The History of Ohio State vs. Texas

In the history of Ohio State football, the Buckeyes have faced off against 92 of the 136 FBS programs heading into 2025. The Buckeyes have taken on each of the bluebloods of the sport, and last year, they had to run through a handful. Oddly enough, the Buckeyes had to beat three of the top programs in the history of college football en route to their ninth national championship. In the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes took down Texas. The Longhorns don’t have to wait long to try and get their revenge, however.

Texas travels to Ohio Stadium for the marquee Week 1 matchup to kick off a highly anticipated start to the 2025 season. These two storied programs have met a few times before. In total, Ohio State vs. Texas has graced our television four times in history, all of which have occurred within the last 20 years.

The History of Ohio State vs. Texas

Round 1: 2005

The first time these two programs faced off was back in 2005 in Columbus. In a top-four matchup in the second week of the season, Texas was coming off an impressive 11-1 season capped off with a Rose Bowl win. Ohio State’s 2004 season was one to forget. The Buckeyes finished 8-4 and dominated Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. Of course, everyone knows how special Texas’s 2005 season was.

The first major hurdle for the Longhorns was a trip to Ohio Stadium. It wasn’t as close as the score suggests. Texas outgained the Buckeyes 382 to 255 and baffled both Troy Smith and Justin Zwick to just 163 yards with one touchdown while completing just 53.8% of their passes. Jim Tressel’s defense kept the team in it with their turnovers. Texas turned it over on two of their final three first-half possessions and again on the first possession of the second half. Unfortunately, Ohio State scored three field goals off the short fields.

The Buckeyes took the lead with 5:12 to go in the third quarter. After trading five punts, the Ohio State missed a field goal, providing Texas with a spark. Vince Young drove 67 yards (aided by a few defensive penalties) and found Limas Sweed on a perfectly-placed ball in the front corner of the endzone over two Buckeye defenders to put the Longhorns up, 23-22.

On the ensuing drive, Zwick fumbled it away. The defense got a turnover on downs on a goal-line stand, but Smith was sacked on the first play for a safety. The first Ohio State vs. Texas matchup went the way of the Longhorns, 24-22, in an instant classic.

The Rematch: 2006

Texas went on to win a national championship in one of the greatest games in college football history. So, in a 1-vs-2 matchup in the second week of the year, Ohio State traveled to Austin. This time, the script was flipped.

Ohio State kicked off the game with a 68-yard drive that resulted in a missed field goal. After trading punts, Texas was able to conjure up a lengthy drive, only for the Buckeyes to force a turnover in the red zone. That was the spark Smith needed as he led the offense down the field and found Anthony Gonzalez for a 14-yard touchdown. Colt McCoy was able to lead a 13-play touchdown drive toward the end of the first half.

However, the eventual Heisman-winner led the Buckeyes on a five-play, 66-yard touchdown drive in just 1:39.

On the first drive of the second half, current linebackers coach James Laurinaitis picked off McCoy. The ensuing drive was capped off by the Buckeyes taking a 17-7 lead off an Aaron Pettrey field goal. After dueling punts, Texas drove down only to miss another field goal. That gave the Buckeyes a spark. Smith and Antonio Pittman put the game away with a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive.

Ohio State outgained Texas by just 22 yards. While the 2005 matchup was closer on the scoreboard than it was on the field, 2006 was closer on the field than it was on the scoreboard. Ohio State took advantage of a missed field goal and forced two turnovers while only missing one field goal itself.

An Instant Classic in the Desert: 2009

The 2009 season featured a gauntlet of a schedule. After dropping games against top-ranked USC and third-ranked Penn State, the Buckeyes earned a bid to the Fiesta Bowl against third-ranked 12-1 Texas. McCoy finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up and, in reality, had a real argument to appear in the BCS National Championship Game (the Longhorns beat Oklahoma head-to-head, but the Sooners won the Big 12 over Missouri).

This was a tale of two halves, as cliché as that saying is. The first half featured four punts, three field goals, a missed field goal, an interception, and a turnover on downs. The second half featured 34 points. In Ohio State’s two full drives in the third quarter, it managed five yards and no first downs. Meanwhile, Texas scored two touchdowns to take a 17-6 lead.

Then, Ohio State came charging back. The next three drives ended with a made field goal and two touchdowns, putting the Buckeyes ahead with 2:05 to go. The first of those two touchdowns was a back-corner toss to Terrelle Pryor from Todd Boeckman. Then, McCoy orchestrated a methodical, 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a 26-yard strike to Quan Cosby.

McCoy went off for 414 yards while completing 41 of his 58 passes. Meanwhile, Boeckman and Pryor combined for 202 yards on 10 of 25 passing. On the ground, the Buckeyes out-gained the Longhorns 203 to 54.