Countdown To Kickoff 2022: Ohio State Mauls Minnesota, 69-18

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 69, Minnesota 18 - Oct. 1, 1983

Coming off a disappointing road loss to Iowa in the 1983 Big Ten opener, Ohio State took out its frustrations with a 69-18 home victory over Minnesota.

The Buckeyes forced seven turnovers, including four fumbles and three interceptions, to turn a 7-3 first-quarter lead into a 62-12 advantage by the end of the third quarter.

"I don't want to take anything away from Ohio State, but we gave them a lot of help," Golden Gophers head coach Joe Salem told reporters after the game. "I have never had a team that looked so bad and so inept. We just failed miserably on fundamentals."

Running back Keith Byars carried the ball 10 times for 87 yards and three touchdowns for the Buckeyes, including runs of 1, 22 and 33 yards. 

Linebacker Rowland Tatum – no relation to former safety Jack Tatum – led the defense with 13 tackles and one interception, which he returned 52 yards to set up Byars' 22-yard score one play later.

Ohio State also blocked a punt, which was recovered in the end zone by wide receiver Cedric Anderson.

"It was a Big Ten win and we're looking forward to building on that," head coach Earle Bruce said. "After a slow start we finally got going. We got some big plays both on defense and offense. We snapped back from defeat and that's important."

It remains the largest margin of victory for either team in the series, which dates back to 1921. The Buckeyes hold a 47-7 all-time lead, including wins in 40 of the last 42 meetings.

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