This Buckeye team had a monster O-line,the best backfield in college football,and a defense that only surrendered 64 points in 11 games!...No doubt the best team in college football that year.
My dad and I had a New Years Day ritual that we did for a number of years. We'd buy a Swiss Colony meat and cheese pack or buy a selection of cheese, meats and crackers at a deli and then munch while watching the bowl games. We'd try to get as wide a variety of items as we could and then combine them into as many possibilities as we could imagine.
Thanks for posting this. I can remember the 4 New Year's Bowl Games plus parades with fondness as well. My mom made pancakes for breakfast for the parade, and then we frequently had a couple bowls of chili with hot dogs for lunch and popcorn in the afternoon. Then, supper was usually some type of comfort meal like hot roast beef with mashed potatoes and bread and green beans. IIRC, in those days, the Sugar and Cotton Bowls began immediately after the Rose Parade, around Noon, with the Sugar on ABC and the Cotton on CBS. Then, the Rose Bowl came on NBC at 4 PM, and the Orange Bowl followed at 7:30 PM on NBC. The bookend to the Rose Parade was the incredible halftime show at the Orange Bowl. Most importantly, in a typical season, all 4 bowl games had national title implications. 1/1/71 was the craziest. First, Texas was upset after winning 30 in a row, leaving them 10-1 and victorious 10-1 Notre Dame. Tennessee won the Sugar Bowl in a rout to move to 11-1. It was up to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and Stanford came from behind to upset them and knock them to 9-1. Finally, in the Orange Bowl, Nebraska came from behind to beat LSU to finish 11-0-1. Arizona State had been 12-0 but had a weaker schedule. Nebraska won the title and then went 13-0 the next year with the best team I have ever seen in 69 years.
New years day used to be college football bowl day, do not like playoff system they play too many college football games, now anyway, plus expand playoff system,,,
To understand how good this Ohio st team was,you must understand that USC was between National championships this year(1973). SC won the title in 1972 and shared it in 1974. That USC team was loaded with players like Pat Haden,Lynn Swann,Anthony Davis,J.K. McKay,Richard Wood,Artimus Parker and Charles Phillips. Where OSU beat them was in the lines,and of course some great running backs Archie Griffin and Pete Johnson. This Ohio st team remains one of the 3 greatest teams I have ever seen in B-10
That was a great OSU team. Archie had a nice career with the Bengals, and Pete Johnson was an excellent power back with the Bengals. This was a VERY good Buckeye team, and as an SC die-hard, I have no problem giving props to Ohio State. Baschnagel played with the Bears and was a nice receiver, Neil Colzie was an exceptional defensive back, Gradishar an all pro-Doug France was on this team and was a Ram offensive lineman who excelled for years. This OSU team was a legit Champion. Easily one of Woody's best.
I was at that game, and the next day, i bought copies of all the LA papers, including Jim Murray's column. *Many* years later, I gave that column to Woody, and he was tickled pink. Those of us who knew Woody loved him, warts and all.
Perhaps Woody's best team. The Buckeyes blew the national championship against Michigan in a 10-10 tie. The Buckeyes had game planned Greene throwing the ball more but up 10-0 in the first half, Woody absolutely refused to let Cornelius throw and the Wolverines came back to tie 10-10. The Buckeyes even caught a break just to be in the Rose Bowl when Michigan QB Franklin broke his collar bone against OSU which was the deciding factor in the Big Ten athletic directors sending Ohio State instead of Michigan to play in the Rose Bowl against USC.
Idc. This team is the national champions. They only gave up 3 points per game. 3 shutouts in a row and had 4 outta 5 games doing so. Maybe the best defense ever. Michigan was the only close game which was a tie. Everyone else got smoked. That ‘73 team was amazing.
Pre-Game locker room pep talk by USC defensive coaches. "All we need you to do is shut down the future two-time Heismann Trophy winner AND a monster freshman fullback tank with NFL written all over him, Pete Johnson. Cool?"
This team should have gotten a share of the National Title. I mean this team finished undefeated with a tie and beat a top ten USC team by three touchdowns. I understand Notre Dame getting the AP vote because they finished undefeated and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl 24-23. What I don't get is why they gave Alabama the UPI vote and share of the title even though they lost.
The UPI did the asinine thing of voting for the National Champion BEFORE the bowl games and did not take another vote after! 11-0 Alabama received that pre bowl vote then lost to Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide claim 2 co-national titles in the 1970s with teams that beat them head to head on the field! This one in 1973 and 1978 with USC which beat them 24-14 down in Alabama in September!
What happened to the Buckeyes on this day? Dick Vermeil obviously did a super job preparing his team and game plan but was there more to it explaining why the Bucks laid an egg on this day?Jack Tatum shared in his autobiography that OSU players felt lied to by Woody Hayes when he promised them in 1968 that they would be allowed to enjoy the sights of California before they played (and beat) the Trojans, 27-16 in Pasadena. Then when they arrived, Hayes had them virtually imprisoned at their hotel, missing out on the fun. Two years later, OSU again qualified for the Rose Bowl against Stanford and again Hayes made the same promise. Not surprisingly, the players reacted rather cynically and played beneath themselves, a close loss to underdog Stanford and Jim Plunkett. Could something similar have been the case in this 1976 Rose Bowl?
8th grade at dale Jr high in anaheim cal we asked for extra tickets the gate man heard called me over told me and my friend Bobby p come back in 5 mins he let us stow away 1st rose bowl for me it was the best
Brings back memories of a domineering Rose Bowl appearance by Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson, and the Buckeyes against a good USC team. Also, it was during a better time for College Football in which schools were loyal to their conferences instead of jumping to other conferences, or from independent status to a conference like schools are doing today. It ruins the regional identity of the schools and destroys regional rivalries that were revered for many years. Greed and arrogance have overtaken major college athletics now. Not good in my opinion.
This game began the Curse of Dennis Franklin, keeping Ohio State from beating USC again for over four decades. Michigan, the team Franklin was quarterbacking in 1973, tied Ohio State in the final game of the season. Thus, both teams tied for the Big Ten title, and finished 10-0-1. Michigan last played in the Rose Bowl in the 1971 season, OSU the year before. Despite this, the Big Ten, perhaps due to Franklin's broken collarbone, voted to send OSU to the Rose Bowl, resulting in much outrage. After that, the Big Ten began using longer Rose Bowl drought as a tiebreaker. OSU beat Michigan in the season finale of 1974, denying Franklin his last chance to play in a bowl game for the first time ever. OSU lost the Rose Bowl in a rematch against USC, and would go on to have a seven-game losing streak to USC through 2009, perhaps as punishment for taking advantage of the 1973 outrage. Regular season losses in 2008 and 2009 effectively derailed OSU's title hopes those years, after having lost back-to-back title games against SEC teams (it wouldn't be until 2014 OSU got a non-vacated bowl win over an SEC team, and in epic fashion). In 2009, it was OSU's third straight loss in a nighttime home game after previously being undefeated in such games, they wouldn't get another non-vacated home win at night until 2011, upsetting Wisconsin. OSU finally snapped its losing streak to USC in the Cotton Bowl to end 2017, a matchup which was moved from the Rose Bowl due to that game being a CFP semifinal. Ironically, UM's own performance against USC since 1973 was not much better. They are 1-5, all these games coming in the Rose Bowl (with only the 1988 season being a victory for UM).
It's a travesty either the AP or UPI didn't make the '73 team #1 in the final poll. Their only blemish, if you can call it a blemish: a 10-10 tie with a powerful Michigan team, on the road. This team could have beaten either one of the two national champions that year: Notre Dame, or one-loss Alabama.
And 18 - 17 Trojans the next year for the National Championship REMEMBER Pat Haden 48 yds to J.K. McKay with 3:45 to go the the 2 point conversion!!!!! But OF COURSE YOUR SUCKEYES WOODY FANS conveniently forgot that one !!!!!!!!
I am a life long USC fan from of all places Los Angeles. But I state this not as an ENEMY but a long time lover,fan, and hopefully, erudite observer of college football.This Ohio State team was a great club. BUT it should have been clear to Woody especially with this team that the THREAT of the pass much less the throwing capacities of Green should have been apparent. He was capable ENOUGH of keeping USC off balance and as Woody and others would continue to find out that as great as the Big 10 winner would be on the ground the lack of balance would prove fatal in Rose bowl. Again and Again
This remains the most dynamic offensive performance I've ever seen in a bowl game by Ohio State. It is also the most satisyfing game for OSU, after being mauled by USC 42-17 in the Rose Bowl the year before.
Because he has such a common name, it's easy to lose track of who the USC running back was in this game: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Davis_(running_back,_born_1952)
remember this game well. I had gone to the SC-UCLA in Nov 73 and just hated USC. I loved every minute of it watching those arrogant trojans get rolled over by USC. Woody's last Rose Bowl win.
Its too bad Pete Johnson let His weight get out of control, He had some decent speed but by the time he was in Cinncinatti he must of been 250+ then by the time we got him in Miami he took up 2 roster spots.
Doubling up USC allowed the Big Ten Athletic Directors to breathe a sigh of relief since they voted for Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl after the famed 10-10 tie with Michigan. Had Dennis Franklin not broken his collarbone, I would think that Michigan would have gone.
If I remember right. Notre Dame was #1 and Ohio State #2 in the final poll. Oklahoma wasn't even in the discussion that year. John McKay said Ohio State was the best team he played that year and he played them both. And I don't remember Oklahoma being in thediscussion here.
That last pass to Shelton Diggs would not have passed muster as a fumble in today's game with the video reviews. It would not have altered the outcome, but Diggs couldn't have possibly controlled the ball long enough for that to be a fumble.
Go punks Ohio State sucks Trojans have a winning record against them you Midwest hicks are to much you guys win a game and it's like the first load of melon's
@EdGhezzi I would say 69 was the best performance...this one for sure ranks up there...cant dismiss the 98 game with A&M as well. 2002 game was high up there because nobody gave them a chance and really that game was won 17-14 if it wasnt for the refs...;)
What a great team they were!!
Green, Griffin, and Johnson - maybe the greatest backfield in Buckeye history.
Champ Henson was good before he got hurt
Fifty years ago. I remember that day so well.
This Buckeye team had a monster O-line,the best backfield in college football,and a defense that only surrendered 64 points in 11 games!...No doubt the best team in college football that year.
Too bad the play calling was too conservative in 2nd half against Michigan
My dad and I had a New Years Day ritual that we did for a number of years. We'd buy a Swiss Colony meat and cheese pack or buy a selection of cheese, meats and crackers at a deli and then munch while watching the bowl games. We'd try to get as wide a variety of items as we could and then combine them into as many possibilities as we could imagine.
Thanks for posting this. I can remember the 4 New Year's Bowl Games plus parades with fondness as well. My mom made pancakes for breakfast for the parade, and then we frequently had a couple bowls of chili with hot dogs for lunch and popcorn in the afternoon. Then, supper was usually some type of comfort meal like hot roast beef with mashed potatoes and bread and green beans. IIRC, in those days, the Sugar and Cotton Bowls began immediately after the Rose Parade, around Noon, with the Sugar on ABC and the Cotton on CBS. Then, the Rose Bowl came on NBC at 4 PM, and the Orange Bowl followed at 7:30 PM on NBC. The bookend to the Rose Parade was the incredible halftime show at the Orange Bowl.
Most importantly, in a typical season, all 4 bowl games had national title implications. 1/1/71 was the craziest. First, Texas was upset after winning 30 in a row, leaving them 10-1 and victorious 10-1 Notre Dame. Tennessee won the Sugar Bowl in a rout to move to 11-1. It was up to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and Stanford came from behind to upset them and knock them to 9-1. Finally, in the Orange Bowl, Nebraska came from behind to beat LSU to finish 11-0-1. Arizona State had been 12-0 but had a weaker schedule. Nebraska won the title and then went 13-0 the next year with the best team I have ever seen in 69 years.
That actually sounds fun!!
New years day used to be college football bowl day, do not like playoff system they play too many college football games, now anyway, plus expand playoff system,,,
News Playoffs system too many college football games
To understand how good this Ohio st team was,you must understand that USC was between National championships this year(1973). SC won the title in 1972 and shared it in 1974. That USC team was loaded with players like Pat Haden,Lynn Swann,Anthony Davis,J.K. McKay,Richard Wood,Artimus Parker and Charles Phillips. Where OSU beat them was in the lines,and of course some great running backs Archie Griffin and Pete Johnson. This Ohio st team remains one of the 3 greatest teams I have ever seen in B-10
That was a great OSU team. Archie had a nice career with the Bengals, and Pete Johnson was an excellent power back with the Bengals. This was a VERY good Buckeye team, and as an SC die-hard, I have no problem giving props to Ohio State. Baschnagel played with the Bears and was a nice receiver, Neil Colzie was an exceptional defensive back, Gradishar an all pro-Doug France was on this team and was a Ram offensive lineman who excelled for years. This OSU team was a legit Champion. Easily one of Woody's best.
I was at that game, and the next day, i bought copies of all the LA papers, including Jim Murray's column. *Many* years later, I gave that column to Woody, and he was tickled pink. Those of us who knew Woody loved him, warts and all.
Perhaps Woody's best team. The Buckeyes blew the national championship against Michigan in a 10-10 tie. The Buckeyes had game planned Greene throwing the ball more but up 10-0 in the first half, Woody absolutely refused to let Cornelius throw and the Wolverines came back to tie 10-10. The Buckeyes even caught a break just to be in the Rose Bowl when Michigan QB Franklin broke his collar bone against OSU which was the deciding factor in the Big Ten athletic directors sending Ohio State instead of Michigan to play in the Rose Bowl against USC.
@@michaelwainscott2633 51 years later, and we Michigan fans are still pi$$ed off about it.
I love the 3 back set that Ohio State ran in this.
Full House
Woody used to call it the "Robust".
Wishbone offense like Alabama, oklaholma nebraska,,, ,, etc etc
Idc. This team is the national champions. They only gave up 3 points per game. 3 shutouts in a row and had 4 outta 5 games doing so. Maybe the best defense ever. Michigan was the only close game which was a tie. Everyone else got smoked. That ‘73 team was amazing.
Anthony Davis and Archie Griffin, two all time gr8's.
Pre-Game locker room pep talk by USC defensive coaches. "All we need you to do is shut down the future two-time Heismann Trophy winner AND a monster freshman fullback tank with NFL written all over him, Pete Johnson. Cool?"
This team should have gotten a share of the National Title. I mean this team finished undefeated with a tie and beat a top ten USC team by three touchdowns. I understand Notre Dame getting the AP vote because they finished undefeated and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl 24-23. What I don't get is why they gave Alabama the UPI vote and share of the title even though they lost.
The UPI did the asinine thing of voting for the National Champion BEFORE the bowl games and did not take another vote after! 11-0 Alabama received that pre bowl vote then lost to Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide claim 2 co-national titles in the 1970s with teams that beat them head to head on the field! This one in 1973 and 1978 with USC which beat them 24-14 down in Alabama in September!
Talk about a star packed game holy crap ... All the recognizable names on both sides
What happened to the Buckeyes on this day? Dick Vermeil obviously did a super job preparing his team and game plan but was there more to it explaining why the Bucks laid an egg on this day?Jack Tatum shared in his autobiography that OSU players felt lied to by Woody Hayes when he promised them in 1968 that they would be allowed to enjoy the sights of California before they played (and beat) the Trojans, 27-16 in Pasadena. Then when they arrived, Hayes had them virtually imprisoned at their hotel, missing out on the fun. Two years later, OSU again qualified for the Rose Bowl against Stanford and again Hayes made the same promise. Not surprisingly, the players reacted rather cynically and played beneath themselves, a close loss to underdog Stanford and Jim Plunkett. Could something similar have been the case in this 1976 Rose Bowl?
These highlights are from 74 Rose Bowl won by Ohio State
Ohio State was the best team in the nation in 1973. Even John McKay said so.
Love woody hayes greatest big ten greatest coach ever
Tying Michigan hurt ohio state not winning the national college football champions 1973 football season
nope. the sooners were no.1
@@graciemaemarie11jones16 The Sooners only tied USC 7-7, while Ohio St destroyed them in this game.
@@graciemaemarie11jones16No
"This is Archie Griffin of Motorist' Insurance, I just kicked your butts"
Too bad he was 1-3 in Rose Bowls
23 years later Ohio State won its next Rose Bowl.
Instead of Alabama, this Ohio St Buckeye team should have shared the national championship with ND.
The play at 3:27 shows just how crafty Cornelius Greene was. He had an unusual throwing style too, which is a bonus to the offiense.
The pass completion & fumble at 8:50 shows how Bucks were robbed during 2019 Fiesta Bowl
8th grade at dale Jr high in anaheim cal we asked for extra tickets the gate man heard called me over told me and my friend Bobby p come back in 5 mins he let us stow away 1st rose bowl for me it was the best
How I miss the days when I did not have to endure an hour of over paid pundits talk the game to death, both before and after the game.
Amen Amen
Best Ohio State team ever.
VJLOU better 1968 invisible football team
VJLOU really, better than invincible1968 ohio state team
@@lloydkline7245 Yea the team you never saw.
@@glenjoke10 1968 team was blowing big ten football teams off the field
@@glenjoke10 😆🤣😂😹
Brings back memories of a domineering Rose Bowl appearance by Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson, and the Buckeyes against a good USC team. Also, it was during a better time for College Football in which schools were loyal to their conferences instead of jumping to other conferences, or from independent status to a conference like schools are doing today. It ruins the regional identity of the schools and destroys regional rivalries that were revered for many years. Greed and arrogance have overtaken major college athletics now. Not good in my opinion.
In todays ball that was definitely an incomplete pass😂😂
Usc is joining the big ten football confenrence 2024
Arch had a great run at 7:45
Game was over by time Archie broke one for TD
This game began the Curse of Dennis Franklin, keeping Ohio State from beating USC again for over four decades.
Michigan, the team Franklin was quarterbacking in 1973, tied Ohio State in the final game of the season. Thus, both teams tied for the Big Ten title, and finished 10-0-1. Michigan last played in the Rose Bowl in the 1971 season, OSU the year before. Despite this, the Big Ten, perhaps due to Franklin's broken collarbone, voted to send OSU to the Rose Bowl, resulting in much outrage. After that, the Big Ten began using longer Rose Bowl drought as a tiebreaker.
OSU beat Michigan in the season finale of 1974, denying Franklin his last chance to play in a bowl game for the first time ever. OSU lost the Rose Bowl in a rematch against USC, and would go on to have a seven-game losing streak to USC through 2009, perhaps as punishment for taking advantage of the 1973 outrage.
Regular season losses in 2008 and 2009 effectively derailed OSU's title hopes those years, after having lost back-to-back title games against SEC teams (it wouldn't be until 2014 OSU got a non-vacated bowl win over an SEC team, and in epic fashion). In 2009, it was OSU's third straight loss in a nighttime home game after previously being undefeated in such games, they wouldn't get another non-vacated home win at night until 2011, upsetting Wisconsin.
OSU finally snapped its losing streak to USC in the Cotton Bowl to end 2017, a matchup which was moved from the Rose Bowl due to that game being a CFP semifinal.
Ironically, UM's own performance against USC since 1973 was not much better. They are 1-5, all these games coming in the Rose Bowl (with only the 1988 season being a victory for UM).
A Franklin curse 🤬would have kept Ohio State from beating USC in the same season as the vote
I HIGHLY despute Pete Johnson being only 236 Lbs.
It's a travesty either the AP or UPI didn't make the '73 team #1 in the final poll. Their only blemish, if you can call it a blemish: a 10-10 tie with a powerful Michigan team, on the road. This team could have beaten either one of the two national champions that year: Notre Dame, or one-loss Alabama.
Absolutely!
In a just world Michigan would have won Coaches title based on regular season and Ohio State writers based on AP
No matter what, Ohio State has victories over the "great" USC program in bowl games. They will always have that!
And likewise 😉
USC got OWNED!
Usc football used to owned ohio state football in 1970s rosebowls
17-42 the year before and 42-21 a year later. 10-0-1 record if memory serves for the Buckeyes.
And 18 - 17 Trojans the next year for the National Championship REMEMBER Pat Haden 48 yds to J.K. McKay with 3:45 to go the the 2 point conversion!!!!! But OF COURSE YOUR SUCKEYES WOODY FANS conveniently forgot that one !!!!!!!!
OSU was the only big ten team to win in that decade sad
I am a life long USC fan from of all places Los Angeles. But I state this not as an ENEMY
but a long time lover,fan, and hopefully, erudite observer of college football.This Ohio State
team was a great club. BUT it should have been clear to Woody especially with this team that
the THREAT of the pass much less the throwing capacities of Green should have been apparent.
He was capable ENOUGH of keeping USC off balance and as Woody and others would continue
to find out that as great as the Big 10 winner would be on the ground the lack of balance would
prove fatal in Rose bowl. Again and Again
This remains the most dynamic offensive performance I've ever seen in a bowl game by Ohio State. It is also the most satisyfing game for OSU, after being mauled by USC 42-17 in the Rose Bowl the year before.
Because he has such a common name, it's easy to lose track of who the USC running back was in this game:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Davis_(running_back,_born_1952)
remember this game well. I had gone to the SC-UCLA in Nov 73 and just hated USC. I loved every minute of it watching those arrogant trojans get rolled over by USC. Woody's last Rose Bowl win.
Remember ucla s biggest game is usc nothing bigger
Its too bad Pete Johnson let His weight get out of control, He had some decent speed but by the time he was in Cinncinatti he must of been 250+ then by the time we got him in Miami he took up 2 roster spots.
Doubling up USC allowed the Big Ten Athletic Directors to breathe a sigh of relief since they voted for Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl after the famed 10-10 tie with Michigan. Had Dennis Franklin not broken his collarbone, I would think that Michigan would have gone.
ADs really thought Ohio State has better team.
❤ woody hayes ohio state football teams
Still a damn shame that great 1973 UCLA team didn't make it to this game.
Turnovers
If I remember right. Notre Dame was #1 and Ohio State #2 in the final poll. Oklahoma wasn't even in the discussion that year. John McKay said Ohio State was the best team he played that year and he played them both. And I don't remember Oklahoma being in thediscussion here.
Oklahoma was on probation in 73
I agree.
That last pass to Shelton Diggs would not have passed muster as a fumble in today's game with the video reviews. It would not have altered the outcome, but Diggs couldn't have possibly controlled the ball long enough for that to be a fumble.
He mad a big catch for 2 point conversion next season in Rose
Also, the play at 4:40 is a really nice pass play. Greene could throw that "loopy" kind of pass, but he threw it 30+ yards. Wow!
cant belueve its been 40 yrs
Now almost 50
Is there any way those 1974 offensive linemen can be cloned for the USC game this Saturday?
Yes sir!!
@gobuckeyes01 Have to feel for Michigan during those years....with the Big Ten only sending one representative to a bowl game...sad
@ynp1978 AMEN! I was at that game- I will never forget it!
Thanks for posting!! GO BUCKS!!! BEAT SC!!!! O-H........
Man, I was 13 when this game was played!
Go punks Ohio State sucks Trojans have a winning record against them you Midwest hicks are to much you guys win a game and it's like the first load of melon's
Beat the Trojans!
lol What year are you talking about ? Ohio State won this game .
probly the last time ohio state will ever beat USC.. lol im even a osu fan
@EdGhezzi I would say 69 was the best performance...this one for sure ranks up there...cant dismiss the 98 game with A&M as well. 2002 game was high up there because nobody gave them a chance and really that game was won 17-14 if it wasnt for the refs...;)