1985 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1985 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Florida Citrus Bowl champion
Florida Citrus Bowl, W 10–7 vs. BYU
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
APNo. 14
Record9–3 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGlen Mason (6th season)
Defensive coordinatorGary Blackney (1st season)
MVPJim Karsatos
Captains
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
1985 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Iowa $ 7 1 0 10 2 0
No. 2 Michigan 6 1 1 10 1 1
Illinois 5 2 1 6 5 1
No. 14 Ohio State 5 3 0 9 3 0
Michigan State 5 3 0 7 5 0
Minnesota 4 4 0 7 5 0
Purdue 3 5 0 5 6 0
Wisconsin 2 6 0 5 6 0
Indiana 1 7 0 4 7 0
Northwestern 1 7 0 3 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1985 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 1985 Big Ten season. In their seventh year under head coach Earle Bruce, the Buckeyes compiled a 9–3 record (5–3 in conference games), tied for fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 315 to 205. Against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 1 Iowa, lost to No. 6 Michigan, and defeated No. 9 BYU in the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 14 in the final AP poll.

The Buckeyes gained an average of 163.8 rushing yards and 184.1 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 147.2 rushing yards and 180.3 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jim Karsatos (2,115 passing yards, 62.2% completion percentage), running back John Wooldridge (728 rushing yards, 4.9 yards per carry), and wide receiver Cris Carter (53 receptions for 879 yards). Linebackers Pepper Johnson and Chris Spielman received first-team All-America honors from the UPI and NEA, respectively. Six received first-team honors on the 1985 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Johnson (AP/UPI); Spielman (AP/UPI); Carter (AP/UPI); center Bob Maggs (AP/UPI); offensive tackle Rory Graves (UPI); and punter Tom Tupa (UPI).

The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.