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Pat Moons kick), 2:20. Tie 10–10. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards.
Third quarter
MICH – Pat Moons 38-yard field goal, 10:28. Michigan 13–10. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards.
MICH – Eric Kattus 5-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Pat Moons kick), 2:56. Michigan 20–10. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Cris Carter 36-yard pass from Jim Karsatos (Rich Spangler kick), 10:10. Michigan 20–17. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards.
MICH – John Kolesar 77-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Pat Moons kick), 9:19. Michigan 27–17. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards.
Top passers
OSU – Jim Karsatos – 17/31, 179 yards, TD, INT
MICH – Jim Harbaugh – 16/19, 230 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
OSU – Keith Byars – 12 rushes, 35 yards, TD
MICH – Gerald White – 29 rushes, 110 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Cris Carter – 5 receptions, 90 yards, TD
MICH – John Kolesar – 4 receptions, 109 yards :

### vs No. 9 BYU (Citrus Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 17 Buckeyes | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 9 Cougars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

## Depth chart

Defense :
* FS
* 12 Terry White
* 20 Dwight Smith
| OLB | ILB | ILB | SLB |
| 14 Eric Kumerow | 36 Chris Spielman | 98 Pepper Johnson | 82 Byron Lee |
| 57 John Sullivan | 61 Derek Isaman | 30 Mike Kee | 8 Scott Leach |
* ROV
* 8 Sonny Gordon
* 24 Mike Wood
* CB
* 37 William White
* 47 Ray Jackson
| DE | NT | DE |
| 90 Fred Ridder | 33 Larry Kolic (LB/NG) | 95 Darryl Lee |
| 55 Ray Holliman | 67 Mike Sullivan | 94 Henry Brown |
* CB
* 29 Greg Rogan
* 11 Steve Hill
Offense :
* SE
* 2 Cris Carter
* 49 Doug Smith
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 75 Rory Graves | 97 Jeff Uhlenhake | 71 Bob Maggs | 56 Jim Gilmore | 72 Larry Kotterman |
| 77 Ron Paulsen | 65 Tom Glancey | 50 Tim Odom | 51 Greg Zackeroff | 69 Jay Shaffer |
* TE
* 80 Ed Taggart
* 81 John Hutchison
* FL
* 1 Mike Lanese
* 26 Nate Harris
* QB
* 16 Jim Karsatos
* 19 Tom Tupa
* Key reserves
* 41 Keith Byars (foot injury)
* FB
* 44 George Cooper
* 43 Barry Walker
* Special teams
* PK 10 Rich Spangler
* P 19 Tom Tupa
* RB
* 25 John Wooldridge
* 42 Vince Workman
Q

## Awards and honors

* Pepper Johnson, UPI First Team All-America
* Pepper Johnson, Football News First Team All-America

## 1986 NFL draftees

| Player | Round | Pick | Position | NFL club |
| 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 |