The 1979 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1979 Big Ten season. In their first season under head coach Earl Bruce, the Buckeyes compiled an 11âÂÂ1 record (8âÂÂ0 in conference games), won the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 374 to 109. They were undefeated in the regular season, including victories over No. 17 UCLA and No. 13 Michigan, and were ranked No. 1 in the AP poll at the end of the regular season. The Buckeyes represented the Big Ten in the 1980 Rose Bowl where they lost, 17âÂÂ16, to No. 3 USC. They were ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 240.3 rushing yards and 134.0 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 120.8 rushing yards and 127.2 passing yards per game. Quarterback Art Schlichter completed 94 of 179 passes (52.5%) for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also tallied for 436 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. The team's other statistical leaders included running back Calvin Murray (799 rushing yards, 5.2 yards per carry) and wide receiver Doug Donley (33 receptions for 690 yards, 20.9 yards per reception). Guard Ken Fritz was a consensus first-team All-American. Art Schlichter also received first-team All-America honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and The Sporting News.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
The longest pass in school history to date, an 86-yard bomb from Art Schlichter to Calvin Murray, helped propel Ohio State to a 45-29 win over Washington State. The previous record was an 80-yard pass from Joe Sparma to Bob Klein in 1961 versus Michigan.
Ohio State clinched the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl with an 18-15 victory over their archrivals. The Buckeyes had not beaten nor scored a touchdown against Michigan since 1975, the last time they had gone to Pasadena.