1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference, Ohio Athletic Conference
Record3–3 (0–3 Big Ten, 3–0 OAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumOhio Field
Seasons
← 1917
1919 →
1918 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Michigan + 2 – 0 – 0 5 – 0 – 0
Illinois + 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 2 – 0
Purdue + 1 – 0 – 0 3 – 3 – 0
Iowa 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 1
Minnesota 2 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 1
Northwestern 1 – 1 – 0 2 – 2 – 1
Wisconsin 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 3 – 0
Indiana 0 – 0 – 0 2 – 2 – 0
Ohio State 0 – 3 – 0 3 – 3 – 0
Chicago 0 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1918 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Wittenberg $ 3 – 0 – 0 4 – 0 – 0
Miami (OH) 4 – 0 – 1 5 – 0 – 1
Mount Union 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 1 – 0
Wooster 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 1 – 0
Western Reserve 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 0
Ohio 1 – 0 – 1 4 – 0 – 1
Cincinnati 0 – 0 – 2 3 – 0 – 2
Ohio Wesleyan 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 2 – 0
Case 2 – 3 – 2 3 – 5 – 2
Akron 1 – 2 – 1 2 – 2 – 1
Oberlin 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 4 – 0
Baldwin–Wallace 0 – 4 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Kenyon 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 4 – 0
Ohio Northern 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 5 – 0
Denison 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 0
Ohio State * 3 – 0 – 0 3 – 3 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – did not complete for championship

The 1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented Ohio State University in the 1918 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach John Wilce, the Buckeyes compiled a 3–3 record (0–3 against conference opponents) and outscored opponents by a combined total of 134 to 41.[1]

End Clarence A. MacDonald received first-team honors on the 1918 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[2][3]

With the country involved in World War I, many of the top football players did not play due to military service. Players serving in the military included Chic Harley and Gaylord Stinchcomb of Ohio State.[4][5]

In response to the Spanish flu pandemic, the football schedule was modified. The matchup with Northwestern was canceled while the game against Michigan was moved to the last game in November.[6]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
October 5Ohio Wesleyan
W 41–0
October 12Denison
  • Ohio Field
  • Columbus, OH
W 34–0
October 19Northwestern Canceled
November 9Case
  • Ohio Field
  • Columbus, OH
W 56–0
November 16at Illinois
L 0–132,786
November 23Wisconsin
  • Ohio Field
  • Columbus, OH
L 3–14
November 30Michigan
L 0–147,000

Game summaries

On October 5, 1918, Ohio State defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 41–0, in Columbus, Ohio.[7]

On October 12, 1918, Ohio State defeated Denison, 34–0, in Columbus, Ohio. With Chic Harley serving in the military, halfback Thomas Davies was the star for the Buckeyes.[8]

On November 9, 1918, Ohio State defeated Case, 56–0, on a muddy field in Columbus, Ohio.[9]

On November 16, 1918, Illinois defeated Ohio State, 13–0, on a muddy field in Champaign, Illinois. Kirkpatrick and Sabo scored touchdowns for Illinois.[10]

On November 23, 1918, Wisconsin defeated Ohio State, 14-3, in Columbus, Ohio.[11]

On November 30, 1918, Michigan defeated Ohio State, 14–0, in Columbus, Ohio.[12] The game was played on a wet, muddy and slippery field that handicapped the offensive players.[13] The teams played to a scoreless tie in a first half. Michigan's first touchdown was set up by a 73-yard punt from Frank Steketee that "stuck fast in the mud" at Ohio State's two- or three-yard line.[13][14] Michigan's defense held, and Ohio State was forced to punt from his end zone. Angus Goetz blocked the punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.[13] Later in the game, Steketee faked a run around the end and passed to Robert J. Dunne who was "camped near the uprights."[13][15]

References

  1. ^ "1918 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Walter Eckersall (December 8, 1918). "Eckersall Picks "All Star" Eleven of the Big Ten". Chicago Tribune. pp. 2–4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ ESPN Big Ten Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2007. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-933060-49-1.
  4. ^ "Chick Harley: Ohio's Great Halfback to Join the Army Flyers". The Fort Wayne Daily News. December 6, 1917. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Stinchcomb Leaves Ohio". Lansing State Journal. May 2, 1918. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Kaufman, Joey (March 29, 2020). "Influenza outbreak put 1918 Ohio State football season in the shadows". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Plunges of Ohio State's Backs Too Much for Wesleyan and Methodists Meet Defeat, 41–0". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 6, 1918. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "Denison State's Latest Victim: Western Conference Champions Add Another Scalp To Their Belts". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 13, 1918. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ "Ohio Swamps Case on Muddy Field, 56 to 0". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 10, 1918. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ "Illinois Pounds Line For Victory Over Ohio: Urbana Boys Make Their First Touchdown Within Five Minutes After Opening of Game; Second in Third Quarter". The Decatur Herald. November 17, 1918. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ "Badgers Victors Over Ohio State Eleven, 14 to 7: Smith Scores Both of Wisconsin Touchdowns After Sprints of 80 Yards". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 24, 1918. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ^ "Michigan Keeps Slate Clean by Downing Ohio State, 14–0". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 1, 1918. p. A5. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c d Harry Bullion (December 1, 1918). "Michigan Averts Disaster in Final Period, Scoring Twice, Winning 14–0: Goetz Again Gains the Winning Break on Block of Punt". Detroit Free Press – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ^ Keim, Bob (November 20, 2004). "101 Greatest Moments". The Plain Dealer.
  15. ^ "Michigan Downs Ohio State by 14 to 0 Score". Syracuse Herald. December 1, 1918.


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