1951 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
| 1951 Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 4–3–2 (2–2–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Vic Janowicz |
| Captain | Robert C. Heid |
| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Illinois $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Wisconsin | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1951 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 1951 Big Ten season. In their first year under head coach Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes compiled a 4–3–2 record (2–2–2 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 109 to 104. The Buckeyes opened the season ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, but dropped from the AP rankings after compiling a 1–2–1 record in their first four games, including a close 24–20 loss to No. 1 Michigan State and a 32–10 upset loss to unranked Indiana. They then won three straight games, but concluded the season with two games in which they failed to score any points: a scoreless tie against undefeated No. 3 Illinois; and a 7–0 loss to unranked Michigan. Unranked in the final AP and UP polls, they were ranked No. 31 out of 650 teams included in the final Litkenhous Ratings.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 139.1 rushing yards and 115.7 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 136.2 rushing yards and 136.8 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Tony Curcillo (912 passing yards, 43.6% completion percentage), halfback Vic Janowicz (376 rushing yards, 3.5 yard per carry), and end Robert Joslin (18 receptions for 281 yards). Janowicz was the only player to receive national honors, receiving second-team honors on the 1951 All-America team.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The team attracted a school record 455,737 fans at six home games, an average of 75,652 per game.