Countdown To Kickoff 2022: Ohio State Destroys Wooster, 74-0

We’re counting the days until the 2022 season by the number of points the Buckeyes scored in some of their greatest victories.

There are many ways to countdown to the upcoming college football season, though none may be more popular than naming the best player in school history by jersey number.

We've decided to do something a little different, though, and will be counting the days until Ohio State's season opener against Notre Dame on Sept. 3 by the number of points the Buckeyes scored in some of their greatest victories.

For example, Ohio State scored 48 points in its win over Utah in the Rose Bowl back in January. That game could very well be highlighted when there are 48 days remaining in the offseason.

We understand that this approach won't allow us to do a daily countdown, especially with higher point totals, but we're hopeful that looking back at some of the more notable games in school history will build anticipation for the upcoming season.

With that said, let's continue the countdown...

Ohio State 74, Wooster 0 - Oct. 9, 1909

Under the direction of Chillicothe, Ohio, native and former Michigan halfback Albert Herrnstein, the Ohio State football program opened the 1909 season with three straight shutouts.

That included a 14-0 win over Otterbein at the newly rechristened Ohio Field – which had been named University Field from 1898 through the late 1908 season – a 39-0 win over Wittenberg and a 74-0 win over Wooster.

"State has a team that is bound to make trouble for all of the Ohio teams this fall," Wooster's student newspaper, The Wooster Voice, wrote after the game. "The line is heavy and aggressive, while the backfield is the best put out by the down-state school in late years.

"(Tom) Jones, quarterback, played a sensational game. Time after time he got away for quarterback runs, while he returned punts in spectacular fashion. (Gideon) Hatfield, the old Wooster star, played a good game against his old school, showing up especially well on defense.

"Ohio State knows not only how to play football, but also how to treat a visiting team. Every courtesy was extended to our boys. State played a clean game."

The Buckeyes won just four of their final seven games, however, including losses to Michigan (33-6), Case (11-3) and Oberlin (26-6). A 5-0 win over then-powerhouse Vanderbilt was the highlight of the season, which was the last in college football to feature two 35-minute halves rather than four 15-minute quarters.

It also marked Herrnstein's final season at the helm. He went 28-10-1 in four years at Ohio State, which were the most victories in school history to that point, but his 0-4 mark against his alma mater was his undoing. 

Herrnstein's record was later broken by John Wilce, who went 78-33-9 while leading the Buckeyes from 1913-28. 

Photo courtesy of The Ohio State University Library. 

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