Some will credit to Mcassface for this. Given how lazy his reporting as, you could call this day "Lazy Journalism Appreciation Day."
I'm going to celebrate lazy journalism by doing what lazy journalist do - MAKE A LIST.
Here are my 20 favorite Urban Meyer games at OSU
Honorable Mention - OSU 56, Miami, OH 10, 2012.
It's a blowout MAC win, so tough to get excited about it. But it was Meyer's first game. And I'll never forget the end of the first half. OSU had a first and goal at about the 2 with enough time for 1 play. Meyer never hesitated and went for the TD. Carlos Hyde got stuffed, but it was a signal that Meyer was not Tressel (I say that as a big admirer of Tressel).
#20 - OSU 30, Wisconsin 23 (ot) 2016
A thrilling OT win over a top ten Wisconsin team, at night in Camp Randall. Offense struggled to move the ball most of the game and JT Barrett threw what seemed to be a crippling red zone INT in the rain. Ironically, Wisconsin was the 5th best team they played all year.
#19 - OSU 63, Nebraska 38, 2012
It was signature 4 loss Pelini Nebraska team. But it was the first night game under Meyer, and Nebraska was still borderline relevant. Nebraska jumped out by 10 early, but then OSU hit the gas pedal. This was the "OSU is back" game.
#18 - Ohio State 42, Michigan 41, 2013
6 of the 7 wins over Michigan are on here, and this might have been the most entertaining of the 7. But it gets last of the Michigan games for me on this list. OSU should've won comfortable, and instead needed a Tyvis Powel INT on a 2 pt conversion to win it. Braxton Miller and Hyde were unstoppable, but they defensive cracks we had seen al year were now fissures. Still, Devin Gardner lying on the turf, dejected, is a great picture.
#17 OSU 44, Notre Dame 28, 2016 Fiesta Bowl
2015 was a bit of a joyless slog. However, beating ND in a big bowl is noteworthy. Last game for Ezekiel Elliot, Michael Thomas and Joey Bosa as Buckeyes
#16 OSU 24, USC 7, 2018 Cotton Bowl
A boring game, but like above, beating USC in a bowl game is noteworthy. It was 24-0 at one point in the 2nd, and I was sure this was enough of a statement so that the committee wouldn't overlook B1G OSU again.
#15 OSU 40, NW 30, 2013
NW ended the year 5-7, so it seems like a meh game. But NW was coming off a1 0 win year, and were 4-0 and ranked 16th, and this was a night game in Evanston. NW jumped out early, and their QBs combined to go 25 for 30. But Carlos Hyde was a monster, with over 200 yards from scrimmage and 3 TDs in the last 20 minutes of gametime. It felt like a big win at the time.
#14 OSU 45, Oklahoma 24, 2016
Despite losing a ton of talent to the NFL, they still went into Oklahoma and beat Baker Mayfield and the eventual B12 champs handily. Noah Brown had 4 tds including one of the best I've ever seen.
#13 OSU 63, PSU 14, 2013
This was year 2 of Bill O'Brien in Happy Valley. It was 2 years after Joe Pa was fired, and PSU fans were in full tinfoil hat mode. The previous game had featured a missed holding call on a TD, so of course the entire universe was against PSU. Furthermore, Bill O'Brien had gotten B1G COY the previous, despite Meyer taking a 6-7 team and going undefeated. So this felt personal. And OSU romped. It was 35-7 at half. The postgame handshake was very tense. I wonder if there was some secret beef.
#12 OSU 42, Michigan 13, 2015
After blowing a chance at a repeat the prior week vs Sparty, this seemed like a game OSU could lose. At it was close at half. Then OSU remembered it was the most talent CFB team in a decade and stormed through the second half. A satisfying end to a disappointing regular season.
#11 OSU 42, Michigan 28, 2014
This game was a whirlwind of emotions. Needing a big win to impress the committee. Falling down early. Michigan hangs tough. JT breaks his leg. Long TDs by Zeke and Darron Lee seal it. Little did we know what the enxt 3 games would bring.
#10 OSU 29, Purdue 22 (ot) 2012
Purdue was 6-7 year, but this was a thrilling comeback. OSU never lead until the final score. Purdue got up early, then Braxton got hurt. Kenny Guiton came in, and cemented his status as a Buckeye legend by successfully running a 2 minute drill, converting a 2 pt conversion, then winning in overtime.
#9 OSU 26, Michigan 21, 2012
Notable for many reasons. Meyer's first Michigan game. Avenged OSU's loss the previous year. Capped the 12-0 season. But my favorite was Carlos Hyde openly mocking Denard Robinson after a late first down sealed the game.
#8 OSU 27, PSU 26, 2018
OSU and PSU played some great games. The OT thriller in 2014 didn't make the list (maybe it should have), and of course 2016 was crazy. Not as impressive as beating Kentucky or Syracuse mind you, but a nice win this year.
#7 OSU 62, Michigan 39, 2018
2015 there was concern OSU might lose. 2016, it was even heading in. Every other year, OSU was a sizeable favorite...except this year. A complete embarrassment for Michigan. Not a bad going away present.
#6 OSU 39, PSU 38, 2017
OSU was looking to avenge last year's loss and stay in the CFP race. PSU was undefeated. PSU jumped out early with kick returns, penalties, and bad officiating. OSU reailed 21-3. However, JT Barrett had the second half of his life to lead an amazing comeback.
#5 OSU 49, MSU 37, 2014
It's easy to remeber OSU was definitely an underdog here. They had lost to Virginia Tech by 14, and MSU was the defending B1G champ. MSU had 1 loss at Oregon. It was a night game at MSU. All signed pointed to an MSU win. They were poised to take a 28-14 lead in the 2nd when a holding penalty negated a TD. MSU missed a FG, OSU scored on the first play after the FG on a long pass to Thomas, then another long TD to Devin Smith gave OS the lead before half, and they never looked back. This game catapulted them into the late season run.
#4 OSU 59, Wisconsin 0, 2014
OSU was actually an underdog, with Cardale Jones taking over for Barrett. OSU scored on their first drive, lead 14-0 after 1 and 38-0 at half. Heisman third place finisher Melvin Gordon had 2.9 ypc. Joey Bosa outscored Wisconsin by himself. It was the most dominating performance I have ever seen from an OSU team, when you factor is opponent and what was at steak.
#3 OSU 30, Michigan 27 (ot) 2016
There have been some great incarnations of The Game. 1968, 1969, 1973, 1995, 1996 and 2006 come to mind. This is right there with all of them. OSU trailed the entire game. Shaky FG kicking almost cost OSU in regulation. Then, OSU won with no controversy in double OT, as Curtis Samuel scored winner one play after JT Barrett easily converted a 4th down.
#2 OSU 42, Oregon 20, 2014 National Championship Game
What's easy to forget is that OSU essentially lost the turnover battle 4-0 (Eli Apple had a pick on the last play of the game). Oregon scored 10 pts of turnovers, and OSU probably had at least 10 pts taken taken away via turnovers. This could've been a 40+ point beatdown. Oregon could do nothing to stop Zeke, and Cardale had a bunch of big passes.
#1 OSU 42, Alabama 35, 2014 Sugar Bowl
