2012 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season . It was the Buckeye ' s 123rd season overall , the 100th as a member of the Big Ten Conference and the second as a members of the Big Ten Leaders Division . The team was led by head coach Urban Meyer in his first debut returning to coaching since retiring from Florida in 2010 due to health concerns . The Buckeyes played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus , Ohio . The Buckeyes finished the season undefeated with 12 wins ( 12 – 0 overall , 8 – 0 in the Big Ten ) , Big Ten Leaders Division champions and ranked third in the AP Poll . Due to findings of an investigation conducted by the NCAA during the previous season , Ohio State was ineligible for both the Big Ten championship game and an appearance in a bowl game for the 2012 season . Following their first losing season since 1988 , the Buckeyes hired Urban Meyer , who won two national championships with the Florida Gators , as the head coach in November 2011 . Meyer and his staff brought in a top five recruiting class while returning 20 starts and starting quarterback Braxton Miller for Spring and Fall camp . Ohio State entered the season ranked in the middle of the Big Ten , with many expecting a transition season for Meyer and the players . The Buckeyes opened the season with blowout victories against Miami ( Ohio ) and UCF . Ohio State would defeat Michigan State 17 – 16 and Nebraska 63 – 38 , games they lost in 2011 , to move to 6 – 0 on the season . The Buckeyes would hold in overtime games against Purdue and Wisconsin later in the season , winning eleven straight . The Buckeyes capped off their undefeated season with a 26 – 21 victory over arch rival Michigan . At the end of the season , several players were recognized with postseason awards for individual accomplishments . Braxton Miller was named the Big Ten offensive player of the year , while John Simon was named the Big Ten defensive player of the year . Also , three players were named to the AP All - American Team , including Johnathan Hankins , Bradley Roby and John Simon . Before the season . Previous season . Following the revelation of NCAA infractions in late 2010 , Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel resigned as head coach of the Buckeyes on May 31 , 2011 after ten seasons in Columbus . Ohio State starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor left the program as well before the 2011 season to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft , where he was selected by the Oakland Raiders . Other players involved in the infractions that were suspended included DeVier Posey , Mike Adams , Dan Herron and Solomon Thomas , who were all originally suspended for the first five games of the season . Ohio State appointed Luke Fickell , a longtime position coach at the university , to serve at the interim head coach on March 30 , 2011 who originally would replace Tressel who was suspended as well for five games , but was eventually given the title for the entire season due to Tressel ' s resignation . Ohio State opened the season on September 3 , 2011 with a 42 – 0 victory over the Akron Zips . Ohio State lost their first game against the Miami Hurricanes and entered conference play with a 3 – 1 record . Ohio State lost their first two conference games against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Michigan State Spartans . Ohio State won their homecoming matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers and eventually achieved a 3 – 2 conference record . The Buckeyes , however , would end up losing their last three conference games , including one against the Michigan Wolverines , who they had not lost to since the 2003 season . Ohio State ended the season with a 6 – 6 record and a 3 – 5 record with the Big Ten conference . The Buckeyes did not win at least a share of the conference title for the first time since 2004 and did not reach a Bowl Championship Series bowl for the first time since 2004 as well . Ohio State went on to play against the Florida Gators in the Gator Bowl , which they would lose 24 – 17 and resulted in the Buckeyes first losing season since 1988 . Urban Meyer was hired as the head coach of the university on November 28 , 2011 . Spring Practice . Ohio State opened their spring practice on March 29 for the first time under the direction of Urban Meyer . At the opening of practice John Simon , Johnathan Hankins , Garrett Goebel and Adam Bellamy started on the defensive line with Travis Howard and Bradley Roby starting at cornerback . Christian Bryant and C . J . Barnett were the starting safeties on opening day . The running back position rotated between Jordan Hall , Carlos Hyde , Rod Smith and Bri ' onte Dunn with Braxton Miller starting at quarterback . The annual spring game for the Ohio State Buckeyes was held on April 21 at Ohio Stadium on a rainy afternoon in Columbus , Ohio . Urban Meyer began the afternoon with a 1 - on - 1 circle drill held at midfield before the start of the game . At the conclusion of drill the Buckeyes took the field and split into two teams , a Scarlet and Gray team . Starting quarterback Braxton Miller started for the Scarlet team with backup Kenny Guiton starting for the Gray team . The first touchdown came from the Scarlet team in the first quarter with a run yard touchdown run from Carlos Hyde . Starting kicker Drew Basil kicked a 41 yard field goal at the beginning of the second quarter to extend the Scarlet lead to 10 – 0 . The Gray team got on the board with a 28 yard touchdown pass from Guiton , but a second field goal from Basil would allow the Scarlet to enter the locker room at halftime with a 13 – 7 lead over the Gray . During the third quarter the Gray team would take a 14 – 13 lead over the Scarlet team on a four yard touchdown run from Guiton . However , under Miller , the Scarlet team would drive down and score a touchdown on a Rod Smith run , giving them a 20 – 13 lead and eventually the victory . During the game , quarterback Braxton Miller completed 24 of 31 passes for 258 yards with wide receiver Michael Thomas catching 12 passes for a total of 131 yards during the game . The game gave fans a glimpse of Meyer ' s new spread offense that the Buckeyes will adopt during the season . Linebacker Ryan Shazier led the team with eight tackles . Running back Jordan Hall did not play during the game due to health and precautionary reasons and starting lineman John Simon did not play for a long period during the game . Fall Camp . Nine separate Ohio State players were on the preseason award watch list in twelve different award categories . These included Johnathan Hankins and John Simon for the Bednarik Award ; Corey Brown for the Biletnikoff Award ; Etienne Sabino for the Butkus Award ; Drew Basil for the Lou Groza Award ; Jake Stoneburner for the Rotary Lombardi Award ; and Braxton Miller for the Maxwell Award . Prior to fall camp , both Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort were suspended from the team indefinitely following their arrests , while senior linebacker Storm Klein was dismissed from the team for his arrest . Klein was later reinstated by head coach Urban Meyer , while still serving a two game suspension . Ohio State opened their fall camp on August 3 with all players reporting . Personnel . Coaching Staff . Urban Meyer accepted the head coaching job at Ohio State in November 2011 after coaching at Bowling Green , Utah and Florida , where he won two national championships . Meyer retained only three coaches from the previous years staff , including former interim head coach Luke Fickell and defensive line coach Mike Vrabel . Meyer brought in Tom Herman and Ed Warinner to replace Jim Bollman as offensive coordinator , while Everett Withers and Fickell replaced Jim Heacock as defensive coordinator . Meyer also brought over strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti from his staff at Florida . Departing players . Following the 2011 season , four Ohio State players were selected in the 2012 NFL Draft . Mike Adams was selected in the second round , DeVier Posey in the third , with Daniel Herron and Nate Ebner selected in the sixth . Other key players to depart due to graduation included Joe Bauserman , Michael Brewster and J . B . Shugarts on offense and Dionte Allen , Tyler Moeller , Andrew Sweat , and Solomon Thomas on defense . Transfers out before the 2012 season included Jamaal Berry who transferred to Murray State , Jeremy Cash who transferred to Duke , Jordan Whiting who transferred to Louisville and Kenny Hayes who transferred to Michigan State . DerJuan Gambrell and Dominic Clarke were both released from the scholarships in January following a violation of team rules . Returning starters . Ohio State has 20 returning starts from the 2011 season , including nine on offense and defense , as well as two on special teams . Quarterback Braxton Miller started in eight games during the 2011 season and will return to lead the Buckeyes in 2012 . Depth chart . Starters and backups . Recruiting class . Ohio State ' s 2012 recruiting class was ranked third by Scout , fourth by Rivals and sixth by ESPN . Prior to Urban Meyer being named the head coach of the team 13 player were committed to the Buckeyes , with an additional 12 signing after Meyer ' s hiring . On National Signing Day , 25 players total were signed to the class . The Ohio State class included five players from the ESPN 150 : defensive ends Noah Spence , Adolphus Washington and Se ' Von Pittman , offensive guard Joey O ' Connor and defensive tackle Tommy Schutt . Schedule . The Big Ten Conference released the schedules for the 2011 and 2012 season on September 1 , 2010 , which were revised after the addition of Nebraska to the conference . As during the 2011 season , the Big Ten continued their scheduling alignment for the 2012 season . As a result , Ohio State played all five Leaders Division opponents : Illinois , Indiana , Penn State , Purdue and Wisconsin . Ohio State also faced three Legends Division opponents : Michigan State , Nebraska and Michigan , the permanent cross - division opponent . Ohio State played four non - conference games : Miami ( Ohio ) of the Mid - American Conference , UCF and UAB of Conference USA , and California of the Pacific - 12 Conference . Ohio State had their only bye week between their games against Illinois and Wisconsin . Ohio State was ineligible to advance beyond their twelve regular season games and unable to participate in the Big Ten Championship Game or any bowl games . Beyond weekly television coverage , all games during the 2012 season were broadcast on the Ohio State Football Radio Network . Paul Keels headed the crew with play - by - play , Jim Lachey with color commentary , Marty Bannister as sideline and locker room reporter and Skip Mosic serving as the pre - game and halftime show host . Game notes . Miami ( Ohio ) . Ohio State began their 2012 season on a humid and overcast afternoon in Columbus , Ohio . Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes onto the field for the first time as head coach to face the Miami RedHawks , a team they last faced in 2005 . The game began with both teams struggling on offense , with a Miami field goal being to the only score of the quarter . Ohio State had four possessions during the first quarter , but was only able to gain 48 yards . Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller completed only 1 of 7 on pass attempts , gaining only five yards . Miami was able to capitalize on defensive breakdowns by the Buckeyes and with kicker Kaleb Patterson converting a 24 - yard field goal to put the RedHawks up 3 – 0 . Miami quarterback Zac Dysert was able to throw for 165 yards , completing 13 of 23 passes . The Buckeyes turned their offense around at the beginning of the second quarter with a 23 - yard touchdown pass from Miller to receiver Devin Smith . The 7 – 3 lead soon turned into a 21 – 3 lead for the Buckeyes heading into halftime . Ohio State was able to score on three of their four possessions during the second quarter with two touchdown passes from Miller to Smith and Brown , as well as a Carlos Hyde touchdown run later in the quarter . Ohio State complied 297 yards during the quarter compared to Miami ' s 38 . The second half of the game saw the Ohio State defense and offense continue to step up and hold the lead . The Buckeyes immediately got on the board again with 65 - yard touchdown run from Miller 17 seconds into the third quarter . The Buckeye defense stepped up on the corresponding RedHawk possession , recovering a fumbled for a touchdown on a Miami attempted punt . This fumble recovery gave Ohio State a 35 – 3 lead . Miami would score their only touchdown of the day later in the quarter , making it a 35 – 10 game heading into the fourth quarter . Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller was taken out of the game during the third quarter with cramps and was replaced by junior quarterback Kenny Guiton . Ohio State was able to score three touchdowns during the fourth quarter , all on the ground , with Hyde , Zach Boren and Bri ' onte Dunn all scoring respectively . Ohio State won the game by a final score of 56 – 10 and went to 1 – 0 on the season , giving head coach Meyer his first win as Buckeye head coach . Ohio State was able to gain 538 yards during the game , with Miami compiling only 312 total during the game . Braxton Miller completed 14 of 24 passes for 207 yards and two touchdown passes , with Kenny Guiton completing 5 of 9 for 37 yards . Miller also rushed for a total of 161 yards , a new Ohio State quarterback record . UCF . Ohio State faced the University of Central Florida Knights for the first time , hosting them at Ohio Stadium in front of a crowd of 104 , 745 . The Buckeyes opened at a much faster pace than they did the previous week , with their first offensive drive of the game going for 71 yards and eventually ending with a touchdown on a Braxton Miller 37 - yard run , giving Ohio State an early 7 – 0 lead . The Buckeye defense was also effective early , stopping the Knights on their first two offensive possessions of the game . However , following an Ohio State turnover on downs at midfield , UCF was able to drive down the field and get on the board following a Shawn Moffitt field goal . The first quarter ended with Ohio State holding onto a 7 – 3 and a Drew Basil field goal early in the second quarter gave the Buckeyes a 10 – 3 lead . However , in contrast to the previous week , Ohio State was unable to pull away from the Knights in the second quarter , with a very efficient 78 yard drive by the Knights midway through the second quarter resulting in a touchdown pass from Blake Bortles and a tie game at 10 – 10 . On the next Ohio State offensive possession , the Buckeyes were unable to hold onto the ball and turned it over to the Knights due to a fumble , around midfield . However , just a few plays later , the Buckeyes were able to regain possession on a Travis Howard interception . The turnover gave way to an eight play , 48 yard drive for the Buckeyes and resulted in a touchdown , giving Ohio State a 17 – 10 lead going into halftime . Ohio State had 240 total yards during the first half and scored on three of five possessions . The second half opened well for the Buckeyes , who would convert on the first possession for a touchdown pass from Miller to Jake Stoneburner . The Knights gave the ball back to Ohio State following an Etienne Sabino interception of Bortles . Ohio State capitalized again on offense and took a 31 – 10 on a Miller run , taking a 21 point lead with 8 : 08 left in the third quarter . However , UCF responded on their next possession by going 84 yards in 14 plays , ending the drive with a touchdown pass from Bortles . The extra point was blocked by freshman Adolphus Washington , resulting in a 31 – 16 Buckeye lead heading into the fourth quarter . The Knights began the fourth quarter with the ball deep in Ohio State territory , however another Ohio State interception prevented any score from UCF . Penalties and misplays stalled the Buckeye offense for the rest of the day , but the Buckeye defense was able to keep UCF out of the endzone and did not allow any points during the fourth quarter . Ohio State won the game 31 – 16 and with the win went to 2 – 0 on the season . Ohio State had a total of 411 yards of total offense , with 256 of those yards coming from the running game . Braxton Miller completed 19 of 25 passes on the day and led the team in rushing with 141 yards . California . Ohio State faced the California Golden Bears in their third game of the season on a sunny afternoon at Ohio Stadium . The Buckeyes last faced the Golden Bears during the 1972 season . The game began with both teams struggling on offense with both the Buckeyes and the Golden Bears first possessions resulting in punts . Ohio State also punted on their second possession , but was able on the next drive due to a 55 - yard Braxton Miller touchdown run . Drew Basil capped off the drive with a missed extra point , which allowed California to take the lead on their following possession , after a 75 - yard drive . Ohio State responded with a 75 - yard drive of their own and ended the first quarter holding a 13 – 7 lead . The second quarter saw a tremendously slower pace for both teams , with the only scoring coming from a touchdown pass from Miller to Stoneburner . Following a drive filled with penalties , California was unable to take advantage of a 40 - yard field goal , missing it and sending Ohio State into the half with a 20 – 7 lead . The Ohio State offense was unable to put together a serious drive in the third quarter and defense was unable to make key stops on crucial plays . A Bredan Bigalow 81 - yard touchdown run , the third longest run given up at Ohio Stadium , gave the Golden Bears the only points of the quarter , cutting the Buckeye lead to 20 – 14 . The Golden Bears missed a 42 - yard field goal that would have brought them to within three points , however were on the Buckeye side of the field heading into the fourth quarter . An eight play , 46 yard touchdown drive gave the Golden Bears a 21 – 20 lead , their first lead of the game . However , the Buckeyes were able to respond , executing an 11 play drive which resulted in the Buckeyes taking a 26 – 21 lead , and after a successful two point conversion , were able to take a 28 – 21 lead with 8 : 31 lead . Two plays later , Bigalow was again off to the endzone and tied the game at 28 – 28 midway through the fourth . Ohio State was able to put together a prolific drive with the result being a 72 - yard touchdown pass from Miller to Devin Smith , giving Ohio State a 35 – 28 lead . The Buckeye defense held for the final three minutes and following an interception from Christian Bryant , the Buckeye ran out the clock to their third victory of the season , starting off 3 – 0 . Braxton Miller threw for 249 yards and completed 16 of 30 passes with five touchdown , four on passes and one run . Returning starter Jordan Hall ran for 87 yards on 17 attempts with wide receiver Devin Smith accounting for 145 yards on five receptions . Linebacker Ryan Shazier lead the way for the defense with 13 tackles and one sack . UAB . The Buckeyes faced the UAB Blazers of the University of Alabama at Birmingham for the first time ever on a mild afternoon at Ohio Stadium in front of a capacity crowd . Ohio State began the game slowly on offense , as they had in their previous non - conference games . UAB dominated the majority of the first quarter with the Blazers out gaining the Buckeyes in terms of total offensive yards 99 to 42 . With both team struggling to put together any offensive threat early , the special teams for UAB provided the key play of the first quarter on a blocked punt by Calvin Jones , which gave the Blazers a 6 – 0 lead , after the extra point was blocked . UAB went ahead 9 – 0 early in the second quarter , however only held the lead briefly as Braxton Miller and the Ohio State offense quickly put together a 75 yard drive , ending in a Rod Smith touchdown run . Following a UAB field goal , Ohio State was able to put together two touchdown drives in the last two minutes of the first half , one a Miller 12 - yard touchdown run and another a touchdown run from fullback Zach Boren . Going into halftime , Ohio State held a tenuous 21 – 12 lead . Ohio State deferred the ball at the beginning of the game and was set to receive to begin the second half , however , UAB head coach Garrick McGee called an onside to begin the second half , with the Blazers recovering . The Ohio State defense was able to hold up against the Blazer offense , but as was the case in the first quarter , the offense was unable to mount any significant threat . UAB once again out gained the Buckeyes during the quarter 107 to 43 in terms of total offensive yardage , but penalties , especially three chop - block calls , would eventually stall any scoring chances . The fourth quarter began with UAB kicker Ty Long converting on a 34 - yard field goal cutting the Buckeyes lead to 21 – 15 . The Ohio State defense continued to hold against UAB and would shut them out the remainder of the game . The Buckeye offense went on a 71 yard drive ending in a Braxton Miller touchdown run with about five minutes remaining in the game , which would eventually put the game out of reach for UAB and give the Buckeyes the 29 – 15 victory . With the win , Ohio State moved to 4 – 0 on the season and undefeated heading into Big Ten conference play . Urban Meyer also became the first Ohio State head coach since Earle Bruce to win his first four games coached . UAB out gained Ohio State in total offensive yardage throughout the entire game 403 to 347 as well as total first downs 22 to 20 . Braxton Miller completed 12 of 20 passes , rushed for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns . Running back Jordan Hall , in his second game following his injury , led the team in rushing with 105 total rushing yards . Michigan State . Ohio State traveled to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans for their first Big Ten game of the year , as well as their first game away from Columbus . The Buckeyes were looking for revenge for last year ' s 10 – 7 loss at Ohio Stadium , which was Michigan State ' s first victory over the Buckeyes since 1999 . The Buckeyes opened the game by marched down the field on eight plays and scoring a touchdown to take a 7 – 0 lead on their first possession . Michigan State responded with a Dan Conroy field goal on their opening drive to make it 7 - 3 early in the first quarter . As the tempo of the game began to slow down , both defenses began to take over the game . The Ohio State special teams blocked a punt during in the second quarter , but it proved to be in vain as Braxton Miller threw an interception afterwards . As was the case earlier , the rest of the second quarter was a defense battle , with no one scoring and Michigan State kicker Dan Conroy missing a field goal , which would later prove to be the deciding points . The first half ended with the score remaining 7 – 3 . The second half began just like the first half with both offenses scoring early . Michigan State kicked their second field goal of the day with 11 : 04 remaining in the third , which closed the gap to a 7 – 6 game . Ohio State and Drew Basil would respond with an impressive drive of their own , resulting in a field goal and pushing it to a four point game again at 10 – 6 . Michigan State would score their first touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter on a 29 - yard touchdown pass from Andrew Maxwell to Keith Mumphrey . Mumphrey was able to break sever Buckeye defensive men and score , giving the Spartans a 13 – 10 lead . Once again the Buckeyes would respond quickly , this time on a four play touchdown drive , which ended with Braxton Miller throwing a 63 yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith . With the touchdown , Ohio State led the game 17 – 13 , which would be the score at the end of the third quarter . Michigan State had several opportunities throughout the fourth quarter to take the lead away from Ohio State , but penalties and missed field goals would eventually halt any momentum . The Spartans did convert on a Dan Conroy 48 - yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to make it a 17 – 16 . After the Buckeye defense stopping the Spartans from scoring to take the lead , the Ohio State offense would run out the clock and end the game with a 17 – 16 victory . The win was Ohio State ' s first Big Ten conference win of the season , as well as head coach Urban Meyer ' s first Big Ten win . The win also kept Ohio State undefeated at 5 – 0 on the season . Braxton Miller led the team in both rushing and passing , completing 16 of 23 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown , along with 145 rushing yards . Nebraska . The Buckeyes played host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers under the lights at Ohio Stadium on homecoming in front of the largest crowd in Ohio Stadium history . In their previous meeting , Nebraska defeated the Buckeyes in their first meeting as conference foes 34 – 27 , during the 2011 season . Ohio State started out slowly on offense , but were able to score the first points of the game following a Bradley Roby interception return for a touchdown . The Nebraska offense would come back to score on their two drives to end the first quarter . Two Ameer Abdullah touchdown runs would give Nebraska their first lead of the night at 14 – 7 at the end of the first quarter . Nebraska would continue to dominate on offense during the first quarter and score a field goal following an eight play drive , giving them a 17 – 7 lead . Ohio State finally responded on their first drive of the second quarter , with a Carlos Hyde touchdown run . The Cornhuskers and the Buckeyes would shoot it out offensively throughout the second quarter . A touchdown pass from Ohio State ' s Braxton Miller and a touchdown run for Nebraska ' s Taylor Martinez would lead to a 24 – 21 score favoring Nebraska midway through the second quarter . Ohio State ended the quarter with Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller both scoring on touchdown runs , giving the Buckeyes a 35 – 24 lead at halftime . The second half continued the offensive showdown seen during the second quarter . Nebraska scored on their first possession of the half on a Martinez touchdown pass , closing the score to 35 – 31 . However , both the Ohio State offense and defense would step up throughout the third and fourth quarter . Ohio State scored two touchdowns during the third quarter , on a two Carlos Hyde touchdown runs and on a Corey Brown punt return . Ohio State held a commanding 49 – 31 lead heading into the fourth quarter . The Buckeyes early in the fourth quarter to put the game away with a 56 – 31 lead , and would not give up another Nebraska score until midway through the fourth quarter on a Martinez touchdown run . Ohio State score their final touchdown of the game with just seconds remaining and would go onto win 63 – 38 . Ohio State moved to 6 – 0 on the season and 2 – 0 in conference play , becoming the only undefeated team remaining in the Big Ten . Ohio State out gained the Cornhuskers in total yardage 498 to 437 . Braxton Miller lead the Buckeyes in both rushing and passing , scoring two touchdowns . Indiana . The Buckeyes faced their first Leaders Division counterpart of the season in the Indiana Hoosiers . In their previous meeting , the Buckeyes defeated Indiana 34 – 20 , during the 2011 season . The Buckeyes began the game well on offense with their first possession going nine plays and finishing with Corey Brown touchdown run . A Drew Basil field goal later in the first quarter gave the Buckeyes a 10 – 0 lead . This Buckeye lead would soon disappear on the ensuing Hoosiers drives . Stephen Houston would score on a 59 and 7 yard touchdown run , giving the Hoosiers their first and only lead of the evening at 14 – 10 , early in the second quarter . After struggling on offense earlier in the second quarter , they were able capitalize on their final drives of the half . A Bradley Roby blocked punt return and a Devin Smith touchdown reception from Braxton Miller would allow the Buckeyes to head into halftime with a 24 – 14 lead . The second half of the game turned into an offense shootout , with both teams being able to capitalize on big plays , while the defense struggled consistently getting off of the field . Mitch Ewald kicked a field goal for the Hoosiers after their first drive of the half , which was followed by a 67 - yard touchdown run for Miller and the Buckeyes . Indiana scored their first passing touchdown of the game in the third quarter on a pass from Cameron Coffman to Shane Wynn . Carlos Hyde would score a touchdown for Ohio State on a 14 - yard run giving the Buckeyes a 38 – 27 lead heading into the fourth quarter . The offensive shootout continued into the fourth quarter with Indiana dominating the Ohio State defense for most of the quarter . Hyde would score another rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter giving the Buckeyes a commanding 45 – 27 lead . A Hoosier rushing touchdown , followed by a Miller touchdown pass would keep Ohio State ahead 52 – 34 midway through the fourth quarter . The Hoosiers were able to mount a comeback later in the fourth with Indiana scoring on a 12 - yard touchdown pass and closing the lead to a 14 point game . An onside kick recovered by the Hoosiers would allow them to drive down and score on another pass touchdown from quarterback Nate Sudfeld , with the two point conversion successful . Ohio State was able to recover the final onside kick and avoid the upset , insuring their 52 – 49 win and a 7 – 0 record on the season , as well as a 3 – 0 conference record . Carlos Hyde led the Buckeyes in rushing yards with 156 yards and one touchdown . Braxton Miller leading the Buckeyes in passing yards with 211 and three touchdowns . Purdue . Ohio State returned to Ohio Stadium to face the Purdue Boilermakers . In their previous meeting , Purdue defeated the Buckeyes 26 – 23 in overtime , during the 2011 season . Purdue scored quickly on their first possession with an 83 yard pass from Caleb TerBush to Akeem Shavers that would give them a 7 – 0 lead just 17 seconds into the game . The extra point attempt by Paul Griggs was blocked and allowed Ohio State to take the lead later in the quarter , at 7 – 6 , after a Braxton Miller touchdown run . Purdue continued to score on big plays by taking back the ensuing kickoff 100 - yards , which would give the Boilermakers a 13 – 7 lead . Purdue ' s kick return would be the last points scored in the first half , with a defensive battle beginning to take shape . The Boilermaker defense was able to shut down the Buckeye offense , forcing them to punt on many of their drives throughout the second quarter . Purdue was able to threaten in Ohio State territory , however a C . J . Barnett interception and a Griggs missed field goal would ensure that the Boilermakers went into halftime with only a six point lead . Both teams opened the second half punting on their first drives respectively . On their second drive of the half , the Buckeyes were able to drive down and score on a Carlos Hyde run giving Ohio State the lead back , at 14 – 13 . A 31 - yard touchdown completion from Terbush to Gary Bush on Purdue ' s next drive would switch the lead back to the Boilermakers at 20 – 14 . A Braxton Miller fumble for the Buckeyes and a Griggs blocked field goal for the Boilermakers would keep both teams out of the endzone for the remainder of the third quarter . Late in the third quarter Miller would take the ball and run for 24 yards , but at the same time was pushed to the ground and remained their for several minutes . Kenny Guiton was brought in to replace Miller and would lead the team for the remainder of the game . Ohio State punted early in the fourth quarter as did Purdue on their first drive of the quarter . On the Buckeye ' s second drive of the quarter an illegal block penalty on Andrew Norwell was accepted for a safety , giving the Boilermakers a 22 – 14 lead . Purdue was unable capitalize on the Buckeye ' s mistake , punting on their next drive . A Guiton interception on the Buckeye ' s next drive made an Ohio State comeback seem improbable , however , the Buckeye defense forced the Boilermakers to punt , giving them one last chance . Guiton was able to drive Ohio State down to the goal line and throw a touchdown pass to Chris Fields , with a two - point conversion pass to Jeff Heuerman , which tied the game a 22 – 22 . In overtime , Ohio State went on offense first and would score in five plays on a Carlos Hyde run , giving them a 29 – 22 lead . The Buckeye defense was able to stop the Boilermakers on offense and ensure the win , going 8 – 0 overall and 4 – 0 in conference play . Penn State . Ohio State traveled to Happy Valley to renew their annual rivalry with the Penn State Nittany Lions . The Buckeyes previous game against the Nittany Lions came during the 2011 season , when Penn State defeated the Buckeyes 20 – 14 . In the previous week , starting quarterback Braxton Miller left the game against Purdue at the end of the third quarter and did not return . Miller was cleared to return to the team later in the day and would start against Penn State . The first quarter was very uneventful for both teams , with each drive ending in a punt . The stalemate was finally broken on Ohio State ' s sixth drive , in which Mike Hull blocked a Ben Buchannan punt in the endzone , giving Penn State a 7 – 0 lead midway through the second quarter . Ohio State would respond on their next offensive drive , driving for 75 yards and scoring on a Carlos Hyde touchdown run , tying the score heading into halftime . The defensive battle continued early in the second half , giving the edge to Ohio State . On Penn State ' s first drive of the third quarter , Ryan Shazier intercepted a Matt McGloin pass and returned it 17 - yards for a touchdown . Sam Ficken would kick a 27 - yard field goal on Penn State ' s ensuing drive , giving the Nittany Lions their first offensive points of the day and closing the score to 14 – 10 . Penn State would force a Braxton Miller interception on the next drive , but would eventually have to punt . Ohio State was then able to drive 57 yards and score on a Braxton Miller touchdown run , giving them the 21 – 10 advantage midway through the third quarter . Ohio State ' s next offensive drive ended in the same fashion , on a Miller run , giving them a 28 – 10 lead heading into the fourth quarter . Penn State was finally able to score their first offensive touchdown early in the fourth quarter off of a McGloin pass . Miller completed a touchdown pass to Jake Stoneburner on Ohio State ' s next driving , further knocking Penn State out of the game with their 35 – 16 advantage . The Nittany Lions scored on their last offensive drive of the game , making the final score 35 – 23 in favor of Ohio State . The win kept Ohio State undefeated and put them at 5 – 0 in Big Ten conference play . Miller rushed for over 100 yards for the sixth time of the season while also passing for 143 yards . Illinois . Ohio State entered their annual matchup with Leaders Division foe Illinois undefeated and ranked sixth in the AP Poll . In their previous meeting , the Buckeyes defeated Illinois 17 – 7 , during the 2011 season , wining the Illibuck trophy for the fourth consecutive season . Illinois received the ball first in the first quarter and were forced to punt , as was Ohio State on their first drive . Illinois would get on the board first , with a 39 - yard drive that ended on a Nick Immekus 43 - yard field goal , giving the Illini a 3 – 0 lead . Ohio State answered on their next offensive drive , going 79 yards in ten plays , while taking a 7 – 3 lead on a Carlos Hyde rush . A field goal on the next Illini drive would bring them within one point of the Buckeyes heading into the second quarter . The Ohio State offense , though , would be able break the game open during the second quarter , scoring 24 points and taking command of the game . The Buckeyes would score on their first four drives of the half , starting with a Drew Basil field goal , expanding the Ohio State lead to 10 – 6 . Another Carlos Hyde touchdown rush and a Braxton Miller touchdown pass would put the Buckeyes up 24 – 6 , with another Hyde touchdown run giving Ohio State the 31 – 6 advantage . The Buckeye defense would force Illinois to punt three times in the quarter and would intercept a Nathan Scheelhaase pass that would ensure they did not get into the endzone during the quarter . The Ohio State defense was able to continue their superb performance in the third quarter , forcing the Illini to punt of their first drive of the half . Another touchdown , off of a Braxton Miller run , would give Ohio State a commanding 38 – 6 lead . Illinois scored their first touchdown of the game at the end of the third quarter and converted two points off of a Tim Russell pass . With the game well in hand by the fourth quarter , Ohio State was able to put in many second - string players , but were still able to score two touchdowns in the quarter on a Braxton Miller pass to Corey Brown and a Bri ' onte Dunn run . The only Illini score for the remainder of the game came midway through the fourth quarter with a fumble recovery taken to the endzone . Ohio State won the blowout 52 – 22 and improved to 10 – 0 on the season and 6 – 0 in conference play . Braxton Miller carried the ball 18 times on the day for 73 yards and completed 12 of 20 passes for 226 yards . Wisconsin . Ohio State traveled to Madison in their final road game of the season to face the Wisconsin Badgers . In their previous meeting , the Buckeyes defeated Wisconsin 33 – 29 , during the 2011 season . Wisconsin received the ball first on offense , however , the Buckeye defense was able to force a three - and - out and set the tone for the remainder of the game . Braxton Miller and the Buckeye offense were able to drive 48 yards on their first possession of the game , but were forced to put as well . A 43 - yard punt return by Corey Brown late in the first quarter was the first score of the game , giving Ohio State the early 7 – 0 advantage . Braxton Miller was able to move Ohio State into good field position , which would allow Carlos Hyde to score his first touchdown of the game , giving the Buckeyes the commanding 14 – 0 lead early in the second quarter . Montee Ball , who rushed for 191 yards on the day , would be instrumental in Wisconsin ' s fifth drive of the game . Ball would score for the Badgers on a 7 - yard touchdown run . The defense for both teams began to take the game over again , with neither team scoring any more points in the first half . Ohio State went into half time with the 14 – 7 lead . As in the first half , defense was the dominant force in the second half of the game , with neither team getting into the endzone in the third quarter . Ohio State was forced to punt twice during the quarter , while the Badgers began to put a drive together midway through the third , not giving the ball back to the Buckeyes for the remainder of the quarter . The drive would end with Wisconsin kicker Kyle French missing a 40 - yard field goal , keeping intact the 14 – 7 Buckeye lead . The Buckeye offense , incapable of doing much in the third quarter , faced the same problems in the fourth , with the Wisconsin defense forcing them to punt on every drive during the quarter . Wisconsin , who continually chipped away at the Ohio State defense , got the ball back in Buckeye territory with 1 : 33 to go in the game . Behind quarterback Curt Phillips and running back Montee Ball , the Badgers would drive down and score a touchdown on a Jacob Pederson reception with just eight seconds left . Ohio State elected to go into overtime with the score at the end of regulation being 14 – 14 . Ohio State was on offense first in the overtime period and scored on a Carlos Hyde touchdown run in just four plays , giving them the 21 – 14 advantage . Wisconsin , needing a touchdown to force a second overtime was not able to get a first down and was stopped by the Buckeye defense , giving Ohio State the victory . Ohio State won the Leaders Division of the Big Ten following the victory , but were still ineligible to go to the Big Ten Championship Game . Ohio State left Madison with an 11 – 0 record for the first time since the 2006 season and were in position to complete their first undefeated season since 2002 with one game remaining against arch rival Michigan . Michigan . The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines continued their annual fierce rivalry on November 24 . The 108th edition of " The Game " marked the regular season finale for both teams and the season finale for Ohio State due to their post - season ban . The game also marked Urban Meyer ' s first time as the head coach for the Buckeyes in " The Game " and Michigan head coach Brady Hoke ' s second game . In their previous meeting , Michigan defeated the Buckeyes 40 – 34 in 2011 , Michigan ' s first victory over Ohio State since the 2003 . The Buckeyes opened the game on offense and took only six plays to drive 75 yards and score a touchdown on a Carlos Hyde run . With Ohio State taking the early 7 – 0 lead , Michigan turned to starting quarterback Devin Gardner , who replaced Denard Robinson after his injury a few weeks earlier . Robinson was still used as a running threat throughout the game . On the Wolverines ' first drive Gardner was sacked deep in Ohio State territory , fumbled , giving the ball and the momentum to the Buckeyes . Michigan forced an Ohio State punt , but were penned deep in their own territory . The Wolverines made up for the field position in one play with a 75 - yard touchdown pass from Devin Gardner to Roy Roundtree tying the game at seven . On the ensuing Ohio State possession , Braxton Miller gained the majority of the yards through the air and the ground , moving the Buckeyes to the Michigan 24 yard line , allowing Drew Basil to kick the 41 - yard field goal and give Ohio State the 10 – 7 lead . The Wolverines were able to score a touchdown on their first possession of the second quarter , on a Gardner run , switching the lead to Michigan for the first time at 14 – 10 . The Wolverine defense stopped the Buckeyes on their next possession , however , they could not get anything going on their next offensive drive . Towards the end of the second quarter , Ohio State drove 59 yards with Miller completing a touchdown pass to Corey Brown , giving Ohio State the 17 – 14 lead . Michigan responded quickly with Robinson scoring his first touchdown of the day on a 67 - yard run and giving Michigan the lead once against . A Drew Basil field goal in the waning seconds of the first half closed the score , but the Wolverines still led at half time 21 – 20 . Michigan opened the second half with the ball on offense , but were unable to convert on fourth down and turned the ball over to the Buckeyes at midfield . Ohio State was unable to get into the endzone on the ensuing drive , but were able to take the lead back from the Wolverines on a Drew Basil field goal , making the score 23 – 21 in favor of the Buckeyes . Robinson fumbled the ball on Michigan ' s next offensive drive and gave the Buckeyes the ball in Wolverine territory , however , the drive would end in a Basil missed field goal . The two defenses continued to battle into the fourth quarter with both teams struggling to get any momentum on offense . Ohio State would score their final points of the game midway through the fourth on a 25 - yard Basil field goal , giving the Buckeyes a 26 – 21 lead . Michigan continued to battle on their next offensive drive , being down only one possession , but a Gardner interception with 4 : 50 to play would seal the victory for the Buckeyes . The Ohio State defense would not allow the Wolverines to cross the 50 yard line the entire second half . Head coach Urban Meyer would call a timeout with 1 : 26 remaining in the game to allow the crowd and players to soak in the victory and the perfect season , even commenting after the game that , " this is a great team . " Ohio State beat Michigan 26 – 21 and ensured that the Wolverines would not win consecutive games in the rivalry for the first time since 2000 . The win also completed the undefeated season for the Buckeyes , going 12 – 0 overall and 8 – 0 in the Big Ten . This was the first undefeated season for the Buckeyes since 2002 , the tenth overall , and sixth unbeaten and untied season for the program . The game made Urban Meyer the most successful first - year head coach in Buckeye history since Carroll Widdoes in 1944 . Braxton Miller passed for 189 yard on the day , with Carlos Hyde leading the team in rushing yards with 146 yards . Gardner threw for 117 yards , while Robinson lead the team in rushing with 122 yards . Ohio State was ineligible for the BCS or the Coaches Poll national championship , but was still eligible for the AP Poll national championship . However , the Buckeyes would fall behind the BCS national champion Alabama Crimson Tide and the second ranked Oregon Ducks to finish the season ranked third . Rankings . Entering the 2012 season , the Buckeyes were ranked No . 18 in the AP Preseason Poll , while they were ineligible for the Coaches ' Poll , due to NCAA sanctions . After Ohio State ' s 56 – 10 win over Miami ( Ohio ) , they moved to No . 14 in the AP Poll . After the Buckeyes ' 63 – 38 win over Nebraska , who was ranked No . 21 , Ohio State moved into the top ten of the AP Poll at No . 8 . The first BCS Standings of the season came out on October 14 , however , like the Coaches ' Poll , the Buckeyes were ineligible for either the BCS Standings or Harris Poll . The Buckeyes ' 29 – 22 overtime victory over Purdue would drop Ohio State from No . 7 to No . 9 . Entering their final game with Michigan , the Buckeyes were ranked No . 4 in the AP Poll , with the 26 – 21 victory moving them to No . 3 the final poll of the regular season . Though they were not eligible , many projected that Ohio State would have been ranked No . 3 in the final BCS standings , behind Alabama and Notre Dame at the end end of the regular season . Ohio State was still eligible for the AP National Championship , which is separate from the BCS National Championship Game . Though Notre Dame ' s loss in the National Championship Game left Ohio State as the only undefeated team in the Division I Football Subdivision , they were behind the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oregon Ducks . Ohio State finished the 2012 season ranked No . 3 in the final AP Poll . After the season . After the victory over Michigan , Ohio State fans celebrated the perfect season with a ceremony at St . John Arena on December 7 . Thousands attended the rally , which featured the Ohio State University Marching Band , as well as comments from Gordon Gee , Urban Meyer and many of the seniors . Former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith presented the team with the Big Ten Leaders Division Championship trophy . Final statistics . After their victory of Michigan in the final regular season game , Ohio State ' s final team statistics were released . On the defensive side of the ball , Ohio State ranked 31st in scoring defense ( 22 . 83 points per game ) , 34th in total defense ( 359 . 58 yards per game ) , fourteenth in rushing defense ( 116 . 08 yards per game ) and 76th in pass defense ( 243 . 50 yards per game ) . In conference , Ohio State ranked second in rushing defense and eleventh in passing defense . Ohio State ranked second in the nation in total defense during the month of November . On the offensive side of the ball , Ohio State ranked 21st in scoring offense ( 37 . 17 points per game ) , 47th in total offense ( 423 . 75 yards per game ) , tenth in rushing offense ( 242 . 25 yards per game ) and 101st in passing offense ( 181 . 50 yards per game ) . In conference , Ohio State ranked second in rushing offense and eighth in passing offense . Awards . In the weeks following the conclusion of the regular season , multiple Ohio State players were honored for their on - field performances with a variety of awards and recognition . The Big Ten recognized several players for their individual performances with various awards . Quarterback Braxton Miller , guard Andrew Norwell , defensive lineman John Simon , linebacker Ryan Shazier , and cornerback s Bradley Roby and Travis Howard were all named to the Media All - Big Ten First Team . Running back Carlos Hyde , tackle Jack Mewhort and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins were all naed to the Media All - Big Ten Second Team . Defensive backs C . J . Barnett , Corey Brown and Christian Bryant , offensive linemen Reid Fragel and Corey Linsley , and linebacker Etienne Sabino were all named Media All - Big Ten Honorable Mention . Three players were named to the Coaches ' All - Big Ten First Team including Hankins , John Simon and Bradley Roby . Braxton Miller , Carlos Hyde , wide receiver Corey Brown , Ryan Shazier and Christian Bryant were named to the Coaches ' All - Big Ten Second Team . Braxton Miller won the Big Ten Griese - Brees Quarterback of the Year award , with John Simon winning the Big Ten Smith - Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year award . In addition to the conference awards , several players were also named to various All - American Teams . Johnathan Hankins and Bradley Roby were named to the AP All - American Second Team , while John Simon was named to the AP All - American Third Team . Hankins was named to the All - American First Team by Scout . com , while Bradley Roby was named to the All - American First Team by ESPN . Many Ohio State players were also award finalists , including Braxton Miller , who was a finalist for the Manning Award and John Simon , who was a finalist for the Bowden Award . The coaching staff was also recognized for their achievements with head coach Urban Meyer being a finalist for the Football Writers Association of America coach of the year , Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award and Bear Bryant coach of the year . Buckeye offensive line coach E Warinner was also recognized by FootballScoop as the offensive line coach of the year . Several Buckeye players were invited to the many postseason All - Star games . Reid Fragel and John Simon were the two Buckeyes invited to the 2013 Senior Bowl , with Fragel pulling out and Simon playing for the North Team . Nathan Williams and Travis Howard were the only Buckeyes that participated in the 2013 East – West Shrine Game , while safety Orhian Johnson represented Ohio State in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl . NFL Draft . Ten players from Ohio State were entered into the NFL Draft , nine seniors and one underclassmen . On defense , Johnathan Hankins , John Simon , Etienne Sabino , Travis Howard , Nathan Williams , Orhian Johnson and Garrett Goebel are all entered . Hankins , the only junior from Ohio State in the draft , is projected to be drafted in the first round . Simon is projected to be selected in the third round , with Sabino and Howard projected to go around the fifth round . On offense , Reid Fragel , Jake Stoneburner and Zach Boren are all entered . Stoneburner and Boren are both expected to be selected late in the sixth or seventh round . In February 2013 , seven Ohio State players were invited to the NFL Combine , including Jonathan Hankins , Nate Williams , Etienne Sabino , Zach Boren , Reid Fragel , Jake Stoneburner and John Simon .