Our Honor Defend

It’s Hate Week, and I’ve got a LOT of hate to give.  Throughout the week, I’ll try to upload as many YouTubes as I can (time permitting) to demonstrate the extent of my hate for Michigan¹.  While I can only hate Michigan — and I do hate. A lot. — I can never truly beat Michigan.  That honor, beating history’s greatest nemesis, can only be bestowed upon the eleven warriors, brave and bold, whose fame will ever stand.  I’ll try to honor those that have this week, starting with the 1975 victory that secured an outright conference crown for the Buckeyes and, in spite of a lackluster performance from Archie Griffin, probably was the tipping point for his second consecutive Heisman Trophy.

I could write forever about this game, but fortunately, someone already has.  The game-tying TD drive with under 7 minutes remaining in the 4th comes in at no. 4 in a well-circulated list of the 25 greatest drives in Ohio State football history.  You can read all about the greatness of the 1975 team, including the importance of the wins over Penn State (see my clip) and UCLA on primetime in that same season² on that specific page as well.  With that in mind, I’m going to let the author of that specific carry me through the post so I don’t have to put in too much time on this one.  Alas, here is what’s worth knowing about this game entering the 4th quarter.

• Both Michigan and Ohio State entered the game undefeated.  Ohio State was ranked no. 1 in the country and Michigan, undefeated but twice tied (Stanford, Baylor), was no. 4.  Winner went to the Rose Bowl.
• Archie Griffin, defending Heisman trophy winner, had a 31 game streak of rushing for over 100 yards.  For all the love of Herschel Walker, Tony Dorsett and other tailbacks who are consistently above Archie Griffin in discussions of “greatest ever”, this record still stands.
• However, Michigan’s defense had keyed on Griffin.  They made him priority no. 1 entering this game.  It paid off.  The Buckeyes, Archie included, moved the ball with ease on their first drive of the game.  However, a fierce Michigan defensive front and some sure tackles flustered Archie all game.  It got so bad for Archie that, even when he had a whole, he’d trip over himself and fall down almost as if he was expecting to be met in the backfield by Michigan’s defense.
• Michigan’s defense accomplished so much in this game.  Entering the 4th quarter, they held Archie to under 40 yards for the game.  Archie finished with 46, but everyone knew that, barring a fluke breakway run, his streak was over.
• Further, the Buckeyes in total were unable to move the ball against Michigan’s defense.  Their last first down came on a pass to Larry Kain early in the second quarter, following a Rick Leach fumble.
• Michigan, on the other hand, was moving the ball very well but it was the aforementioned Leach and his inopportune turnovers that had cost Michigan from getting any real position.  Michigan backs Gordon Bell and Rob Lytle had gashed Ohio State’s defense for some big gains.  Bell in particular played well.  With Archie bottled up and Bell mostly running free, Bell, and not Griffin, finished atop the Big Ten in conference rushing.  Griffin, not Bell, ended up winning the game and the Heisman.

Background information considered, you’re going to see a stretch early in the 4th quarter when a Michigan punt, downed at the Ohio State 6, had almost changed the course of the game.  Ohio State had been gone 3 and out for the past two quarters, and we’re suddenly working out of the corner of their own end zone.  Ohio State tried a sweep right to Griffin, but lost 3 yards.  They tried a middle handoff to Pete Johnson but lost a yard.  Woody opted to punt on 3rd down, but Skladany’s punt did not flip the field.  Michigan started from the Ohio State 43 yard line.  Rick Leach eventually scored on an option keeper for a 14-7 lead with 7 minutes remaining.

Ohio State had no first downs to their credit for more than 30 minutes of game action and we’re suddenly trailing.  “Joe-S-U”, author of the page linked above, takes it from here.

The ensuing kickoff traveled out of the endzone, and with the Michigan goal line 80 yards away and the vast majority of the record throng in a complete uproar, Cornelius Greene asked for a little divine intervention. Asking everyone to grab hands in the huddle, Greene told his teammates they were going to pray- not to win, but for strength and for all of them to play their best.

It seemed the prayer had fallen on deaf ears. Greene faked the counter play to Brian Baschnagel and went deep for Herman Jones, but the pass was overthrown. On second down, middle guard Tim Davis got into the backfield as Greene dropped to throw. Corny faked left, then right trying to lose Davis and suddenly was in his own endzone. With linemen Mike Holmes and Greg Morton joining the chase, Greene threw up a desperation pass for Archie Griffin, who was surrounded by blue jerseys. Don Dufek was actually in great position to pick it off, but Calvin O’Neal tipped it first. The ball went over Dufek’s head where Dwight Hicks and Jim Bolden both had shots at it, but somehow, someway, the football fell to the turf. Now it was 3rd-and-10, and all the marbles- the outright Big Ten title, the Rose Bowl trip and a possible national title- seemed to be heading UM’s way. Brian Baschnagel recalled hearing the PA announcer say that Oklahoma was leading #2 Nebraska, a scenario that could allow the Wolverines to take the top spot if they and the Sooners could pull the upsets. But as bleak as it looked, Corny Greene’s prayer was about to be heard over the deafening tumult in Michigan Stadium.

On 3rd-and-10, Baschnagel lined up in the left slot. The play call, “84 Barb”, had Brian running an out route to the sideline. Greene had plenty of time to throw and hit Baschnagel at the 31, just ahead of a defender. The senior wingback worked his way to the 37, and Ohio State finally had a first down, their first since early in the second period. The play quieted the throng somewhat, and on the next snap Greene fired for Lenny Willis, who made a beautiful diving catch at the Michigan 49. Sticking with a good thing, Greene went back to Willis again, and despite pressure from Calvin O’Neal, an open Willis latched onto the wobbly pass for another first down at the UM 31.

At this point, it was a moot issue that Archie Griffin’s 31-game 100-yard rushing streak was going to end, barring a huge breakaway run. But with Michigan’s pass defense trying to stem the tide, Archie burned them for his longest gain of the afternoon, an 11-yard jaunt over the right side for yet another first down at the Michigan 20. Greene rolled left on the next play with both guards pulling and danced for 12 more to the 8. Five plays, five straight first downs, and when Pete Johnson thundered for six to the Wolverine 2, it appeared UM’s tremendous defensive effort was quickly coming unraveled. But not so fast- Johnson’s next 2 carries only produced 1 yard, and so here it was- Ohio State trailing by seven in a hostile environment with everything on the line, and it had all come down to 4th-and-goal at the Michigan 1.

In 1973, the Wolverines had trailed Ohio State 10-3 in the fourth quarter and were faced with a 4th-and-1 from the Buckeye 10. UM quarterback Dennis Franklin had faked to fullback Ed Shuttlesworth, then kept around the right side untouched for the tying score. In the Rose Bowl the next January, Ohio State had been 4th-and-goal from the USC 1, and Cornelius Greene had faked to Johnson and skipped to paydirt without a hand being laid on him. Would it be Greene again? He brought the Bucks to the line and handed to Johnson for the fourth straight time. Following right guard Bill Lukens, Johnson hammered over for the score. Tom Klaban knocked through the all-important point-after and with 3:18 to go, the Buckeyes had come off life support to knot the contest at 14.

Don’t be too surprised that divine intervention appeared in the form of Brian Baschnagel.

Still, the score was 14-14.  Michigan, liable to turn the ball over at the most inopportune time, had nonetheless moved the ball fairly well against the Buckeye D through the game.  They had time, time outs, and only needed a FG to send the Buckeyes to Miami, and not Pasadena.  This time, the Buckeye defense rose to the occasion.  On the first play from scrimmage, defensive standouts Aaron Brown and Bob Brudzinski blew past their blocks and sacked Leach for a 9 yard loss.  On 2nd down, Craig Cassady blew up a deep heave to wingback Jim Smith.  On 3rd down, Ray Griffin etched his name in Ohio State lore by picking off Leach and returning the ball to the Michigan 3 yard line.  Griffin was mobbed in the end zone, the Buckeye fans in the northeast corner of Michigan Stadium were mobbing each other and the rest of Michigan Stadium, which went bonkers after Leach’s go-ahead score, watched in disbelief as the Wolverines were preparing to choke the game away.  Before too long, Pete Johnson — who maybe I can say is a friend of the program now after having met and chatted him up for an hour or so last weekend — plowed forward for his 3rd TD of the game.  The Buckeyes, who looked dead to rites after Leach scored in the 4th quarter, were suddenly on top again with 2:19 remaining.

Rick Leach tried to right his wrongs through the game, but was again picked off by Craig Cassady on 4th and 8 after the kickoff.  Cassady, as well as Ray Griffin, played a tremendous game for Ohio State’s defense.  Craig Cassady’s father, the famed Hopalong Cassady, had an important interception in the 1954 Wisconsin game.  His son had the game-ending pick.  Ohio State’s Cornelius Greene and Pete Johnson ran out the clock, won the Big Ten trophy, and again ruined Michigan’s November.  They would go to a bowl this time (Bo Schembechler made sure of it after the 1974 game against Ohio State.  However, they would be eating oranges… and not smelling roses.

Game is available below.

1. I have the 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, and 1982 games on my person. [↩]
2. I have that game and will likely upload it in the offseason. We’re not talking about that Rose Bowl. [↩]