Ian Hartitz
Guest
The 5 most memorable Ted Ginn Jr. moments at Ohio State
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Teddy will take his talents to the Super Bowl come Feb. 6, but first let's step back and appreciate Ginn's most memorable moments at Ohio State.
In case you missed it, Ted Ginn Jr. balled out this past weekend for the Carolina Panthers during their 49-15 whooping of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC championship. This was fun to watch and all, but it got me reminiscing about the good ol' days of watching number seven run away Big Ten defenses on the reg.
So what were Ginn's top moments as a Buckeye? Let's find out.
Honorable mention
As awesome as these moments were, they couldn't quite crack the top five for arguably the most explosive player in Ohio State history.
Ted Ginn Jr. burns Aaron Ross
In a matchup between number one Ohio State and number two Texas, the Buckeyes had revenge on their mind in Austin. Tied at seven late in the 2nd quarter, Ginn put a shake on Ross at the line of scrimmage which left the future first round pick in the dust. Ginn reeled in the perfectly placed 29-yard fade for a touchdown, sending the Buckeyes into halftime with a lead they would not relinquish.
Teddy starts the championship game off with a bang
I know, I know, this is hardly a great Ohio State moment, but it is still a great Ted Ginn Jr. moment. For all of 16 seconds there was not a doubt in any Ohioan's mind that the Buckeyes were ready to take care of business against Urban Meyer and Florida, but unfortunately this 93-yard kick return touchdown to open up the National Championship was as good as it got for Ginn and the Buckeyes. Thanks to Roy Hall tackling Ginn during the celebration, Teddy was unable to return for the remainder of the game due to breaking his ankle. Still: a pretty amazing last play as a Buckeye for Ginn.
Ted Ginn, upon receiving his sixth ever collegiate touch, scores touchdown
Going into the Buckeyes' fifth game, the 2004 season was looking pretty iffy. Sitting at 3-1 wasn't the worst thing in the world, but losing to Northwestern was pretty close. Lacking much explosion on offense thanks to Justin Zwick starting over Troy Smith at this point, true freshman Ted Ginn Jr. made his name known that day thanks to a beautiful 65-yard punt return touchdown. Even more impressively, this play shows Ginn knife through a hole that had literally six Badgers converging upon Teddy at the same time. Yeah, that freshman is pretty fast.
Moment No. 5: First offensive touchdown against Indiana
If you don't remember this play off the top of your head, buckle your seatbelt because oh my goodness Teddy Ginn, you are ridiculous:
What starts off as a simple five-yard hitch turns into one of the crazier plays of Ginn's career. First, the Indiana corner manages to bat the ball into the air, but Ginn catches it anyways. Teddy then proceeds to break four to six (depending on if you want to call some of these attempts "tackles") tackles on his way to a 59-yard touchdown. Ginn's zig zags towards the end-zone remind me of a more explosive Chris Gamble against Penn State, and that is a scary thought indeed.
Moment No. 4: To the house against That Team Up North
2004 was a down year for Ohio State football pretty much anyway you look at it, except for the most important way: how did they do against that team up north?
Ginn had narrowly missed returning his previous punt for a touchdown in this game, but honestly at this point in the season fans from both teams held their breath every time number seven touched the ball. Ginn makes three separate Wolverines tackle air thanks to some nifty footwork, and from there it was a race down the sideline that was easily won by Ginn.
Moment No. 3: Notre Dame reverse and saved announcer call for 6
Before Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, and let me be the first to say that I wouldn't mind beating Notre Dame in the 2026 Fiesta Bowl either. A big reason for the Buckeyes 34-21 win over the Fighting Irish in 2006 was Ginn's career day. With 242 total yards Teddy set a career high for total yardage, thanks to one particularly impressive 68-yard touchdown run.
What makes this play even more memorable is the fact that announcer Brett Musburger claims that Ginn is going to "take it to the house, folks", when Ginn is approximately on the Notre Dame 35-yard line. Despite confronting one of the biggest potential jinxes of all time, Ginn calmly cut in and back out, turning around three additional Irish defenders, before trotting into the end-zone. Just another classic example of #CultureBeatsScheme.
Moment No. 2 Oklahoma State reverse field catch-and-run
In the battle for deciding who is the real OSU, Ohio State took on Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. While the 33-7 Ohio State win was great and all, I will always remember this game for one play and one play only:
Once again Ginn turns a five-yard hitch into a damn movie, as after three broken tackles (two on the same defender) Ginn reverses field and simply outruns the whole Oklahoma State defense all the way down to the nine-yard line. What makes this play so impressive is that Ginn didn't really get any blocking help. This play was literally just Teddy being faster than everyone else on the field, and taking advantage of it in an explosively beautiful way.
Moment No. 1: Move over Sparty, get on my back, Columbus
While the 32-19 Ohio State win over Michigan State may not be the most memorable of the recent Ohio State and Michigan State match-ups, it did serve as the only time in Ginn's career that he scored three touchdowns in a single game. More impressively, Ginn scored these three touchdowns in three different ways. The first came courtesy of a 17-yard reverse that Ginn strung out to the sideline before outracing everyone for the score. The third touchdown came thanks to Ginn busting a short slant for a 58-yard touchdown, giving the Buckeyes the lead with just 1:37 remaining in the fourth.
The second? Well, it'd probably be easier if I just showed you:
A cut here, a cut there, and see ya later Mr. Ginn. As Buckeyes fans we enjoyed three amazing years of watching number seven outrun everybody, and now Carolina fans have gotten to enjoy the same. I think I speak for all of Buckeye Nation when I say good luck Teddy, go get yourself that ring you deserve.
I consulted SEVERAL highlight films in the making of this article, but with a career as breathtaking as Ginn's, there remains a chance I forgot about a moment that does not deserve to be forgotten about. Please be a loyal Buckeye and post it in the comments if you realize this atrocity has occurred.
Continue reading...
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Teddy will take his talents to the Super Bowl come Feb. 6, but first let's step back and appreciate Ginn's most memorable moments at Ohio State.
In case you missed it, Ted Ginn Jr. balled out this past weekend for the Carolina Panthers during their 49-15 whooping of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC championship. This was fun to watch and all, but it got me reminiscing about the good ol' days of watching number seven run away Big Ten defenses on the reg.
So what were Ginn's top moments as a Buckeye? Let's find out.
Honorable mention
As awesome as these moments were, they couldn't quite crack the top five for arguably the most explosive player in Ohio State history.
Ted Ginn Jr. burns Aaron Ross
In a matchup between number one Ohio State and number two Texas, the Buckeyes had revenge on their mind in Austin. Tied at seven late in the 2nd quarter, Ginn put a shake on Ross at the line of scrimmage which left the future first round pick in the dust. Ginn reeled in the perfectly placed 29-yard fade for a touchdown, sending the Buckeyes into halftime with a lead they would not relinquish.
Teddy starts the championship game off with a bang
I know, I know, this is hardly a great Ohio State moment, but it is still a great Ted Ginn Jr. moment. For all of 16 seconds there was not a doubt in any Ohioan's mind that the Buckeyes were ready to take care of business against Urban Meyer and Florida, but unfortunately this 93-yard kick return touchdown to open up the National Championship was as good as it got for Ginn and the Buckeyes. Thanks to Roy Hall tackling Ginn during the celebration, Teddy was unable to return for the remainder of the game due to breaking his ankle. Still: a pretty amazing last play as a Buckeye for Ginn.
Ted Ginn, upon receiving his sixth ever collegiate touch, scores touchdown
Going into the Buckeyes' fifth game, the 2004 season was looking pretty iffy. Sitting at 3-1 wasn't the worst thing in the world, but losing to Northwestern was pretty close. Lacking much explosion on offense thanks to Justin Zwick starting over Troy Smith at this point, true freshman Ted Ginn Jr. made his name known that day thanks to a beautiful 65-yard punt return touchdown. Even more impressively, this play shows Ginn knife through a hole that had literally six Badgers converging upon Teddy at the same time. Yeah, that freshman is pretty fast.
Moment No. 5: First offensive touchdown against Indiana
If you don't remember this play off the top of your head, buckle your seatbelt because oh my goodness Teddy Ginn, you are ridiculous:
What starts off as a simple five-yard hitch turns into one of the crazier plays of Ginn's career. First, the Indiana corner manages to bat the ball into the air, but Ginn catches it anyways. Teddy then proceeds to break four to six (depending on if you want to call some of these attempts "tackles") tackles on his way to a 59-yard touchdown. Ginn's zig zags towards the end-zone remind me of a more explosive Chris Gamble against Penn State, and that is a scary thought indeed.
Moment No. 4: To the house against That Team Up North
2004 was a down year for Ohio State football pretty much anyway you look at it, except for the most important way: how did they do against that team up north?
Ginn had narrowly missed returning his previous punt for a touchdown in this game, but honestly at this point in the season fans from both teams held their breath every time number seven touched the ball. Ginn makes three separate Wolverines tackle air thanks to some nifty footwork, and from there it was a race down the sideline that was easily won by Ginn.
Moment No. 3: Notre Dame reverse and saved announcer call for 6
Before Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, and let me be the first to say that I wouldn't mind beating Notre Dame in the 2026 Fiesta Bowl either. A big reason for the Buckeyes 34-21 win over the Fighting Irish in 2006 was Ginn's career day. With 242 total yards Teddy set a career high for total yardage, thanks to one particularly impressive 68-yard touchdown run.
What makes this play even more memorable is the fact that announcer Brett Musburger claims that Ginn is going to "take it to the house, folks", when Ginn is approximately on the Notre Dame 35-yard line. Despite confronting one of the biggest potential jinxes of all time, Ginn calmly cut in and back out, turning around three additional Irish defenders, before trotting into the end-zone. Just another classic example of #CultureBeatsScheme.
Moment No. 2 Oklahoma State reverse field catch-and-run
In the battle for deciding who is the real OSU, Ohio State took on Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. While the 33-7 Ohio State win was great and all, I will always remember this game for one play and one play only:
Once again Ginn turns a five-yard hitch into a damn movie, as after three broken tackles (two on the same defender) Ginn reverses field and simply outruns the whole Oklahoma State defense all the way down to the nine-yard line. What makes this play so impressive is that Ginn didn't really get any blocking help. This play was literally just Teddy being faster than everyone else on the field, and taking advantage of it in an explosively beautiful way.
Moment No. 1: Move over Sparty, get on my back, Columbus
While the 32-19 Ohio State win over Michigan State may not be the most memorable of the recent Ohio State and Michigan State match-ups, it did serve as the only time in Ginn's career that he scored three touchdowns in a single game. More impressively, Ginn scored these three touchdowns in three different ways. The first came courtesy of a 17-yard reverse that Ginn strung out to the sideline before outracing everyone for the score. The third touchdown came thanks to Ginn busting a short slant for a 58-yard touchdown, giving the Buckeyes the lead with just 1:37 remaining in the fourth.
The second? Well, it'd probably be easier if I just showed you:
A cut here, a cut there, and see ya later Mr. Ginn. As Buckeyes fans we enjoyed three amazing years of watching number seven outrun everybody, and now Carolina fans have gotten to enjoy the same. I think I speak for all of Buckeye Nation when I say good luck Teddy, go get yourself that ring you deserve.
I consulted SEVERAL highlight films in the making of this article, but with a career as breathtaking as Ginn's, there remains a chance I forgot about a moment that does not deserve to be forgotten about. Please be a loyal Buckeye and post it in the comments if you realize this atrocity has occurred.
Continue reading...