The 2005 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 game between the Texas Longhorns and 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 Longhorns 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.
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.
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.
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. The two teams met the next year in Texas, with Ohio State prevailing 24-7 in a rematch. In 2009, they met again in the Fiesta Bowl, with Texas scoring with 16 seconds left to win 24-21. The two teams haven't met since then. However, they were originally going to meet in another home and home series in 2022 and 2023, with the 2022 game occurring in Texas and the 2023 game occurring in Columbus. However, this has since been pushed back a ways. Now, the two games will occur in 2025 and 2026. The 2025 game will be played in Texas, and the 2026 game will be played in Columbus.
29 май 2020
