Ohio State football: A Rose Bowl of sweet revenge

As the offseason lingers, we continue to look back at some great moments in Ohio State football history.

It was a long wait for Buckeye fans, trust me. After eventual national champion USC throttled the Ohio State football team 42-17 in the 1973 Rose Bowl, it was a long eleven months waiting to see if the Buckeyes would get a shot at revenge in another Rose Bowl against the Trojans.

It didn’t matter if the USC was loaded that year and would be considered one of the great teams in college football history, that loss left a very sour taste in the mouth of the Ohio State program and Buckeye Nation.

Sophomore Cornelius Greene took over at quarterback the following season, after winning the job from incumbent Greg Hare, and became the leader of a young and talented backfield. Archie Griffin had rushed for nearly 900 yards as a true freshman in 1972. Brian Baschnagel, another sophomore, would be a jack-of-all-trades wingback.

Junior Bruce Elia moved over from defense to play fullback. They operated behind an offensive line anchored by tackle John Hicks, who was a first-team All-American the previous year.

The strength of this 1973 team was their defense. Linebacker Randy Gradishar, another first-team All-American the previous season, led a group that dominated opponents through the regular season.

They posted four shutouts, including three in a row at one point, and gave up just 43 points. Iowa’s thirteen points were the most scored by any opponent, but those came against back-ups. All three starting linebackers, Gradishar, Vic Koegel, and Rick Middleton were named first-team All-Big Ten. This was one of the truly great defenses in school history.

The Buckeyes and Michigan were both undefeated entering their annual regular-season ending clash. The Wolverines had an outstanding defense as well; they’d given up less than six points per game to that point. Ohio State would jump out to a 10-0 lead at the half, but the second half was dominated by Michigan.

The Wolverines badly outgained the Ohio State football team and tied the game with ten fourth-quarter points. That’s the way it would end and set up the legendary vote by the presidents of the Big Ten member schools to choose the conference’s Rose Bowl representative. They chose Ohio State. The Buckeyes would get a chance at revenge on the Trojans.

Although USC was not quite the team they had been the year before, they still had plenty of firepower left over. They used it on the game’s first drive and took an early 3-0 lead on Chris Limahelu’s school-record 47-yard field goal. After a Cornelius Greene interception, USC looked to be back in business, but the OSU defense forced another field goal, which was missed by Limahelu.

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Another Trojan miscue led to OSU’s first score as they jumped offside on an Ohio State field goal attempt. Woody Hayes then decided to go for it on fourth and short. After making the first down, freshman Pete Johnson scored from a yard out.

But, Limahelu would convert another field goal and USC would surprise the Buckeyes with a halfback pass that went for a touchdown. After the successful two-point conversion, the Trojans led 14-7. However, Ohio State came right back. Pete Johnson scored again with just under a minute to play in the half to cap off a long drive and tie the game at 14.

After seeing the Trojans move the ball on that OSU defense, Buckeye fans were understandably nervous. The Big Ten had lost four straight Rose Bowls to the PAC-8. In two of those losses, the Big Ten team had been considered a clear favorite.

It seemed like everything fell the way of the PAC-8 teams during that four-game stretch. With the way the second half began, Buckeye fans were beginning to think it was happening again.

Archie Griffin fumbled deep in USC territory to end an OSU drive. USC would go 84 yards on fourteen plays to take a 21-14 lead. Just when it looked like the Trojans were in control, the skinny kid from Washington, D.C. put the Buckeye offense on his shoulders; Cornelius Greene began to make play after play.

Greene scrambled for a first down. Then he hit tight end Fred Pagac on a pass which took the Buckeyes deep into USC territory. Johnson would score his third touchdown of the day, but a blocked extra point kept the Trojans in front 21-20. Despite that blocked kick, the rout was on.

Soon after, Neal Colzie would set up the Buckeyes in great field position with a 57-yard punt return. Greene executed a perfect fake to Johnson, kept the ball, and waltzed into the end zone to put Ohio State in front to stay. In the fourth quarter, Greene would lead another scoring drive which ended with Elia scoring his fourteenth touchdown of the season.

After faking a pitch to Baschnagel that froze the USC defender, Greene once again went untouched into the end zone for the two-point conversion and a fourteen-point Buckeye lead. A bit later Griffin added insult to injury by weaving his way to a 47-yard touchdown. When the clock ran out, the Buckeyes had gotten their Rose Bowl revenge with a 42-21 win.

Greene was the game’s MVP. He went 6 of 8 passing for 129 yards, rushed for another 45 yards, and added a touchdown and extra point. Griffin ran for 149 yards and a touchdown, while Johnson added 95 yards and three scores. The Ohio State offensive line cleared the way for the Buckeyes to gash the Trojans for 320 yards. Gradishar and safety Tim Fox each had ten tackles.

Ohio State would finish second in the polls to undefeated Notre Dame, who had beaten Alabama in one of college football’s all-time classic games. Hicks, Gradishar, Griffin, and defensive end Van DeCree were named first-team All-Americans. Amazingly enough, Hicks finished second in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy; the highest finish ever by a lineman.

The long wait for revenge was more than worth it for Ohio State football players and fans alike. To this day, the 1974 Rose Bowl is one of my favorite Buckeye wins. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch the highlights here. They’ll put a smile on the face of any Ohio State fan.