2017 is the 75th anniversary of Ohio State's first national championship season. To honor the achievement, this series will post articles from the Columbus Citizen Journal on the day they ran in 1942.

Tippy Dye finally arrived in Columbus on Wednesday night. In Thursday's edition, the CJ was full of information. Time to let the reporters from 1942 tell their tale. 

Coach Paul Brown's wandering assistant, Tippy Dye, and his reports of the game between Southern California and the Washington Huskies finally arrived in Columbus and hte Buckeyes had their first look at Southern California offensive formations last night.

A long hard look it was, and another longer harder drill is scheduled for tonight.

A team of freshman, guided by Tippy Dye, who scouted the game for the Bucks, used the offensive formations yesterday while the first three teams of the varsity worked on setting a defense to trap backs that are almost as speedy and experienced as were those of Indiana last week.

With Dye arriving late, that left the Buckeyes with Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to prepare for USC. Not an ideal situation.

To Sharpen Passes

Tonight more emphasis will be given to the passing attack both of the visitors and of Ohio State. A long defensive session against the aerial plays of the Trojans is on tap to be followed by a sharpening of the Buckeyes' own air attack. 

The Trojans meanwhile, worked out in Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Ill., planning a speedy ground attack to alternate with a dangerous aerial threat which they will bring to Ohio Stadium Saturday.

Passing will be emphasized most, judging from the probable staring lineup, since three of the backs who will be on the field at the opening whistle are excellent passers. Bob Musick, third of four brothers who have all played for Southern Cal, is the fullback on the team---a good passer as well as a capable line plunger.

The reporters continue to give praise to the speed of USC's running game. However, a new emphasis is being placed on the Trojans' pass game. It appears that Ohio State's defense is going to face a Southern Cal team that can beat them by ground and air.

Halfback Fleet

Mickey McCardle, one of two sophomores awaiting the starting call, is a wing-footed halfback who is noted for his ability to cut back sharply through the center of the opponents' line. Once in the open field, he is as hard to catch as a fly in the parlor.

The third passes is a left-hander, Paul Taylor. Taylor was one of the most highly rated sophomores in the West last season and won his letter with plenty of playing time to spare. Now he is back with a year's experience under the big top, ready to rise to even greater heights among the football stars.

Mel Bleeker will be the fourth back to start against the Buckeyes and is one of the steadiest men on the field. He is a senior, already possesses to varsity letters, and does the blocking and signal calling on defense.

After his playing days, Mickey McCardle had a role as Jones in the movie comedy Father Was a Fullback. The film was released in 1949 and starred Fred MacMurray, Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood and Betty Lynn.

Paul Taylor was named honorable mention All-American. He graduated in 1943 and promptly enrolled with the Marines. He earned a Bronze Star of Valor for his service in the South Pacific.

After playing for USC, Mel Bleeker was a halfback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

Four 10-Second Men

Behind these men are four speed merchants, all of whom have been timed at less than 10 seconds for the 100-yard dash. Jack Trout was out of the first two games because of study complications, but he is now back to add the speed that placed him third in national track meets last spring. Darrell Kroll, Howard Callahan---out of the Huskie game with a leg injury but now ready to return to the wars, and Earl Parsons have all been timed at 9.8 for the century sprint.

I've been called a 10-second man, but let's not talk about that...moving on.

Verry Leads Line

The Southern California line is led by huge Norm Verry, a senior, who is a candidate for all-America honors this year. He has played 119 minutes out of 120 in the first two games of the season. He was a guard last season, transferred to tackle when 11 of the 15 men the Trojans lost to the armed services were tackles, and may have to do an iron-man stunt again Saturday.

For the first time this year, Ohio State will meet a foe on almost even terms so far as weight is concerned. Although the Bucks will have a three-pound per-man disadvantage on the line. They will have a two-pound bulge on the opponents in the backfield. It is in reserve strength that the Trojans will be much heavier than Ohio State.

The giant Verry should be a concern for the Buckeyes. The 6'5" 260 pound lineman will be the largest player on the field and could be a difference maker.

Lavelli in at End

The only change in the Buckeye lineup for this week will find Lavelli in there at left end since Don Steinberg suffered a severely bruised shoulder in the game with the Hoosiers and it is doubtful whether he will even be available for any service at all. Although he was in uniform last night, he was unable to participate in the heavy work and could only look on and learn what is planned for the foe.

Lin Houston was the only other man absent from practice. He was excused because of a slight head cold, but will be back for the game.

At this point, if I was Brown, I would begin to wonder if old Tippy Dye didn't pull a Hunter S. Thompson and skip the trip to Seattle. Instead, did Dye head south to Las Vegas and experience Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas decades before the Gonzo Journalist did it.

At the bottom of the sports page was this piece.

EVANSTON, ILL., Oct. 8---Ohio State's offense, which showed some plays from the T formation last week, today caused Coach Jeff Cravath of the University of Southern California football team to map a "secret weapon" defense to halt the Buckeyes at Columbus Saturday.

The Trojans coach hopes that his defensive strategy proves successful as it did last week against Washington when the S.C. line held the Huskies five times for downs within the 15-yard line.

Ruh-roh, USC is going to employ a secret weapon defense. Not sure if that is a great move for the Trojans. If you have to rely on a gimmick, it normally means you don't have the best team.

Has Three Hour Drill

But Cravath is not only defensive minded. He put his boys through a drill last night which lasted for almost three hours, with the Trojans backs using a majority of that time in developing their passing game.

Mickey McCardle, Paul Taylor and Bob Musick, who form the starting backfield combination along with Mel Bleeker, are all good passers. Taylor is a left-handed thrower.

Passers Plentiful

Hal Finney and Jim Hardy, who back up McCardle at left halfback, also are capable passers as is Jack Trout, fastest man on the Trojan team, who will be playing his first game in S.C. uniform Saturday. The Trojans will arrive in Columbus at 8:41 tomorrow evening with a string of 33 players.

Hard to believe that USC will only have 33 guys dressed for this game. With the giant Verry and speedster Trout, they might not even need that many.

Ohio State needs two victories and three points to even things up with the Pacific Coast football teams.

The Bucks have played teams from the "Golden West" four times.

It wasn't until last year that a Buckeye team succeeded in winning over a team from the West Coast.

Back on Jan. u, 1920, a somewhat complacent Ohio State team, which had just won the Buckeyes' third Big Ten Championship, made Ohio State's only appearance in the Rose Bowl. 

California's Golden Bears furnished the opposition in that game. Hooge Workman, on the throwing end, and Pete Stinchcomb on the receiving end, had passed the Big Ten dizzy that year.

The Bucks were going to show the Golden Bears just what forward passing was all about.

A forward passing lesson was given that day. But it was Brick Muller of California who gave it. One of his passes that day was in the record book for a long time as the longest ever completed in a college game. It was listed at 63 yards. My recollection is that it actually went about 55. But that was 22 years ago. And Muller could throw that football 63 yards all right. As a matter of fact he could and did throw footballs around 90 yards in practice, when he had the wind at his back.

90 yard passes? Insert "I don't believe you" gif here. But wait, the myth of Muller gets deeper. 

Another legend of that game is that Muller threw one pass and ran down the field and caught it himself. That's also a bit of an exaggeration. But it gives you an idea of just how good the Pacific Coast brick-to looked.

California won that one, 28-0. And boy was it a long trip home? 

This observer, being much younger and just as foolish then as now, had bet the meal money on the Bucks. Kindly souls in the Buckeye party saw to it he didn't starve. But neither did he eat plentifully.

When I was eight, I would play one-on-one football with a kid from down the street in the driveway. We implemented the pass to yourself in those concrete contests. I guess if my eight year old self could do it, Muller could as well.

Halfback Jim Hardy.

Today's Old School Alcohol Advertisement

Windsor makes another appearance in the paper. This ad has two guys sitting in what looks to be a campfire in the woods. The men have fine looking fedoras adorned to their heads as they tend to the food and Windsor. One of the outdoors men is stating, "Simple pleasures don't cost a lot money. Take WINDSOR for instance!"

Below the picture Windsor went with these words to sell its product:

In a leisure moment, men of action like to reach for a bottle of good, hearty Windsor bourbon. They know it's packed full of pleasure---giving you all the fine flavor and smoothness you want at a sensible price.

The price? Still 97 cents a pint and $1.85 a quart.