2005 Texas vs . Ohio State football game Texas vs . Ohio State football game , played September 10 , 2005 , was the first - ever meeting between The University of Texas at Austin and The Ohio State University in a college football game . The two teams came into the game ranked No . 2 and No . 4 , respectively . It was the second game of the 2005 season for both teams . Schools have become increasingly conservative in scheduling non - conference opponents of a high caliber , so a meeting of two top - five teams in the country was unusual this early in the season . For either team , winning the game would boost their chances of ultimately playing in the BCS National Championship Game while the loser likely faced the end of their national championship hopes . According to observers such as " USA Today " , the match - up between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes was one of the most - anticipated games of the 2005 season . Due to the high level of anticipation , ESPN chose the game for the location of its weekly College GameDay broadcast . The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team ( variously " Texas " or " UT " or the " Horns " ) was coached by head football coach Mack Brown and led on the field by quarterback Vince Young . The 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football team ( variously " Ohio State " or " OSU " or the " Bucks " ) was coached by Jim Tressel . Justin Zwick and Troy Smith shared time as quarterback due to disciplinary measures enforced against Smith . The game was a back - and - forth affair which was ultimately won by Texas , 25 – 22 . The game ' s attendance was 105 , 565 , which set the then all - time attendance record for Ohio Stadium . The game was televised nationally on ABC and drew 9 . 9 million viewers . ESPN and " College Football Rivals " , were among the observers who named the game one of the best football games of the season . Texas ' win kept them near the front of the national championship picture . They ultimately finished the season unbeaten , snaring the Big 12 Conference and NCAA championships . Ohio State finished the season with ten wins and two losses and ranked No . 4 in the nation . Leading into the 2005 season . The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns are two of the most storied programs in college football . Before 2005 each school had participated in college football for more than 100 years . They are home to nationally known traditions from the Buckeye leaf stickers and the O - H - I - O chant at Ohio State to Bevo and the Hook ' em Horns of Texas . One of the three most victorious programs in college football history as judged by either number of wins or winning percentage , the University of Texas has traditionally been considered a college football powerhouse . From 1936 to 2004 , the team finished the season in the top ten 23 times , or one - third of the time , according to the Associated Press . The team that coach Mack Brown fielded in 2005 has been called one of the most memorable in college football history by " College Football News " . Like the Longhorns , the Buckeyes are an elite football program . The Buckeyes program has produced 164 first - team All - American players , including seven Heisman Trophy winners . The 2005 UT team was attempting to follow on the success of the 2004 season , in which quarterback Vince Young led the team to Mack Brown ' s first Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) game in the 2005 Rose Bowl and a top - 5 finish in the polls . With the exception of Cedric Benson , Derrick Johnson , and Bo Scaife , Texas returned most of their key players from 2004 – 2005 , including redshirt junior quarterback Vince Young . Texas was given a pre - season No . 2 ranking ( behind defending National Champions University of Southern California ) by " Sports Illustrated " magazine and was also ranked second in the pre - season Associated Press Poll and " USA Today " Coaches Poll . This created anticipation that Texas might play for the national championship if they could win their road game against Ohio State University and if they could snap their five - game losing streak against the Oklahoma Sooners who started the season ranked at No . 7 . Ohio State had similarly high pre - season expectations with their No . 4 ranking . There was preseason speculation they might win the Big Ten Conference and possibly even to have a chance at the national championship . The team featured a " dynamic duo " of wide receivers in Ted Ginn , Jr . and Santonio Holmes . Holmes entered his junior year as the No . 1 receiver for the Buckeyes after catching a pass in every game he played during the 2004 season ; he finished the season with 769 yards and seven touchdowns on 55 catches . Ginn was known for his explosive plays and versatility . For instance in the 2004 game against the Michigan State Spartans , he scored three touchdowns ( one rushing , one receiving , and one punt return ) . For either team to play in the national title game , that team had to end up ranked No . 1 or No . 2 at the end of the regular season . Since the Bowl Championship Series was formed in 1998 , 9 of the 14 teams were unbeaten going into the championship game . The only time the national champion has not been unbeaten during that stretch was in 2003 when LSU and USC claimed a share of the title as each finished with one loss . Ohio State tackle Kirk Barton would later say " There ’ ll probably be two undefeated teams at the end of the road and if you ’ re not one of them you ’ re probably not going to be playing for the championship . So you ’ ve got to treat every game like it ’ s the Super Bowl . You only get one opportunity . " Prior to the game . After they each won their home opener , Texas and Ohio State came into the game still ranked No . 2 and No . 4 , respectively . According to observers such as " USA Today " , the match - up between the Longhorns and the OSU Buckeyes was one of the most - anticipated games of the 2005 season . Teams have become increasingly conservative in scheduling non - conference opponents of a high caliber , so a meeting of the number 2 and number 4 teams in the country is unusual this early in the season . Due to the high level of anticipation , ESPN chose the game for the location of its weekly College GameDay broadcast . This meeting was also the first - ever match - up between the two storied programs ; the two teams had combined to play 1 , 594 games before meeting . For Texas , it also meant playing a second Big Ten Conference powerhouse soon after winning the first - ever matchup between Texas and the University of Michigan at the end of the 2004 season . The Buckeyes entered the game with an all - time record of 766 – 298 – 53 including an Ohio Stadium mark of 356 – 101 – 20 . During the 115 years the school has played football , the Buckeyes had won seven national championships , the most recent being in 2002 when they finished with a perfect 14 – 0 record . Texas came into the game with an all - time record of 788 – 310 – 33 since 1893 . The Longhorns victory total and victory percentage are both the third highest in the NCAA annals . The Longhorns had won three national championships , most recently in 1970 . OSU ranked sixth all - time winning percentage and was tied with Alabama for fifth in terms of total victories . Before the game , it had been uncertain who would play at quarterback for Ohio State . Justin Zwick had started for OSU in the 2004 season but three straight loses and an injury to Zwick gave Troy Smith a chance to start . However , an NCAA investigation found Smith took $ 500 from an Ohio State booster in violation of NCAA rules . Although he could have been dismissed from the team , ultimately he had to repay the money and was forced to sit out OSU ' s 2004 bowl game and the first game of 2005 . Ohio State coach Jim Tressel announced ahead of time that both Zwick and Smith would play in the game . The game was played at Ohio State University in Ohio Stadium , also known as " The Horseshoe " or " the Shoe " . This stadium is notoriously tough for visiting teams , as its large capacity and structural design create a tremendous amount of crowd noise that can make it difficult for the visiting team to call audibles at the line of scrimmage . The Buckeyes had an active 36 consecutive game non - conference winning streak in the stadium . The game ' s attendance was 105 , 565 , which set the all - time attendance record for Ohio Stadium . The game was televised nationally on ABC and drew 9 . 9 million viewers . First quarter . The Buckeyes got the ball to start the game and Justin Zwick was the starting quarterback . He led his team to advance only five yards in three plays so they punted from their own 46 yard - line to the UT eleven yard - line . Less than five minutes into the game , Texas scored first on a field goal by David Pino . The 42 - yard kick was a career - long for Pino and also the first of what would be a career - high ( single game ) three field goals . Ohio State strung together 11 plays for 64 yards but had to punt . With 1 : 37 to play in the first quarter , Texas extended this lead to 10 – 0 with a five - yard touchdown pass from Vince Young to Billy Pittman . Troy Smith came into the game for the first time and was still leading the Buckeyes at the end of the first quarter . Second quarter . Ohio State controlled most of the second quarter . Their first score was a 45 - yd field goal by Josh Huston followed by a 36 - yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes to tie the score at 10 – 10 . They took the lead with two more field goals from Josh Huston ; the first was from 36 yards and the second was from 25 yards . Following the kick - off , Texas took possession of the ball at their own 31 yard - line with only 31 seconds remaining in the first half . Young began the drive by throwing a 36 - yard pass to the Ohio State 18 yard - line and then the receiver ran out of bounds to stop the clock with 20 seconds to play . On the next play , Young rushed for six yards and was tackled in - bounds , causing Texas to use a time out with 12 seconds on the clock . On second down , OSU ' s A . J . Hawk sacked Vince Young for a loss of 8 yards , forcing Texas to take another time - out with seven seconds remaining . Texas put in David Pino to complete a 37 yard kick with two seconds left , making the score 16 – 13 in favor of Ohio State . Texas kicked off and time expired on the ensuing 18 - yard return by Erick Jackson . Halftime . Just as it was the first - ever meeting of the two football teams , it was also the first time that The Ohio State University Marching Band ( nicknamed " The Best Damn Band in the Land " or TBDBITL ) and The University of Texas Longhorn Band ( nicknamed " The Showband of the Southwest " ) had ever performed back - to - back halftime performances . The OSU band performed " Script Ohio " and the UT band performed " Script Texas " . Ohio State also held a ceremony to honor one of their longtime coaches , Woody Hayes , by placing his name on the east side of the stadium . Third quarter . Texas got the ball at their 20 to start the second half . On the first play from scrimmage , Jamaal Charles rushed for three yards . On second down , Vince Young ' s pass was intercepted by Nate Salley at the UT 37 . Two rushes by Antonio Pittman resulted in a first down at the UT 30 . After a short gain on first down and an incomplete pass on second down , Troy Smith recovered his own fumble on third down to set up a successful 44 - yard field goal by Huston . Texas used six plays , including a 63 - yard pass to Billy Pittman before being stopped at the Ohio State eight yard - line . David Pino made the 25 - yard field goal . On the ensuing kick - off by Richmond McGee , OSU ' s Ted Ginn , Jr . took the ball at the one yard - line and ran it out to almost mid - field . The drive ended with a successful 26 - yard field goal by Huston . The following three possessions ( two for Texas and one for Ohio State ) resulted in punts . The third quarter expired with Ohio State leading 22 to 16 and with control of the ball near mid - field . Fourth quarter . Ohio State was unable to score and gave the ball back to Texas with 13 : 24 left in the game . Texas was forced to punt . On the Buckeyes ' next possession they drove from their own 30 to the Texas 33 before settling for a sixth field goal attempt by Huston , this one from 50 yards out . Huston missed wide left to leave Ohio State still ahead by six points . Texas took over at their own 33 with 5 : 07 left in the game . On an incomplete pass to Brian Carter , Texas benefited from a pass interference penalty which moved the ball to the UT 48 . Vince Young rushed for four yards and then threw an incomplete pass to Ramonce Taylor before taking a timeout with 4 : 42 left to play . Young ' s next pass was complete for a first down to Jamaal Charles who went out - of - bounds to completely stop the clock . Vince Young rushed for one yard to the OSU 38 and then took a time - out at 3 : 53 . Young threw to Jamaal Charles who gained eight yards and went out - of - bounds . An offsides penalty by Ohio State and a one - yard rush by Jamaal Charles gave Texas second and nine from the Ohio State 24 . On second and nine with 2 : 37 remaining to play , Vince Young passed a touchdown pass over the head of a defender to find Limas Sweed in the end - zone . It was the 23rd touchdown pass by Young , putting him seventh in the all - time school record book . David Pino ' s kick gave Texas the lead at 23 – 22 . Texas kicked off to the Ohio State five yard - line and Holmes returned it 26 yards to the Buckeye 31 . Justin Zwick was in at quarterback for Ohio State . On first - and - ten and needing a score to win the game , Zwick rushed around the left side to the 35 but a fumble was forced by UT ' s Drew Kelson . UT ' s Brian Robison recovered the fumble at the 30 and advanced it nine yards before being tackled by Vernon Gholston at the Ohio State 21 . With 2 : 19 to play and nursing a one - point lead , Texas was in position to win if they could run out the clock . They began with a 12 - yard rush on the left side by Jamaal Charles for a first down . Charles then carried again up the middle for a two - yard gain to the Ohio State 7 . OSU called a time - out to stop the clock at 1 : 36 . On second - and - goal , Vince Young kept the ball and gained three yards before being tackled by A . J . Hawk . The Buckeyes again called time - out with 1 : 23 left . Young carried again for three yards before being brought down by B . Carpenter and A . J . Hawk just one yard short of the goal - line . This time , Texas took a time - out with 29 seconds left to play . Following the time - out , Young handed off to Henry Melton who was stopped for no gain . Ohio State took over on downs . Troy Smith came back in as quarterback for Ohio State . On first down , Smith was sacked for a loss of one yard by Aaron Harris . This gave Texas a safety , extending their lead to 25 – 22 . Josh Huston attempted an onside kick , but Texas was able to recover it at the Ohio State 32 . Texas took a knee to end the game . Analysis . Ohio State recovered three turnovers in Texas territory , but each time the Texas defense held OSU to just a field goal . The five field goals by Josh Huston tied an Ohio State school and stadium record . He now shares the record with Mike Nugent ( at North Carolina State , September 19 , 2004 ) and Bob Atha ( vs . Indiana , October 24 , 1981 in Ohio Stadium ) . Wide receiver Ted Ginn , Jr . , usually an important contributor for the Buckeyes , was held to only nine yards receiving but he also contributed 82 yards on three kick - off returns ( the longest was for 46 yards ) and eight yards on one punt return . Texas ' win at 25 – 22 was the lowest scoring game the team would experience all season , both in terms of points scored by Texas and in terms of total points . UT ' s victory against fourth - ranked OSU marked the highest ranked non - conference opponent the Longhorns had ever beaten at the opponent ' s home stadium . The previous high came in 1983 when third - ranked Texas pulled off a 20 – 7 upset at fifth - ranked Auburn . Texas became the first non - conference opponent to beat The Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium since 1990 , putting an end to a 36 - game home victory string over non - conference opponents . The Longhorns also were the first team to ever beat the Buckeyes in a night game at The Horseshoe . It was UT ' s 10th straight victory in a night game road contest . ESPN and " College Football Rivals " , were among the observers who named the game one of the best football games of the season . After the game . Texas eventually finished the season of 2005 – 2006 as the only undefeated team , winning both the Big 12 Conference championship and the National Championship . The Longhorns ' penultimate victory of the season , in the Big 12 Championship Game , featured the biggest margin of victory in the history of that contest . Their ultimate victory in the 2006 Rose Bowl against the University of Southern California Trojans for the national championship , as well as their overall season , have both been cited as standing among the greatest performances in college football history by publications such as " College Football News " , the " Atlanta Journal - Constitution " , " Scout . com " , and " Sports Illustrated " . The Longhorns and the Trojans were together awarded the 2006 ESPY Award by ESPN for the " Best Game " in any sport . The Longhorns finished the season as the only unbeaten team , with 13 wins and zero losses overall . < ref name = " Win / Loss > College football team records are conventionally expressed in number of wins / losses . 13 – 0 means 13 wins and zero losses . < / ref > The season gave Texas its second Big 12 football championship ( 27 conference championships total , including 25 in the Southwest Conference ) , and fourth consensus national championship in football . It was the ninth perfect season in the history of Longhorn football . UT set numerous school and NCAA records , including most points scored in a season ( 652 ) . After the season ended , six Longhorns from this championship team were selected by professional football teams in the 2006 NFL Draft . Ohio State finished the season with an appearance in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl where they defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34 – 20 . They finished the season ranked No . 4 in the nation .