2011 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2011 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Buckeyes were coached by Luke Fickell on an interim basis following the resignation of Jim Tressel as head coach . The Buckeyes played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus , Ohio and are members of the Big Ten Conference in the Leaders Division . Amid significant adversity due to Tressel ' s abrupt departure and an NCAA investigation , the Buckeyes finished with their first non - winning season since 1999 , at 6 - 7 . They also finished 3 - 5 in the Big Ten , placing them fourth in the Leaders Division — only their sixth losing record in conference play since the end of World War II . They lost the 2012 Gator Bowl to Florida , 24 - 17 . Before the season . Previous season . Expectations were high in 2010 as Jim Tressel and Ohio State started the season ranked # 2 and poised for another National Championship run . With # 1 Alabama losing to South Carolina , Ohio State was voted # 1 on October 10 , 2010 . However , the Buckeyes were defeated by # 16 Wisconsin on October 16 , effectively ending their hopes at a national championship bid . The OSU football season finished with the team posting a 12 – 1 record , which includes a 38 – 10 victory over Indiana that gave Tressel his 100th win at Ohio State and a 31 – 26 victory over # 8 Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl . 2010 resulted in a sixth straight conference title as well as securing a # 5 final ranking . The first five games of the season were played without the participation of five players : Terrelle Pryor , DeVier Posey , Mike Adams , Solomon Thomas , and Boom Herron . These players were part of a scandal that involved selling memorabillia to the owner of a Columbus tattoo parlor . On March 8 , 2011 , it was reported that Tressel knew about it as early as April 2010 through an anonymous e - mail . As of result , Tressel received a two - game suspension for failing to notify authorities of the players ' wrongdoings . Tressel later decided to sit out the first five games in order to allow him to face the adversity with the five players . On May 30 , 2011 , Tressel tendered his resignation from the head coaching position . Assistant head coach Luke Fickell , who was to take over during Tressel ' s suspension , was named interim head coach . On June 8 , returning starting Quarterback Terrelle Pryor announced his intention to forgo his senior season , " in the best interest of [ his ] teammates , " in light of his suspension and ongoing investigation by the NCAA . 2011 NFL Draft . Undrafted Seniors who signed with an NFL Team . Brandon Saine ( Running Back ) – Green Bay Packers Dane Sanzenbacher ( Wide Receiver ) – Chicago Bears Justin Boren ( Offensive Lineman ) – Baltimore Ravens Bryant Browning ( Offensive Lineman ) – St . Louis Rams Jake McQuaide ( Long Snapper ) – St . Louis Rams Dexter Larimore ( Defensive Tackle ) – New Orleans Saints Devon Torrence ( Cornerback ) – Minnesota Vikings Unsigned Seniors . 5 Taurian Washington ( Wide Receiver ) 8 Aaron Grant ( Safety ) 23 Devin Barclay ( Kicker ) 17 Grant Schwartz ( Wide Receiver ) 55 Andy Miller ( Offensive Lineman ) 57 Chris Malone ( Offensive Lineman ) 72 Scott Sika ( Offensive Lineman ) 73 Josh Kerr ( Offensive Lineman ) 77 Connor Smith ( Offensive Lineman ) 81 Ricky Crawford ( Tight End ) 89 Garrett Hummel ( Tight End ) 95 Don Matheney ( Defensive Lineman ) NFL Draft early entries . Terrelle Pryor – Junior Quarterback ( NFL Supplemental Draft – Third Round to the Oakland Raiders ) Transfers out . Sam Longo – Redshirt Sophomore Offensive Lineman ( University of Cincinnati ) Dorian Bell – Redshirt Sophomore Linebacker ( Duquesne University ) James Louis – Redshirt Freshman Wide Receiver ( Florida International University ) James Jackson – Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver ( Grand Valley State University ) Transfers in . None Regular season . Akron . The first game of the Luke Fickell era began with an opening drive defensive stop and a touchdown run by starting quarterback Joe Bauserman . Both teams struggled on offense through the first quarter , with the score only amounting to 7 – 0 Ohio State . Midway through the second quarter , the Buckeyes put together a 12 play drive that resulted in a Bauserman to Jake Stoneburner touchdown pass , increasing the Buckeyes lead to 14 – 0 . Before the end of the half , Ohio State was able to score another touchdown on a Bauserman to Stoneburner pass , and going into halftime Ohio State led 21 – 0 . The heat throughout the game caused problems not only for the players , but also for the referees , band members , and fans in attendance with temperatures reaching almost 100°F . The second half saw another big offensive start with the third touchdown pass from Bauserman to Stoneburner , advancing the Buckeyes lead to 28 – 0 . Throughout the rest of the second half , freshman Braxton Miller took most of the offensive snaps at quarterback , compiling 1 touchdown pass along with 130 yard , compared to Bauserman ' s 163 . Ohio State won the game 42 – 0 , their first shutout since October 23 , 2010 against Purdue . Ohio State opened their 2011 season 1 – 0 , and giving Fickell his first win as the Ohio State head coach . Toledo . Ohio State continued their 2011 season with a home match up against in - state foe Toledo . The game started out well for the Buckeyes , as it did with Akron the week before . Joe Bauserman completed a touchdown pass to Jake Stoneburner , his fourth touchdown reception of the year , and Ohio State quickly went up 7 – 0 . However , throughout the rest of the first quarter , Toledo would dominate , with a blocked punt and an eventual touchdown resulting . A 66 yard reception by Eric Page allowed Toledo to take a 15 – 7 lead heading into the second quarter . Toledo committed 14 penalties on the day for 109 yard , allowing Ohio State to make big plays resulting and capitalize on plays which were broken up . Heading into the second quarter , Ohio State received the momentum back from Toledo , with a 36 touchdown run from Carlos Hyde and a 45 yard punt return from Chris Fields . After a sloppy first half by both teams , Ohio State went into halftime with a 21 – 15 lead . Ohio State again started off the second half slow , allowing the Rockets to score a touchdown on their opening drive of the half , and allowing them to take the lead again , 22 – 21 . The one - point Toledo lead held up for most of the third quarter , until another touchdown run by Hyde , and a subsequently missed two - point conversion , gave Ohio State a five point , 27 – 22 lead . No more scoring took place during the rest of the game for both teams , with a defensive battle ensuing in the fourth quarter . The game came down to a final play , with a Toledo fourth and six on the Ohio State 17 . Terrance Owens was unable to complete the pass , coming five yards short and the Buckeyes were able to escape with a victory , allowing them to go 2 – 0 on the season . Miami ( Florida ) . Ohio State ' s first road game of the season took them to south Florida for a rematch against the Miami Hurricanes who they faced in the 2010 season , as well as the 2003 Fiesta Bowl , beating them both times . The game did not start well for the Buckeyes , with a bad opening offensive drive , giving Miami good field position . The Hurricanes quickly drove down the field 63 yards and scored their first points of the game on a Jacory Harris touchdown pass . Later in the quarter , Miami again drove down the field for another Harris touchdown pass , giving the Hurricanes a 14 – 0 lead at the end of the first quarter . The second quarter saw the momentum swing in favor of Ohio State , with two drives heading deep into Miami territory , however , once in the red zone , the Buckeyes were unable to capitalize and had to settle for two short range field goals by Drew Basil , bringing them closer in the games and giving Miami only a 14 – 6 lead . However a field goal at the end of the first half gave Miami a two - possession lead heading into halftime . The second half of the game saw little offense , with both the Buckeyes ' defense dominating the Hurricanes and keeping them out of Ohio State territory , as well at the Buckeye offense continuing to struggle to get any kind of rhythm . Miami was able to score a touchdown with 0 : 33 remaining in the game , giving them a 24 – 6 lead — the final score of the game . The game was the first non - conference loss since the September 12 , 2009 loss against the University of Southern California . Colorado . Ohio State came off their previous week ' s loss to Miami with a home game against the Colorado Buffaloes . For the first time during the season , freshman quarterback Braxton Miller received the start , only the third time Ohio State started a freshman at that position . The second offensive drive of the first quarter saw the Buckeyes move the ball 43 yards down the field and score on a Jordan Hall touchdown run . A Drew Basil field goal later on in the quarter gave Ohio State a 10 – 0 lead early on in the game . Colorado ' s special teams , as well as the amount of penalties which they drew , allowed Ohio State to have relatively good field position throughout the game , averaging a start around their 50 yard line . Ohio State took advantage of the field position with a touchdown pass from Miller to Devin Smith , giving Ohio State a 17 – 0 lead . Colorado eventually drove down the field on their next possession and scored on an 11 yard touchdown reception , narrowing the score to 17 – 7 . A field goal before the end of the half allowed Ohio State to go into the locker room with a 20 – 7 lead . The third quarter saw a back and forth between the both teams , with Ohio State still dominating . Another Miller to Smith touchdown reception put Ohio State up 27 – 7 , while Colorado continued to stay in the game with an Oliver field goal . Basil would kick a field goal to end the third quarter , as well as starting the fourth , and gave Ohio State a 37 – 10 lead late in the game . A late Colorado touchdown was the last score of the game , as the favored Buckeyes beat Colorado 37 – 17 , rebounding after their previous week ' s loss to Miami , as Ohio State moved to 3 – 1 on the season . Michigan State . On a cold rainy day in Columbus , Ohio , the Ohio State Buckeyes opened their 2011 Big Ten Conference campaign against the Michigan State Spartans . Both teams were unable to score on their opening possessions of the ballgame . However , on a Kirk Cousins 33 pass B . J . Cunningham , the Spartans were able to score a touchdown and take a 7 – 0 lead on Ohio State . Throughout the first quarter both teams would trade field position as both defenses stepped up to the occasion to stop the opposing team . Michigan State found themselves deep in Ohio State territory late in the second quarter , however , an interception by Cousin , one of three Michigan State turnovers on the day , would allow Ohio State to enter half time only down by a score of 7 – 0 . The rain and windy condition made the game much more of a defensive battle than expected . Throughout the third quarter and the rest of the second half , both team continued to trade field position and come up with great defensive drives . A missed 51 yard field goal by Dan Conroy allowed the Buckeyes and their struggling offensive to have a shot at tying the game up , or getting on the board , however , with a new starter in Joe Bauserman , to replace Braxton Miller , Ohio State was unable to move the ball . Michigan State extended their lead by 3 with a 50 yard field goal from Conroy , giving the Spartans a 10 – 0 advantage . A late touchdown by the Buckeyes would do little to help their effort as Ohio State went on to lose the game 10 – 7 . This was Ohio State ' s first 0 – 1 start in Big Ten play since 2004 , as well as their first loss to Michigan State since 1999 . Nebraska . In the first match up between the Buckeyes and Cornhuskers since the 1950s , Ohio State went into Lincoln hoping to win and rebound after their previous week ' s loss to Michigan State . Ohio State struggling offense came out with some fire , driving down the field on their first drive for a Drew Basil field goal , giving Ohio State an early 3 – 0 . With Nebraska kicking a field goal a few minutes later , the game was tied midway through the first quarter at 3 – 3 . A Braxton Miller to Jake Stoneburner touchdown at the end of the quarter gave Ohio State a 10 – 3 lead and the momentum . The second quarter continued the Ohio State dominance with a 63 yard touchdown run from Carlos Hyde and an exchange of field goals between the two teams , allowing the Buckeyes to go into halftime with a 20 – 6 lead . The second half of the game began very well for the Buckeyes with another Hyde touchdown , giving Ohio State their largest lead at 27 – 6 . However , a Braxton Miller fumble , which allowed Nebraska to score their first touchdown of the game in the third quarter , as well as an ankle injury by Miller , eventually gave the Cornhuskers the momentum back down the stretch of the game . Another Nebraska touchdown at the end of the third quarter allowed the Cornhuskers to cut it to a 10 point game , 27 – 20 , going into the fourth quarter . Two fourth quarter touchdowns , both by Rex Burkhead , allowed Nebraska to receive their first lead of the night , pushing them to the victory , and the largest comeback in school history . With the loss , Ohio State dropped to 3 – 3 and 0 – 2 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1988 season . Illinois . Ohio State came into the season match up with the undefeated Illinois Fighting Illini coming off two consecutive losses for the first time since the 2004 season . As with the last game against Nebraska , Ohio State opened the game with a primarily running attack on their first drive , with the return of star running back Dan Herron from suspension . Ohio State began the game with a Drew Basil 43 yard field goal , giving them a 3 – 0 lead . Throughout the rest of the first half , both teams would exchange field position and punts with no more scoring or offensive production coming from either team . Going into halftime , Ohio State still held a 3 – 0 lead , with Illinois receiving the ball first in the second half . An interception by Ohio State early on in the third quarter , set up Ohio State inside the Illinois red - zone , and the eventual Herron touchdown . After no more scoring throughout the third quarter , Ohio State went into the fourth quarter with only a 10 – 0 lead . An early touchdown pass from Braxton Miller to Jake Stoneburner gave Ohio State their largest lead at 17 – 0 . Following the touchdown , a very long , 16 play drive by Illinois , which resulted in a touchdown , ended the Ohio State shutout thus far , and put Illinois back in the game . A few defensive stops , coupled with the offense running down the clock , clinched the victory for the Buckeyes . With the victory , Ohio State moved to 4 – 3 on the season and 1 – 2 in the Big Ten , their first Big Ten victory of the season . Wisconsin . Ohio State entered their 2011 homecoming game following a bye week , with their opponent being the Wisconsin Badgers , who were the only team to defeat the Buckeyes in the 2010 season . The game opened with neither team scoring on their opening possession . Wisconsin ' s high powered run and pass attack struck first midway through the first quarter with a touchdown reception from Montee Ball giving Wisconsin an early 7 – 0 lead . Led on many parts by the mistakes of the Badgers , the Buckeyes were able to penetrate Wisconsin ' s side of the field , especially late in the second quarter , where a Drew Basil field goal cut the Wisconsin lead to 7 – 3 going into halftime . With the opening of the third quarter , Braxton Miller and the Ohio State offense were able to drive down the field , capped off with a 1 yard touchdown run from Miller , which gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the night at 10 – 7 . After a Wisconsin blocked punt on their next possession , Ohio State was able to drive the ball into the end zone again with a Jordan Hall two yard run and gave Ohio State a 17 – 7 lead . Wisconsin quickly responded with the next drive and the ensuing touchdown from Ball , his second on the day , cut the game back down to a 17 – 14 affair . Ohio State held the lead going into the fourth quarter and quickly was able to increase their lead with another Basil field goal . As the quarter quickly ticked away , Miller was able to break away on a quarterback run and go in for the touchdown . With the fail two - point conversion , Ohio State firmly held a 26 – 14 lead with a little under five minutes remaining in the game . Wisconsin quickly drove down the field to score a touchdown in only 0 : 58 cutting the Ohio State lead to 26 – 21 . With Ohio State unproductive on their ensuing possession , Wisconsin received the ball back and again drove down the field quickly to score , in only 1 : 18 , with their two - point conversion good . Ohio State trailed 29 – 26 , and with a short field to work with , Miller and the offense took the field . With a little under forty seconds remaining in the game , Miller completed a 40 yard touchdown pass Devin Smith , and sealed the victory for Ohio State . With the win , the Buckeyes put themselves into position to earn a trip to the inaugural Big Ten championship game and moved to 2 – 2 in the Big Ten , after starting 0 – 2 . Indiana . After the Buckeyes victory of Wisconsin , Ohio State remained at home to face an intra - divisional team in the Indiana Hoosiers . Ohio State began the game slowly , allowing an Indiana field goal , quickly followed by a five yard touchdown run within the first ten minutes of the game , giving the Hoosiers a 10 – 0 lead . On the next possession , Braxton Miller quickly cut down the Indiana lead with an 81 yard touchdown run , one of the longest by runs by a quarterback in Ohio State history . Heading into the second quarter Indiana still held a 10 – 7 , however two Drew Basil field goals allowed the Buckeyes to take their first lead of the day at 13 – 10 . With 4 : 30 remaining in the first half , Indiana was able to capitalize and kick a 25 yard field goal , tying the game at 13 – 13 going into halftime . Dan Herron made his presence known again in the game quickly to start the third quarter with a 15 yard touchdown run , giving Ohio State the lead back at 20 – 13 . However , the back - and - forth match continued at Indiana drove down the field to score a touchdown in response on a Robertson to Hughes reception . Another Miller touchdown run would give Ohio State the 27 – 20 lead going into the fourth quarter , as well as the momentum . Led by the defense , Ohio State was able to rally in the fourth quarter and allowed Ohio State the get the sealing touchdown with a little over two minutes remaining in the game , which gave the Buckeyes the 34 – 20 lead and improved their record to 6 – 3 on the season . Purdue . In their first visit to West Lafayette since their 2009 loss , the Buckeyes looked for their fourth straight win and first at Ross – Ade Stadium since 2007 . The game started for the Buckeyes like the previous week ' s match up versus Indiana . A 19 yard field goal from Wiggs and four yard touchdown run gave Purdue a 10 – 0 lead which they held through the entirety of the first quarter . A 38 yard touchdown reception from Miller to Hall gave the Buckeyes some offensive spark as they cut the score down to 10 – 7 . However , another Purdue touchdown would give Purdue a commanding 17 – 7 lead with 3 : 19 left in the second quarter , a lead which they would take into halftime . With the Ohio State defense making crucial stops in the second half , Ohio State was able to get the ball back and score on their first possession in the second half with a 6 yard Braxton Miller touchdown run , giving Purdue now only a 17 – 14 lead . While both teams struggled with their offense , it would be Purdue who added to their lead with an 44 yard field goal , and extending their lead to 20 – 14 . Ohio State was not able to get close to a score for most of the fourth quarter , however a long drive at the end of the quarter saw a Miller pass to Hall for a touchdown , tying the game at 20 – 20 . However , with a Drew Basil blocked extra point , the game remained tied and headed into overtime . The Ohio State offense continued to struggle on their overtime possession only able to come up with a field goal , which gave them their first lead of the game at 23 – 20 . The Buckeyes defense , taking the field next was unable to stop the Purdue running attack and eventually allowed a touchdown from the one yard line to end the game and give the Boilermakers the 26 – 23 win . With the loss , Ohio State dropped to 6 – 4 , losing at least four games in a season for the first time since 2004 , and making the road to the Big Ten Championship Game much harder if not impossible with a 3 – 3 Big Ten record . Penn State * . Ohio State entered their 2011 senior day with a 6 – 4 record , facing a Penn State Nittany Lions team with aspirations of the Big Ten Championship Game . In the same fashion of the previous two games , Ohio State fell behind quickly in the game facing a 10 – 0 deficit following an early Stephfon Green touchdown run and a 43 yard field goal from Anthony Fera . Heading into the second quarter , Ohio State put together their first extended drive of the game , ending in a Braxton Miller 24 yard touchdown run cutting the Penn State lead to a 10 – 7 affair . Penn State returned the favor with a quick drive ending with another Green touchdown run , giving the Nittany Lions the 17 – 7 advantage midway through the second quarter . Later in the quarter , Ohio State was able to put together their second scoring drive of the game which consisted of only five plays and ended in a Jake Stoneburner touchdown reception . Penn State , however , was able to use the rest of the second quarter clock on a drive which put them into field goal position , Fera ' s 46 yard field goal was good , and allowed them to go into halftime with a 20 – 14 , the eventual final score of the game . The second half was marred for Ohio State with the defense able to stop the Nittany Lions on the one yard line four times for a goal line stand , but also of two costly fumbles which would end an hope of a comeback drive . The last two quarters of the game saw no scoring and allowed Penn State to exit Ohio Stadium with the 20 – 14 win , their first win at Ohio State since 2008 , bringing Ohio State ' s overall record to 6 – 5 on the season , and 3 – 4 in conference play . Penn State later vacated this victory . Michigan . Ohio State finished its conference slate with a loss to the Wolverines under first year head coach and Ohio native Brady Hoke . The loss saw the Buckeyes ' 7 - year winning streak against their arch - rivals come to an end . 2012 Gator Bowl . The game featured Urban Meyer ' s former school ( Florida ) versus the school ( Ohio State ) he was about to take over as head coach .