Examining the Series History Between Ohio State and Minnesota
The Ohio State and Minnesota football programs are no stranger to each other, having met on the gridiron 53 times before Thursday’s 2021-22 season opener. In fact, for many years this was an annual affair. But after the Big Ten expanded and the teams were put in different divisions, they've only played three times in the last 11 seasons.
Here is what a snapshot of the series looks like ahead of the 54th meeting between the Buckeyes and the Golden Gophers, set for primetime this Thursday on Fox.
Opponent: Minnesota Golden Gophers
All-Time Record: OSU leads, 46-7
First Meeting: Oct. 15, 1921 (Ohio State, 27-0)
Last Meeting: Oct. 13, 2018 (Ohio State, 30-14)
Current Win Streak: OSU, 11
Despite the dominance Ohio State shows with their record and win streak in this series (OSU has won 27 of the last 28 meetings), the scores of these previous games are a mixed bag of blowouts and close finishes. The last 12 games include both 44-0 (2006) and 52-10 (2010) wins, as well as games that ended 31-28 (2001) and 31-24 (2014), still in favor of the Buckeyes.
Minnesota's most recent win in the series came in 2000, when the Golden Gophers defeated the Buckeyes in Columbus by a score of 29-17.
While the Buckeyes hold a significant advantage in the all-time series, anything can happen, especially when the Golden Gophers boast a home field advantage. Though the Golden Gophers only have seven wins in the history of this matchup, five of them (~70%) have come on their home turf.
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Add that to a game in which fans will be in attendance for the first time in over a year, plus a new freshman quarterback making his first career start, and this has the makings of being a challenge for the Buckeyes.
This will be the first meeting between the two cross-division foes in three years. On October 13, 2018 at The Shoe, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins blew out the Golden Gophers with an epic performance. He finished the game 33-of-44 through the air, accounting for 412 yards and three touchdowns. It was his second straight (in what turned out to be three consecutive) 400-yard passing game. But most impressively, of the five total such games he had during that magical season, the Minnesota game was the only one in which he did not throw an interception.
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins drops back to throw against Minnesota on October 13, 2018.
Trailing 7-3 late in the first quarter, Haskins unleashed a perfect throw down the middle of the field for a 41-yard TD to Terry McLaurin to give the Buckeyes the lead, currently of the Washington Football Team in the NFL.
The offense had trouble finding its stride in the first half, as they trailed 14-10 late in the second quarter. But a crazy, 1-handed grab by K.J. Hill put the Scarlet and Gray out front on a 38-yard score. Ohio State would never relinquish that lead and Hill caught a second touchdown in the second half.
For Minnesota, quarterback Zach Annexstad went 13-for-23 for 218 yards and two interceptions. Ohio State only turned one of those picks into points, thanks to a 21-yard field goal from kicker Blake Haubeil. Haubeil hit all three of his attempts that day, the longest of which was good from 47 yards.
This will only be the third time these two schools have played each other in Huntington Bank Stadium (formerly known as TCF Bank Stadium) since it was completed and opened in 2009. When it was finished, the venue was the Big Ten Conference’s newest football stadium since 1960. The Buckeyes have won both of the two previous games at Huntington Bank Stadium.
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