Here's a nice story from bucknuts.com:Ohio State-USC: Quite A Colorful History
Ohio State and USC are two of college football's most storied programs. After an 18-year break, they will renew their colorful rivalry Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (8 p.m., ABC). We look at the history of these two great programs and also share thumbnails on the 21 previous meetings in this series. Click this free link for more. Two of the preeminent college football programs will go head to head Saturday night as No. 1-ranked Southern California hosts No. 5 Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (8 p.m. Eastern, ABC national telecast).
These are two schools that, at least over the course of college football history, well acquainted with one another – even if they have not met over the past 18 years.
They have met 21 times previously with USC holding an 11-9-1 edge in that overall series.
The teams have not met since the 1989-90 seasons when USC swept a series at Los Angeles (42-3) and Columbus (35-26). USC has a 4-2-1 edge in home games played at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. The Trojans also have a 4-3 edge in the seven Rose Bowl games played between the schools in Pasadena, Calif. USC is 3-4 all-time in Columbus.
The Buckeyes and Trojans will meet for the first game of a two-year home-and-home contract. OSU will host USC on Sept. 12, 2009.
In terms of college football history, it would be hard to do much better than Ohio State or USC. They each have their share of legendary coaches with Paul Brown, Woody Hayes and current coach Jim Tressel on the OSU side and John McKay, John Robinson and current coach Pete Carroll for USC.
USC boasts nine national championship seasons to seven for Ohio State. Each school has claimed seven Heisman Trophies. For USC, those names include Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinart (2004) and Reggie Bush (2005). For Ohio State, the Heismans belong to Les Horvath (1944), Vic Janowicz (1950), Howard “Hopalong” Cassady (1955), Archie Griffin (1974-75), Eddie George (1995) and Troy Smith (2006).
Over the last six years, USC is the only school with six straight BCS bowl berths. Ohio State is next with five BCS berths in that same time period.
With its win over Ohio U. on Saturday, Ohio State became the fifth college football program in Division I-A to reach the 800-win plateau. USC stands 10th on the same list with 754 victories. (Michigan is tops with 870.)
This new two-game series between the schools has been in the works for the last five years or so. Speaking earlier this year, Tressel discussed this special OSU-USC match-up.
“It just so happens that this year Southern Cal has one of the finest teams in the nation coming back,” Tressel said. “Ohio State has a lot of folks coming back. There is a lot of anticipation. That is why it is a lot of fun coaching and playing here and we’re looking forward to it.”
With the game on tap this Saturday, we will take a look back at the colorful history of the Ohio State-USC rivalry. Here is a game-by-game look at the 21 previous games in this rivalry (Associated Press poll rankings on game day in parentheses for both teams):
* Oct. 9, 1937 at Los Angeles: USC 13, Ohio State 12 – USC quarterback Ambrose Schindler scored one touchdown on the ground and threw 37 yards to Bill Anderson for the game winner in the fourth quarter. OSU, which got touchdowns from Jim McDonald and Dick Nardi, missed a fourth-quarter PAT kick that spelled defeat. Schindler also intercepted an OSU pass to thwart a late threat.
* Oct. 8, 1938 at Columbus: USC 14, Ohio State 7 – USC came to Columbus for the first time and took the win over the host Buckeyes before 62,778 at Ohio Stadium. The key play was an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown by USC quarterback Grenville Lansdell.
* Oct. 4, 1941 at Los Angeles: Ohio State 33, USC 0 – Ohio State dealt USC its first shutout loss in 11 seasons before a stunned crowd estimated at 65,000 at the Coliseum. OSU built a 20-0 halftime lead after impressive scoring drives of 83, 80 and 81 yards. Jack Graf, Charlie Anderson and Dick Fisher scored the three OSU touchdowns.
In the second half, Graf threw a 48-yard TD pass to Bob Shaw and Fisher added another score on the ground. OSU ended up 6-1-1 that year for first-year head coach Paul Brown.
* Oct. 10, 1942 at Columbus: Ohio State (1) 28, USC 12 – The Buckeyes were on their way to the school’s first national championship and a 9-1 season. They pulled off this win before 56,436 at Ohio Stadium.
USC scored first, but OSU answered with 28 straight points. Shaw caught touchdown passes of 64 yards from Paul Sarringhaus and 40 yards from Tommy James. Bob Frye added a 37-yard TD run, while George Lynn had an 8-yard scoring run.
* Oct. 5, 1946 at Los Angeles: Ohio State 21, USC 0 – The Buckeyes cruised to the shutout victory before 80,047 at the Coliseum. Sophomore fullback Joe Whisler ran for 73 yards and scored all three of the game’s touchdowns on short runs. The game was dedicated to the memory of Howard Jones, the former head coach at both OSU and USC who died in 1941.
In the days of early air travel, OSU had planned to use one large plane to transport the team. But the government nixed that plan, meaning the team and its gear had to be split up and sent on three separate smaller planes. Those smaller planes did not have as much fuel capacity, meaning OSU had to make three stops on the way out and back. Fog complicated the return trip, meaning the team didn’t get home until Monday evening after the game.
* Oct. 11, 1947 at Columbus: USC (20) 32, Ohio State 0 – USC returned the favor for the previous season’s shutout by doing the same before 76,559 at Ohio Stadium. USC ended up that season 7-2-1 and played Michigan in the Rose Bowl. OSU was 2-6-1 in Wes Fesler’s first season as the OSU coach.
* Oct. 2, 1948 at Columbus: Ohio State 20, USC 0 – USC visited Ohio Stadium for the second year in a row and the result was much different as the Buckeyes rolled to the victory before a crowd of 75,102.
Joe Whisler scored twice on short plunges from the 1-yard line and Jerry Krall caught a 6-yard TD pass from Pandel Savic. The game was broadcast nationally on radio by Harry Wismer of ABC and Bill Stern of NBC.
* Oct. 8, 1949 at Los Angeles: USC (8) 13, Ohio State (11) 13 – The only tie in this legendary series came in 1949 before a crowd of 62,877 at the Coliseum. Ohio State dominated the statistical battle with 407 yards to USC’s 194.
Frank Gifford – yes, that Frank Gifford – missed a PAT kick for the Trojans, while Jimmy Hague had a PAT kick blocked for the Buckeyes. OSU scored early on a pass from Gerald Krall to Ray Hamilton. Fred Morrison’s 66-yard TD run gave Ohio State a 13-6 lead. But the Trojans answered to tie the game at 13-13 and that’s where it ended up. OSU ended up 7-1-2 that season, including a Rose Bowl win over California.
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| The game program from the '55 Rose Bowl |
* Jan. 1, 1955 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): Ohio State (1) 20, USC (17) 7 – A monsoon-like rain made the Rose Bowl field mush.
But the Buckeyes (10-0) survived and captured their second national championship with this victory before 89,191 at the Rose Bowl. Ohio State jumped out to a 14-0 lead after touchdown runs by quarterback Dave Leggett and halfback Bobby Watkins.
Halfback Howard “Hopalong” Cassady had 94 yards rushing on 21 carries. USC (8-4) got its only score on Aramis Dandoy’s 86-yard punt return for a touchdown.
* Oct. 2, 1959 at Los Angeles: USC (11) 17, Ohio State (14) 0 – This was a special Friday night game at the Coliseum. After grabbing a 3-0 lead, USC quarterback Ben Charles hit end Luther Hayes with a 38-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. A 33-yard Charles-to-Hayes spiral set up Charles’ clinching 4-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
OSU fullback Bob White was held to 58 yards. The Buckeyes twice got inside the 20-yard line, but could not score.
* Oct. 1, 1960 at Columbus: Ohio State (9) 20, USC 0 – Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson came up big in this game with 157 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. Ferguson opened the scoring with his 74-yard TD jaunt. He added scoring runs of 2 and 19 yards. The OSU defense held USC to just 69 yards rushing and picked off four Trojans passes.
USC, which fell to 0-3 on the year, dropped a fifth straight game for just the second time in school history. The crowd figure was a sellout 83,204 at Ohio Stadium.
* Oct. 19, 1963 at Los Angeles: USC 32, Ohio State (4) 3 – Ohio State threw more interceptions (four) than it had completed passes (three). Kicker Dick van Raaphorst opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal for the Buckeyes.
But it was all Trojans after that. Two-way star Mike Garrett tackled OSU’s Paul Warfield in the end zone for a safety. USC quarterback Pat Beathard led the onslaught. He threw for 159 yards and a touchdown and also rushed 1 yard for a score. USC’s Willie Brown chipped in a 49-yard TD run. USC outgained OSU 407-178 in total yardage.
Following the game, OSU coach Woody Hayes opined, “Our No. 4 national ranking was a joke.” It was Hayes’ worst loss in his first 13 years as the OSU head coach.
* Oct. 17, 1964 at Columbus: Ohio State (2) 17, USC 0 – The Buckeyes sought revenge and found it in this home win before 84,315 at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes intercepted USC quarterback Craig Fertig three times and benefitted from a fumble by Garrett.
OSU fullback Willard Sander had 120 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, while quarterback Don Unverferth threw for a score and kicker Bob Funk capped the scoring with a fourth-quarter field goal.
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| The game program from the '69 Rose Bowl |
* Jan. 1, 1969 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): Ohio State (1) 27, USC (2) 16 – This stands as one of the most important games in Ohio State history as the Buckeyes rolled to the win in this one-versus-two battle and clinched the national championship before 102,063 at the Rose Bowl. The game matched unbeaten teams for the first time in the 22-year history of the Big Ten/Pac-10 Rose Bowl arrangement.
The Buckeyes (10-0) had to battle back from an early 10-0 deficit after Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson rolled for an 80-yard touchdown run. Simpson would end up with 171 yards on 28 carries.
Fullback Jim Otis, who had 101 yards on 30 carries for OSU, bulled in for a 1-yard touchdown and kicker Jim Roman tied it at 10-10 on a 26-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half.
Following a USC turnover, quarterback Rex Kern (9 of 15 passing, 101 yards, two TDs and 35 yards rushing) hit halfback Leo Hayden with a 4-yard TD pass for a 20-10 lead. A Simpson fumble led to Kern’s TD pass to Ray Gillian. USC (9-1-1) scored in the final minute to make it respectable.
* Jan. 1, 1973 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): USC (1) 42, Ohio State (3) 17 – USC (12-0) cruised to the easy win and claimed the third national championship in coach John McKay’s 13 years at the helm before 106,869 at the Rose Bowl.
Archie Griffin in 1973
Fullback Sam “Bam” Cunningham had four touchdown leaps for the Trojans, who broke open a 7-7 game by scoring on their first five possessions of the second half. Tailback Anthony Davis chipped in 157 yards and the Buckeyes (9-2) had no answer for the passing tandem of quarterback Mike Rae (18 of 25, 225 yards, one TD) and wide receiver Lynn Swann (six catches, 108 yards, one TD).
The 42 points were the most allowed at that point by any Hayes-coached Ohio State team. OSU halfback Archie Griffin, the only man to start four Rose Bowl games, had 95 yards on 20 carries.
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| The game program from the '74 Rose Bowl |
* Jan. 1, 1974 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): Ohio State (4) 42, USC (7) 21 – The Buckeyes (10-0-1) gained a measure of revenge from the previous year’s defeat by grinding out this win – literally – before 105,267 at the Rose Bowl. OSU piled up 323 yards rushing on 59 carries with Griffin leading the way with 149 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
OSU fullback Pete Johnson added 94 yards and three touchdowns (1, 1 and 4 yards) on 21 carries. Quarterback Cornelius Greene chipped in 129 yards passing and 45 more with a touchdown on the ground.
USC (9-2-1) actually held a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter before OSU scored the game’s last 28 points. Griffin’s 47-yard touchdown run capped the scoring with 4:35 left in the game.
Quarterback Pat Haden completed 21 of 39 passes for 229 yards for the Trojans.
“This is the greatest victory I’ve ever had or we’ve ever had,” Hayes said afterwards. His unbeaten Buckeyes ended up second to only Notre Dame in the final AP poll.
* Jan. 1, 1975 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): USC (5) 18, Ohio State (3) 17 – USC (10-1-1), behind the heroics of its quarterback Haden, pulled off this come-from-behind win before 106,721 at the Rose Bowl and parlayed it into the UPI poll national championship.
Haden (12 of 22 passing, 181 yards, two TDs, two interceptions) hit wide receiver J.K. McKay (five catches, 104 yards) with a 38-yard touchdown pass with 2:03 left in the game. Trailing 17-16, Haden then rolled right and threw a two-point conversion pass to a diving Sheldon Diggs to give the Trojans the slimmest of margins.
The Buckeyes made a last-ditch effort to win it, but Tom Skladany’s 62-yard field goal attempt fell short. The kick was that long because USC’s Gary Jeter sacked Greene on a previous play.
OSU led 7-3 after three quarters and was ahead 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter after a 3-yard Greene TD run and a 32-yard field goal by Tom Klaban. The Buckeyes (10-2) ended up fourth in the final AP poll.
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| The game program from the '80 Rose Bowl |
* Jan. 1, 1980 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): USC (3) 17, Ohio State (1) 16 – Once again, USC (11-0-1) snatched victory away from the Buckeyes (11-1) and first-year coach Earle Bruce, who had national championship aspirations. Heisman Trophy winner Charles White broke loose for 247 yards and one touchdown on 39 carries.
With USC down 16-10, White carried for 71 of USC’s 83 yards on its game-winning touchdown drive. He capped that drive by diving in from the 1 for a touchdown with a scant 1:32 left in the game. Kicker Eric Hipp’s extra point was the margin of victory. USC outgained OSU 519-412 in total offense, winning the game before a crowd of 105,526 at the Rose Bowl.
OSU quarterback Art Schlichter completed 11 of 21 passes for 297 yards with one interception and a 67-yard touchdown to Gary Williams. But the Buckeyes had to settle for three Vlade Janakievski field goals (35, 37 and 24 yards).
USC quarterback Paul McDonald threw for 234 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Williams. Alabama (12-0) won the AP poll title with USC second, Oklahoma third and Ohio State fourth. USC coach John Robinson improved to 3-0 as a coach in the Rose Bowl.
* Jan. 1, 1985 at Pasadena (Rose Bowl): USC (18) 20, Ohio State (6) 17 – USC (9-3) built a 17-6 halftime lead and held on down the stretch to get the win before 102,594 as the teams met for the fifth time in 13 seasons at the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Tim Green completed 13 of 24 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans.
Ohio State (9-3) outgained USC 403-261 in total yardage, but the Trojan defense largely kept the Buckeyes out of the end zone. The Buckeyes settled for three Rich Spangler field goals (21, 46 and 52 yards). Quarterback Mike Tomczak (24 of 37 passing, 290 yards, three interceptions, one TD) hit freshman Cris Carter with an 18-yard TD pass to trim the gap to 20-17 with 7:34 left in the game.
USC and Ohio State square off in 1984
The Buckeyes had one more possession and moved as close as the USC 43-yard line before turning it over on downs after a sack and three incompletions. Tailback Keith Byars, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, was held to 109 yards on 23 carries. Carter got loose for nine catches for 172 yards.
* Sept. 23, 1989 at Los Angeles: USC (12) 42, Ohio State (20) 3 – USC quarterback Todd Marinovich completed 14 of 22 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns against one interception as the Trojans crushed the Buckeyes before 69,876 at the Coliseum. It was the first regular season meeting between the schools in 25 years – the longest drought in regular season action between the two schools since the series began.
“Todd executed the big plays today,” said USC coach Larry Smith. “He went for the jugular.”
Marinovich found Scott Galbraith for two scores and connected with John Jackson on an 87-yarder. The Buckeyes could not handle USC’s defensive pressure, led by All-American linemen Tim Ryan and Junior Seau. OSU quarterbacks Greg Frey and Kirk Herbstreit were sacked a combined four times and pressured countless other instances.
USC ended up 9-2-1 that season and defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl. OSU was 8-4 in coach John Cooper’s second year at the helm.
* Sept. 29, 1990 at Columbus: USC (18) 35, Ohio State (12) 26 – This game is memorable because the most of the second half was played in a torrential downpour and amid a thunderstorm that produced ground-strike lightning around Ohio Stadium. But, even as many in the sellout crowd of 89,422 fled for higher ground, the teams continued playing until 2:36 remained in the game.
The Buckeyes had just pulled within nine points of the Trojans when OSU coach John Cooper suggested that if his team did not recover the ensuing onside kick they would call the game. When USC recovered the kick, the game was called.
Prior to the stoppage, the Trojans rushed for 331 yards with tailback Ricky Ervins going for 199 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. USC opened the scoring with a blocked punt for a score. OSU trimmed the gap to 14-10 after the first of two TD passes by Frey, who ended up 19 of 36 passing for 262 yards with an interception.
But Ervins’ second TD run put USC up 21-10 at halftime. USC ended up 8-4-1 that season with a John Hancock Bowl loss to Michigan State. Ohio State was 7-4-1 with a Liberty Bowl loss to Air Force.
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