COLUMBUS, Ohio — Twenty years ago Ohio State almost lost to Marshall, but Buckeyes kicker Mike Nugent saved the day with a 55-yard, game-winning field goal.

It’s something that Nugent continues to reminisce on.

“When you have a game like Ohio State against Marshall, people are automatically going to assume we’re looking past them to our first Big 10 game next week,” he said. 

Nugent explained he and his teammates treated the game like they would any other, because he knew Marshall was working just as hard as the Buckeyes.

“We were very focused on that game and just, coming into it, you could just tell they just had sort of a vibe, Marshall did, that they were just ready to go,” he said. 

Nugent was a senior when he hit the game-winning field goal. The game was tied 21-21, and there was 2 seconds left in the game when Nugent lined up the kick and made it as the time ran out.

“Right when we got the ball in that series thinking to myself, this could be that opportunity that I get out there, but if its a 60-yard field goal or 20 just hit it the same it because it's, again, one of those days where the ball is flying well, it’s a good day, it's not windy, it's not wet outside, so you just hit your regular ball, and it should go in,” he said. 

The final score was 24 to 21, and Nugent said people began to thank him after making the field goal, but Nugent said it was his fellow teammates and coaches that people should have thanked.

“Don’t thank me for doing anything, for playing the 6, 7 plays that I played, like you guys did all of this," he said. "I was just glad that I was there to help out."

Nugent now works and lives in the Columbus area after several years playing in the NFL, but he still thinks about that game winning field goal every now and again.