In 2005, when Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns traveled to the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio it was shockingly the first meeting between two of college football’s true blue bloods.
Thanks in large part to bowl affiliations, the Longhorns and Buckeyes had never met in the postseason and had never scheduled each other as a non-conference game. In fact, Texas was coming off its first ever meeting with OSU rival Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl.
But that changed under then Texas coach Mack Brown and then AD Deloss Dodds. Both felt it was important to have a major test in the non-conference slate.
The 2005 meeting was the first leg of a home-and-home, which would see the Buckeyes travel to Austin in 2006. That game was redshirt freshman Colt McCoy’s second game as a starter for UT.
The teams would hook up again in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, which would set the table for another national title run for the Longhorns the next season.
2005: Texas 25, Ohio State 22 – Columbus, OH
The first ever meeting between the two giants was at Ohio State. The much-hyped Texas Longhorns were ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 4. The game was seen as a major hurdle for a Longhorns team with national title aspirations.
The Buckeyes had never lost a night game at the Horseshoe. ESPN’s College GameDay was in town for the game, as well as ABC’s pregame studio show. The buildup was massive and the game didn’t disappoint.
Texas took an early first quarter lead on a career-long 42-yard field goal by David Pino and a five yard TD pass from Young to Billy Pittman. But the Buckeyes controlled the second quarter and took a 16-13 lead into halftime with three field goals and a Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes TD.
The third quarter saw only field goals, as the Buckeyes extend their lead to 22-16. The fourth quarter started with the UT offense struggling to put drives together against a very solid OSU defense. Ohio State drove into Texas territory last in the quarter, but missed a 50-yard FG.
Limas Sweed 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/2f087QgzJm
— Gage Sheets (@SheetsG23) January 5, 2025
That set up one of the most epic drives in Texas history. UT took over on their own 33 with 5:07 left in the game. Young drove Texas down to the Ohio State 24 yard line. On second and nine with 2:37 remaining to play, Young tossed a floating ball to the front corner of the endzone over the head of the Buckeyes’ defender to UT WR Limas Sweed for the tying touchdown. Texas would take a tenuous one-point lead after the Pino PAT.
Needed to drive the field to set up a game-winning FG, Ohio State QB Justin Zwick fumbled on the drive’s first play from scrimmage. The Horns drove the ball to the OSU one yard line but couldn’t punch it in to secure the game. After UT turned the ball over on downs, Ohio State inserted Troy Smith again at QB. He would be sacked on the first play for a safety. Texas won the game 25-22.
Texas became the first non-conference opponent to beat The Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium in 15-years, ending a 36-game non-conference home winning streak. The Longhorns also became the first team to ever beat the Buckeyes in a night game at The Horseshoe.
Texas would go onto an undefeated season and a national championship.
2006: Ohio State 24, Texas 7 – Austin, TX
With the departure of Vince Young the the NFL, Mack Brown handed the reigns of the offense to redshirt freshman Colt McCoy. While McCoy would go on to being a Legend at UT with his number retired, facing the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in his second game as a starter was a tall order.
Ohio State was led by QB Troy Smith, who would win the Heisman Trophy that season. The Longhorns were No. 2 in the nation at the time. Again, ESPN’s College GameDay was in town for the battle of titans.
The Texas defense, which featured Aaron Ross, did a good job of containing OSU in the first quarter, but Smith and Buckeyes took a 7-0 lead with less than two minutes in the quarter.
McCoy tossed a TD to Billy Pittman in the second quarter to tie the game 7-7, but OSU answer and held a 14-7 lead going into the halftime locker room.
The Buckeyes stymied McCoy and the Texas offense in the second half. McCoy finished the game 19 for 32 with just 154 yards passing, 1 TD and 1 INT. Texas RB Jamaal Charles could only muster 70 yards rushing.
Smith and the Buckeyes scored 13 points in the second half and won the game 24-7. Ohio State would go onto the national title game, but would lose to Florida.
Texas would finish 10-3 after beating Iowa in the Alamo Bowl.
2009: Texas 24, Ohio State 21 – Fiesta Bowl
Texas was unbeaten and No. 1 much of the 2008 season until that fateful night in Lubbock when Michael Crabtree and Texas Tech upset the Horns on a last second TD.
Instead, the Horns would play in the BCS Fiesta Bowl against No. 10 Ohio State. OSU came in with a 10-2 record after losing a non-conference clash against USC and a low scoring slugfest with Penn State.
McCoy, now a redshirt Junior, was a very different calibre of player than the Buckeyes faced back in 2006. The Horns were 11-1, hoping for a win that would set them up for another title run in the 2009 season.
Ohio State was led by Terrelle Pryor. The first half was won by the defenses. OSU led 6-3 at halftime. In the third quarter, McCoy and the Longhorns offense woke up. McCoy ran for a 14-yard TD and tossed another to Quan Cosby to take a 17-6 lead. But Pryor and the Buckeyes weren’t done. Ohio State scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take a 21-17 with just 1:49 on the clock.
But again a Texas-Ohio State game would end with an epic drive. McCoy marched UT on an 11 play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a 26-yard TD pass to Cosby who broke free of two OSU defenders and dove into the endzone for the winning touchdown with just :16 seconds on the clock.
Texas would indeed go to the national title game the next season, but lost to Alabama after McCoy was hurt on the first drive.
Future Matchups
Texas and Ohio State won’t be done playing each other after Friday’s Cotton Bowl. The two teams will open next season in Columbus. Then the Buckeyes will travel to Austin for the second game of the 2026 campaign.
8/30/2025: Texas at Ohio State
9/12/2026: Ohio State at Texas