1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Liberty Bowl, L 11-23 vs. Air Force
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record7–4–1 (5–2–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJim Colletto (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorBill Young (3rd season)
MVPJeff Graham
Captains
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
1990 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Michigan + 6 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 16 Michigan State + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 1
No. 25 Illinois + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
No. 18 Iowa + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Ohio State 5 – 2 – 1 7 – 4 – 1
Minnesota 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Indiana 3 – 4 – 1 6 – 5 – 1
Northwestern 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Purdue 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Wisconsin 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled a 7–4–1 record (5–2–1 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 338 to 197. Against ranked opponents, they tied with No. 22 Indiana and lost to No. 18 USC, No. 13 Illinois, and No. 15 Michigan. They concluded the season with a loss to unranked Air Force in the 1990 Liberty Bowl. The Buckeyes were not ranked in the final AP poll.[1]

The Buckeyes gained an average of 177.7 rushing yards and 181.9 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 125.7 rushing yards and 164.9 passing yards per game.[2] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Greg Frey (1,952 passing yards, 51.8% completion percentage), running back Robert Smith (1,064 rushing yards, 6.5 yards per carry), and wide receiver Jeff Graham (39 receptions for 760 yards).[2] Graham, center Dan Beatty, and linebacker Steve Tovar received first-team honors on the 1990 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3] [4][5]

The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 83:30 p.m.Texas Tech*No. 18
ABCW 17–1088,707[6]
September 1512:00 p.m.at Boston College*No. 17
JPSW 31–1032,432[7]
September 293:30 p.m.No. 18 USC*No. 15
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ABCL 26–3589,422[8]
October 63:30 p.m.No. 13 IllinoisNo. 20
ABCL 20–3189,404[9]
October 1312:30 p.m.at No. 22 Indiana
ESPNT 27–2752,080[10]
October 202:00 p.m.at Purdue
W 42–257,031[11]
October 271:30 p.m.Minnesota
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 52–2389,533[12]
November 31:30 p.m.Northwestern
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 48–789,177[13]
November 1012:00 p.m.at No. 6 Iowa
ABCW 27–2670,033[14]
November 172:00 p.m.at WisconsinNo. 21
W 35–1041,403[15]
November 2412:00 p.m.No. 15 MichiganNo. 19
ABCL 13–1690,054[16]
December 277:00 p.m.vs. Air Force*No. 24
ESPNL 11–2339,262[17]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[18]

Game summaries

Texas Tech

Team 1 234Total
Texas Tech 0 370 10
• Ohio St 0 0107 17
Scoring summary
Q2TTUElliott 37 yard field goalTTU 3–0
Q3OHSTT. Williams 32 yard field goalTie 3–3
Q3TTULynn 52 yard pass from Gill (Elliott kick)TTU 10–3
Q3OHSTSmith 2 yard run (T. Williams kick)Tie 10–10
Q4OHSTJ. Graham 50 yard punt return (T. Williams kick)OHST 17–10

[19]

At Boston College

USC

Illinois

At Indiana

At Purdue

Minnesota

Northwestern

At Iowa

Ohio State Buckeyes (5–2–1) at #6 Iowa Hawkeyes (7–1)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ohio St 0 14 01327
Iowa 7 10 3626

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa

Game information

At Wisconsin

Michigan

Liberty Bowl (vs Air Force)


Personnel

1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 83 Allen DeGraffenreid So
QB Greg Frey
WR Jeff Graham
OT 67 Alan Kline Fr
WR 8 Bobby Olive
TE 85 Cedric Saunders Fr
RB Robert Smith
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K Tim Williams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Jim Colletto
    Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, Tackles and Tight Ends (3rd Year)
  • Bill Young
    Defensive Coordinator (3rd Year)
  • Gary Blackney
    Inside Linebackers (7th Year)
  • Tony Caviglia
    Volunteer Assistant (2nd Year)
  • Ron Hudson
    Quarterbacks (3rd Year)
  • Gene Huey
    Wide Receivers (3rd Year)
  • Steve Pederson
    Recruiting Coordinator (3rd Year)
  • Fred Pagac
    Outside Linebackers (9th Year)
  • Bob Palcic
    Guards and Centers, Special Teams Coordinator (5th Year)
  • Bobby Turner
    Running Backs (2nd Year)
  • Dave Kennedy
    Strength and Conditioning Coach (2nd Year)
  • Ron Zook
    Defensive Backs (3rd Year)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2016-Dec-02

Awards and honors

1991 NFL draftees

Player Round Pick Position NFL club
Vinnie Clark 1 19 Defensive back Green Bay Packers
Jeff Graham 2 46 Wide receiver Pittsburgh Steelers
Bobby Olive 11 300 Wide receiver Kansas City Chiefs

[21]

References

  1. ^ "1990 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "1990 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  3. ^ "Hawks dominate AP's All-Big Ten" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. November 28, 1990. p. 1B.
  4. ^ "Leaders dominate AP All-Big Ten team". The Daily Reporter. November 28, 1990. p. 6.
  5. ^ "Michigan, Iowa tops in balloting". The Argus-Press (AP story). November 27, 1990. p. 9.
  6. ^ "Smith revives bumbling Buckeyes". The Times Recorder. September 9, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Buckeyes stand firm, whip Boston College". The Sunday Record. September 16, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "USC runners, storm wash out Ohio State's victory hopes". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 30, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "'Lateral' helps Illini top OSU". The Marion Star. October 7, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tie fails to thrill Indiana". Chicago Tribune. October 14, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Safety's highlight of long day for struggling Purdue". The Kokomo Tribune. October 21, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Minnesota fried by Ohio State's Frey". The Indianapolis Star. October 28, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Another big win for OSU". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. November 4, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Buckeyes stop Iowa – again". The Waterloo Courier. November 11, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Ohio State wins, keeps Rose Bowl hopes alive". The Akron Beacon Journal. November 18, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Ohio State's gamble pays – for Michigan". Chicago Tribune. November 25, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Air Force gets the last laugh". The Commercial Appeal. December 28, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Park, Jack (2003). The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-695-7.
  19. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1990 Sept 9.
  20. ^ "Flashback: Ohio State Stuns Iowa in 1990 to End the Hawkeyes' National Championship Hopes". Eleven Warriors. November 3, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  21. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.
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