BuckeyeLegends.com is proud to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Ohio State Buckeye 1982 Football Team! We will be featuring Legends from that team through the football season.

1982 Team History

• One of Coach Earl Bruce’s top priorities entering the 1982 season was to improve his team’s defense, and particularly its ability to protect against the forward pass.
• He made three coaching changes, hiring Randy Hart and Dom Capers and promoting Fred Pagac from graduate assistant to full time assistant.
• The defense would be built around tackles Jerome Foster and Chris Riehm and inside linebacker Marcus Marek and Glen Cobb, all seniors for the 1982 season.
• On the Offense Tim Spencer and Jimmy Gayle returned at Tailback, Vaughn Broadnax at fullback, Gary Williams at wide receiver and John Frank at tight end.
• The experienced linemen included tackle William Roberts and Joe Smith, and guards Joe Lukens and Scott Zalenski.
• The hardest task was to replace Schlichter at QB. Sophomore Mike Tomczak earned the starting spot.

The 1982 Season part 1

• 2 victories to open the season, 3 consecutive games lost in Ohio Stadium, then finished the season with seven straight wins.
• Game 1 vs. Baylor Bears September 11, 1982 – Tomczak’s one-yard sneak for the final touchdown midway through the fourth period to break the 14-14 tie and earn the Buckeyes the 21-14 victory.
• Game 2 vs. Michigan State Spartans September 18, 1982 - 31-10 win
• Game 3 vs. Stanford Cardinals September 25, 1982 - a then record crowd in Ohio Stadium of 89,436, Buckeyes had a four point lead, second down, 1:50 to go in the fourth; Tomczak throws and is picked off for the 4th time of the game. Enter John Elway, and with seven plays and 69 seconds, he drove his Cardinals the 80 yards needed to pick up the win.
• Game 4 vs. Florida State Seminoles October 2, 1982– 2 days earlier Brent Offenbecher’s wife Jacquie, gave birth to their daughter Amy at University Hospital, and now Brent found himself with some play time completing 11 of 24 for 204 yards when Coach Bruce replaced Tomczak midway through the second quarter. Busy week for Offenbacher.
• For only the second time since 1922 (the first season at Ohio Stadium), Ohio State lost three in a row at home, when they fell to the Wisconsin Badgers 0-6 in the 5th Game of the Season.
• Bruce asked Woody Hayes to speak to the team early in the week to encourage them to remain confident about their season.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 of the 1982 Season history

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