On this date in Ohio State football: Nov. 29, 1917

Taking a look back at a game Ohio State played on this date:

Ohio State 28, Camp Sherman 0

Setup: Football was different 97 years ago. For one thing, Ohio State had clinched its second consecutive Big Ten title on Nov. 17 by beating Illinois to complete an unbeaten, four-game conference schedule. The following week, the Buckeyes were held to a scoreless tie by Auburn in a game in which OSU was missing quarterback Howard Yerges, who had been summoned by the Navy to duty at a hospital in Virginia. Five days later, OSU was to complete its season with a Thanksgiving Day game at Ohio Field, with proceeds benefiting the Army. The opponent was Camp Sherman, an Army all-star squad of sorts, based in Chillicothe.

Stars: The Buckeyes leveled the soldiers with a balanced attack behind All-American Charles "Chic" Harley, who ran for one touchdown and passed to Harold Courtney for another. Gaylord "Pete" Stinchcomb and Frank Willaman also scored, the latter early in the fourth quarter after OSU blocked a punt by Camp Sherman's Nelson "Nocky" Rupp.

Turning point: The game itself produced little drama, especially compared with the pregame machinations. Yerges was so missed in the tie against Auburn that OSU athletic director Lynn W. St. John wired the Navy asking for Yerges to be furloughed and delivered to Columbus in time for the game. He made it, and directed the team with aplomb. Harley also was something of a game-time decision. His right hand was so swollen after the Auburn game that he could barely grip a football until game day.

Impact: There was no national-title chase back then, but the official NCAA record book lists Georgia Tech, at 9-0, as champion. Ohio State would have at least been in the conversation if not for the tie against Auburn, which lost 68-7 to Georgia Tech on the same day OSU beat Camp Sherman to finish its 8-0-1 season.

Quotable: "If the Georgians think they are the champion team of the United States, let them believe that. They ride the comparative score mule with the best of them. … Ohio State is still champion of Columbus." — The Dispatch.

rstein@dispatch.com