Ohio State vs. Alabama: 1977's Sugar Bowl (1/1/1978)

As you surely know, we are set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl, which is round one of the inaugural College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes have never beaten Alabama, although we have met on the field three times in the past.

The first time Ohio State took on Alabama was at the end of the 1977 season, also in the Sugar Bowl, pitting two of college football's legendary coaches against each other: Woody Hayes and Bear Bryant. At Ohio State, Woody Hayes had won five national championships and thirteen conference titles; at Alabama, Bear Bryant had won four national championships and eleven conference titles.

The Buckeyes were ranked No. 5 to start the season in 1977, so the national title was certainly within reach. The trouble with this season, though, came with a one-point, last-second loss to No. 3 Oklahoma early on and a loss to Michigan in the final game of the year. No. 4 Michigan won the Big Ten and went to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to the No. 13 Washington Huskies. Ohio State (ranked No. 8) went on to the Sugar Bowl to face No. 3 Alabama.

The game was dominated by the Crimson Tide, although the first quarter was scoreless. Alabama opened the game driving 61 yards to the Ohio State three yard line, but was stopped on fourth and goal. Ohio State did not come close to scoring in the first quarter. Alabama's first second quarter drive ended in a touchdown, putting them up 7-0. Ohio State was forced to punt on their next possession and Alabama put together another touchdown drive to go up 13-0 (they missed the PAT).

The Buckeyes found some rhythm and started driving the ball, with the help of running back Ron Springs, who turned the corner and went 42 yards to get the ball to the Alabama 12 yard line. Soon faced with a fourth and seven on the five yard line, Woody decided to go for it, calling a short pass to Jim Harrell, who was brought down at the three, a yard short of the first down. Half time came and the score remained in Alabama's favor: 13-0.

Alabama put the game out of reach late in the third quarter, scoring on a 67-yard drive and converting for two to go up 21-0. It seems that Bear Bryant outsmarted Woody Hayes by setting up the offense in a wishbone (and other sets that look like run plays) and passing the ball while the linebackers are looking for the run. Also the Crimson Tide defense blew up a lot of Ohio State plays in the third quarter.

Ohio State wide receiver Jim Harrell is brought down by Alabama defenders in the 1977 Sugar Bowl.

Finally, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown (on a beautiful catch from Jim Harrell). We went for two and could not convert, so the score became 21-6. The Crimson Tide scored two more touchdowns before the end of the game, making the final score 35-6. This, along with the loss to Michigan, was a disappointing end to a season that started out with a lot of potential.

Watch a video of the Alabama-Ohio State Sugar Bowl here:

After all of the bowls were settled at the end of the 1977 season, No. 1 Texas had lost to No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 2 Oklahoma had lost to No. 6 Arkansas and No. 4 Michigan had lost to No. 13 Washington. This left the pollsters with a mess to deal with. The AP and UPI both ranked Notre Dame No. 1 and Alabama No. 2. Back then, there was a Notre Dame bias, whereas today the SEC bias would have probably put Alabama ahead of Notre Dame and given them the 1977 national title.

By the way, this week Eleven Warriors has a great look at all of our Sugar Bowls.

The Internet's Best Michigan Week Hype Videos

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Spend time with your loved ones today, but don't forget to get pumped up for The Game this Saturday. To help, watch these videos:

Ohio State vs. That Team Up North:

2014 preview video from Ohio State football

The best part of this one is Woody Hayes in the locker room saying, "If you take it to them, and you keep taking it to them, hell, there's no question who will win."

The Journey: Big Ten Football 2013 - Ohio State vs. Michigan Director's Cut:

OSU-UM highlights from the Big Ten Network

This one has some great footage that does a good job of capturing what that game felt like. In case you forgot, Brady Hoke had the brilliant idea to go for two at the end of the game and OSU safety Tyvis Powell intercepted the ball, handing the Wolverines a 42-41 loss.

Ohio State vs. Michigan: The Best Rivalry in Sports:

Made in 2011, this one has some great cuts of old games, leading up to the present era.

The Four Greatest Wins Over Michigan

Since we are four days from the annual game against that team up north, here is a look at Ohio State's four all time best wins over Michigan. Of course, any win over Michigan is a good one, and there are many, many to choose from, but these here are my favorites. Not listed: the 50-14 victory in 1968, the missed Wolverine FG victory of 1974 and the beautiful 21-14 victory of 1975. Upsetting them in 1952 was pretty cool, too.

1. November 21st, 1970. After the Wolverines snapped our 22-game win streak and kept us out of national championship consideration in 1969, we came back with a vengeance. Going into this game, OSU was ranked 4th and UM was 5th. Woody Hayes' super sophomores of 1968 were now seniors, and they had Michigan in the cross hairs. The Wolverines fumbled the opening kickoff, and from then on Ohio State dominated. The final score was 20-9. The Buckeyes went on to lose the Rose Bowl, but still win a national title. Thirteen Buckeyes from that squad were drafted in the spring.

Here is a video of the highlights of the 1970 game. Quarterback Rex Kern ran a lot of option plays in this game. Ohio State's current offensive style is somewhat reminiscent of these days.

Here are the highlights of that crisp autumn day, when the air was thick with sweet revenge:

2. November 18th, 2006. Called the Game of the Century, this was No. 1 OSU vs. No. 2 UM, in a battle that would decide who would play for the national championship. This was Michigan's latest effort to become a relevant college football team again. Chad Henne and Mike Hart did a good job, but Troy Smith, "Beanie" Wells, Antonio Pittman , Ted Ginn and Brian Robiskie were too much for the Wolverine defense to handle. OSU (in case you had forgotten) went on to lose the BCS National Championship Game to Urban Meyer's Florida Gators and Michigan went on to lose the Rose Bowl to USC. Since 2006, Michigan has never regained their status as a serious college football champion material. Instead, teams now take joy in beating the once-great Wolverines.

Relive the glory here:

Fullback Gene Fekete (bottom) carries the ball down field for the Buckeyes

3. November 21st, 1942. En route to our first national title, the Buckeyes were led by Gene Fekete, Paul Sarringhaus and eventual Heisman winner Les Horvath. The single loss that year was to Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes overcame it and were named National Champions in Paul Brown's second year as head coach. This season took place during the U.S. involvement in World War II, so the school was disrupted by the enlistment and drafting of potential football players. Nevertheless, Ohio State proved the best team in the country, beating No. 4 Michigan 21-7. Michigan ended up with a 7-3 record and a No. 9 ranking.

Les Horvath (right) passes to Paul Sarringhaus (left) for an Ohio State touchdown

4. November 21st, 1998. While this season was spoiled by the Michigan State loss, John Cooper and the Buckeyes salvaged their honor with a victory over Michigan. Three consecutive losses to the Wolverines had left Ohio State hungry for a win. The Joe Germaine-David Boston combination was way too much for Michigan to handle. We finished the season by beating Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl and settling for a No. 2 ranking.

Enjoy the 1998 highlights:

Six Reasons to Hate Michigan

It's six days until the Michigan game, so here are six great reasons to hate the Wolverines. Six reasons aside from their ugly helmets, neanderthalesque fight song, and the fact that you can buy a UM baseball cap in every corner drug store around the world.

1. They are winning the series. Since the first match up in 1897, Michigan has won 58 times and Ohio State has won 45 times. Six have been ties. Many of those losses to Michigan were early in football history, at a time when UM was the dominant Midwestern power and OSU was a fledgling program. Michigan also pulled away during the 1990s, when John Cooper could only get two wins against the Wolverines in his thirteen seasons as head coach. The Buckeyes have dominated the contest in the Tressel and Meyer Eras, but we still have some catching up to do.

Cleveland native and Michigan Wolverine Desmond Howard

2. They recruit their best players from Ohio. Desmond Howard is probably the most well-known example of this, but it has long been Michigan's policy to come down to Ohio and try to steal the best high school football players from us.

3. November 22nd, 1969. Ohio State was still rolling after the 1968 National Championship and had won 22 straight games, with what Woody Hayes called his best squad ever. Rex Kern, Jim Otis, Jack Tatum, and the rest of the Buckeyes were unbelievably good. Bo Schembechler was a brand new coach at UM and no one expected him to upset the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes. At the end of the heartbreaking loss, our win streak was snapped and our shot at the 1969 national title was gone. Michigan went to the Rose Bowl and lost to USC.

David Boston taunting Charles Woodson in 1997

4. November 25th, 1995. Ohio State was undefeated and ranked No. 2. On the way to the Rose Bowl and a bid for the national title, all the Buckeyes had to do was beat Michigan. Somewhere in the first half of that game, they forgot how to tackle and Wolverine running back Tim Biakabutuka tore upfield continually, amassing 313 yards and sending Ohio State packing. The season was over and Michigan went on to lose tha Alamo Bowl and we went on to lose the Citrus Bowl.

5. November 23rd, 1996. Ohio State was again undefeated and ranked No. 2. Again we were on the way to the Rose Bowl and were serious national title contenders. And again Michigan ruined the season. We did end up going the Rose Bowl that year, and beat Arizona State, ending the season ranked at No. 2.

6. They are arrogant. Michigan players, coaches and fans act like their program is a big deal in college football. Despite having one (shared) national championship in 60+ years. Despite barely staying above a .500 win percentage Since Lloyd Carr's tenure. Mike Hart was arrogant. Brady Hoke is arrogant. Part of the duty of an Ohio State team is to chip away at that Ann Arbor arrogance each November by handing these spoiled brats a loss.

The seven Buckeyes that did NOT win the Heisman Trophy

Ohio State players have won the Heisman seven times, which ties us with Notre Dame for the most wins by University. Michigan players have only three Heisman trophies, but who's counting? Of course, there are great players every year that do not win the big trophy, and many of them have played at Ohio State. Here are the seven best Buckeyes who did not win the Heisman.

PACE - 1996

Orlando Pace came in 4th in Heisman voting in '96, which is pretty great for a lineman. Pace was as good an offensive tackle as we have ever produced and he played with some great players, like Eddie George, Shawn Springs, Mike Vrabel and Joe Germaine. He became famous for his complete dominance of defenders, which included frequent "pancake" blocks. Until Orlando Pace came along, they were called knockdowns. The pancake block was a stat invented by Ohio State and Orlando Pace in 1996. 

The '96 season was going very well for Head Coach John Cooper and the Buckeyes, as usual. We were ranked No. 2 almost the entire season and were all set up to play Florida State for the national title when we lost to Michigan. We redeemed ourselves by defeating Arizona State in the Rose Bowl and finishing the season No. 2. Florida beat Florida State and won the national title. Their quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman. Pace at least won the Lombardi Trophy in 1995 and 1996.

To get an idea of Pace's dominance, see this video that shows him destroying Penn State's defensive line.

BYARS - 1984

Keith Byars, running back, was second in Heisman voting in '84. This was Byars' junior year and he was outstanding. He rushed for 1,764 yards and 22 touchdowns, and caught for 479 yards and two more touchdowns. Byars played with great players like Mike Tomczack, Jim Lachey, Cris Carter and Chris Spielman. Byars was a huge part of our 1980s Big Ten dominance. We beat Michigan and won the conference in 1984. Unfortunately we lost the Rose Bowl to USC. Doug Flutie, quarterback for Boston College, won the 1984 Heisman.

Here is Byars returning a kickoff for a TD against Pittsburgh. He was a big back with short strides, not the type you normally see returning kicks.

SCHLICHTER - 1979

Art Schlichter came in fourth in Heisman voting in '79. This was Schichter's sophomore season, and as quarterback, he led the team through a difficult transition. 1978 was Woody Hayes' last season and many doubted if the Buckeyes would carry on successfully without him. Head coach Earle Bruce was doubted by many, but he and Schlichter brought us a lot of success that continued into the 1980s.

Schlicter was a great passer, and he threw for 1,816 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1979, and rushed for 430 yards and nine more touchdowns. We went undefeated all year and were No. 1 going into the Rose Bowl against USC. We lost the national championship by a single point as USC came back in the fourth quarter to win 17-16. Fittingly, USC running back Charles White won the 1979 Heisman Trophy.

Here Schlichter impressively leads OSU down the field to win in the final minutes of the '79 UCLA game.

HICKS - 1973

John Hicks, offensive tackle, was second in Heisman voting in '73. He had the great honor of playing with the 1970 championship team, as well as the next generation of Buckeyes that included Archie Griffin. Or perhaps, all of those players had the honor or playing with John Hicks. Without him, Rex Kern and Cornelius Greene would not have had time to throw, and Champ Henson and Archie Griffin would not have had room to run. He was impossible to get around, and most footage of Hicks involves him shoving defenders helplessly backwards. 

Sports Illustrated did a good article in 1973 about how it is nearly impossible for a lineman to win the Heisman, which remains true today. Hicks did win the 1973 Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, while Penn State's John Cappelletti won the Heisman.

This is a great photo of Hicks in action.

KERN - 1969

Rex Kern came in third in 1969's Heisman votes. Kern quarterbacked during the golden age of OSU football and '69 was his best year. He threw for just over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 583 yards and nine more touchdowns. He played with a ridiculously good group of players including Jack Tatum, Jim Otis, John Hicks, Jim Stillwagon, and Bruce Jankowski. 1969 was set to be our perfect year, with the Buckeyes defending the national title and continuing a win streak that lasted as a school record until 2013. Michigan, with their new Coach Schembechler, beat us at the end of the season, ending our win streak at 22 and dashing everyone's expectation that we would repeat as national champions. Oklahoma's Steve Owens won the '69 Heisman.

Here is Kern leading us to victory over Purdue in 1969.

FERGUSON - 1961

Bob Ferguson was second in Heisman voting in 1961. He was a tough fullback whose main job was to run the ball right up the middle for four or five yards to keep drives going. In 1961, he ran for 968 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was one of the best running backs to ever play at Ohio State, and we would probably have won the national championship with his rushing abilities, but OSU itself denied us.

We had tied the first game of the '61 season, but had won every game since, so we had an undefeated record and were on our way to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA, a team we had already beaten back in the second game of the season. Things looked great as we were cruising to our fourth national title, when the Ohio State faculty voted to decline the Rose Bowl invitation because they wanted the university to stay focused on academics. The students rioted in response, but Woody Hayes remained calm. Minnesota went to the Rose Bowl instead, and beat UCLA. 

Ferguson won the Maxwell Award, but the brilliant running back Ernie Davis (of Syracuse) won the Heisman. On a much more tragic note than our missing out on the national championship, Ernie Davis went on to the NFL, but died of cancer at age 23, before he could play a game.

Here is Ferguson rushing; check out that uniform! Photo: fanbase.com

WHITE - 1958

Bob White came in fourth in 1958's Heisman votes. White had played on the 1957 national championship team and had a great 1958, too: 859 yards and 12 touchdowns. He played alongside Buckeye greats Don Clark and Dick Lebeau. We came into the year ranked No. 1, but after two ties and a loss, we fell in the rankings. Although we beat Iowa by ten points, they won the conference and went to the Rose Bowl. At least we beat Michigan. Army's Pete Dawkins won the Heisman.

Here is an old photo of Bob White, looking tough. Photo: fanbase.com

1969 Sports Illustrated

I recently got my hands on a Sports Illustrated from September 15, 1969. This was during a golden age of OSU football, when we had Woody Hayes as head coach. We had won the 1968 National Championship and were in the midst of what would become a 22-game win streak (broken by Michigan on November 22, 1969). This win streak was broken last season with Urban Meyer's Buckeyes winning 24 in a row. Anyway, here is the magazine cover:

That is, of course, Woody Hayes on the left and #10 Rex Kern in the center and bottom right. #35 Jim Otis is in the center also. Inside there is a salute to the great players of the past century of football (the first official American football game was in 1869) and there is a great write-up about the Buckeyes. We were unanimously considered No. 1 that year until the loss at Michigan:

Read the whole 1869-1969 football article from Sports Illustrated.

There is an interesting article (part of the centennial celebration of American football) that discusses the end of defense and the prevalence of a high-scoring pass-happy offensive strategy employed by most current (1969) college coaches. I found this funny because it is the same thing I hear today about how football is changing into a high-scoring, offense-centered sport that does not rely on strength and toughness like it used to. Apparently, fans and writers saw the same trend almost 50 years ago:

There is an analysis of each major conference, from back in the days when the Big Ten really was just 10 Midwestern teams: no Penn State, and no Nebraska, Maryland or Rutgers:

Read the conference write-ups here.

In 1969, former OSU coach Paul Brown was coaching the Cincinnati Bengals, and there is an article about him as well: 

Read this whole article from Sports Illustrated.

All in all, this issue was very interesting to read and exemplifies what makes Ohio State football so great. I occasionally buy OSU memorabilia and this magazine is an invaluable addition to my modest collection. It is also great to see that in this digital age, Sports Illustrated has archived many of their articles online for fans to enjoy.

Bradley Roby and Remembering Jack Tatum

*Bradley Roby photo from Springfield News-Sun, Jack Tatum photo from Sports Illustrated.

Bradley Roby is our most highly-touted player going into the draft this year. Although last season's defense had problems, Roby was one of the bright spots. He blocked a punt in the end zone against Northwestern, scoring a touchdown, and another one against Indiana. He had three interceptions; one of which was returned for a 63 yard touchdown:

Roby is a pretty amazing player and will likely be drafted in the first round. Although the game is different than it was 45 years ago, I can't think of Bradley Roby without thinking of Jack Tatum, the most feared player Ohio State has ever produced. Roby and Tatum both played cornerback for us, and Roby is 5'11/192 (a little undersized by today's standards) while Tatum was 6'0/205.

Tatum was from Passaic, NJ and was recruited as a running back. Back in the '60s, a lot of guys would still play offense and defense, but by his junior year, 1969, Tatum was only being used on defense because of the power of his hits. Sports Illustrated did a great article in 1969 before the Michigan game about how the best game to watch in the post season would have been OSU's offense vs. OSU's defense. According to Woody Hayes, this was the best team he ever coached. By 1970, Tatum's senior year, he had played in two Rose Bowls and won two National Championships. He was an All-American in 1969 and '70. Tatum was part of the best years of Buckeye football, and part of the genesis of the Ten Year War against Michigan.

In 1971, Jack Tatum was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders and moved from cornerback to free safety. He was outstanding in the NFL and the power of his tackles earned him the fear of receivers and running backs all over the league. With Ken Stabler at quarterback and their new coach John Madden (ever heard of him?), Tatum played for arguably the best team in the NFL and was an important part of what made them so good. The Raiders were division champions every year from 1972-1976 and won Superbowl XI in 1977. Tatum was the defender who smashed into Steelers receiver John Fuqua, contributing to 1972's Immaculate Reception. Tatum faced a lot of criticism for his hard hits, one of which paralyzed another player for life, but always maintained that he played fairly. He was in the Pro Bowl in '73, '74 and '75.

In 1980, Jack Tatum released a book, They Call Me Assassin, which details his youth in North Carolina and New Jersey, and his high school, college and professional playing days. The most interesting part is his description of the transition from college to NFL play, where he had to work harder and improve his wits considerably just to be able to compete. He discusses his method of hitting hard, basically aiming for a spot behind an opponent and channeling all of his body weight to go "through" the other player. He used to use a method called the "hook," which is now illegal; it involved bracing the arm to hit an opponent's head to take them out. Tatum would have contests with other players for the most hits that caused stoppages of play. It is an interesting read from a different time in football. The aggressive style used by Tatum and others in the 1970s and '80s are the roots of the safety concerns in football today.

All things considered, Tatum was a great asset to any team he played on including our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. He died in 2010 at the age of 61. The NFL ranked him as one of the most feared players of all time:

OSU Coaches Clinic Inspires a Look Back at Great Coaches

Ohio State is hosting the 2014 Coaches Clinic April 10 - 12, themed as a tribute to Ohio football. Marvin Lewis, head coach of the Bengals and Mike Pettine, head coach of the Browns, will speak at the clinic. So will Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer and several members of his staff: Tom Herman, Luke Fickell, Tim Hinton and Chris Ash. Several Ohio high school coaches will also speak. The weekend ends with the Ohio State Spring Game on Saturday, April 12 at 1:30 PM.

This gathering of Ohio coaches inspires a look back at the great coaches of Ohio over the years.

Paul Brown is a coach every Ohioan should know. He was born in Norwalk in 1908 and grew up in Massillon, where he played for the Massillon Tigers in high school. He started college at Ohio State and finished at Miami University (OH), where he played quarterback. After college, he coached at a high school in Maryland before returning to Massillon to coach the Tigers for nine years. He was hired as head coach at Ohio State in 1941 and led the Buckeyes to our first national championship in 1942. He was commissioned to coach the Great Lakes Bluejackets during World War II and went on to coach the Cleveland Browns for 17 seasons. He later coached the Cincinnati Bengals for eight seasons. Paul Brown died in Cincinnati in 1991. Today, the Massillon High School Tigers play in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and the Bengals play in Paul Brown Stadium.

Wes Fesler was born in Youngstown in 1908 and played lineman and fullback at Ohio State from 1928 - 1930 and was a first team All-American every year. He immediately started as an assistant coach at OSU after college. He then went on to be head coach of the Harvard University basketball team for nine years while serving as an assistant football coach at Harvard. In 1941 Fesler was hired as head coach of the football team at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but his time there was cut short by World War II. Eventually he went back to the dual basketball-football coaching, this time at Princeton. The University of Pittsburgh hired him as head football coach for one season before he returned to Ohio State. After building the program in 1947 and 1948, his 1949 Buckeyes won the Rose Bowl, and Vic Janowicz won OSU's first Heisman Trophy in 1950. After the infamous 1950 Michigan game, known as the "Snow Bowl," Fesler fell out of favor and coached at Minnesota until 1953. He died in California in 1989.

Woody Hayes is the most famous coach of Ohio State; he coached at OSU for 28 seasons led the Buckeyes to five national championships. He was born in Clifton in 1913 and played high school football for Newcomerstown and college ball for Denison University. He later coached at Denison and Miami (OH) before getting hired as Ohio State's coach in 1951. He coached the likes of Howard " Hopalong" Cassady, Archie Griffin, Jim Otis, Art Schichter and Jack Tatum. Earle Bruce, Lou Holtz and Bo Schembechler all coached under Hayes at some point. Woody Hayes died in Columbus in 1987.

*Photo of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium by Sean P. Bender