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.

Coach Paul Brown today began looking forward to the game this week with the Western Conference darkhorse, Wisconsin's Badgers, who are living up to the predictions of the experts and are undefeated in five games so far this season. 

The Badgers opened the season with a victory over Camp Grand, played to a 7-7 tie with Notre Dame, and have since added successive victories over Marquette, Missouri and Purdue.

"We're expecting another mightily tough game." Coach Brown disclosed last night, "because Wisconsin has the same team back that they had last year with improvements on both offense and defense."

We've heard this talk about the opponent being tough from Brown before. Will the media and team buy into it again this week?

Badger Defense Better

The most vitally needed reinforcement in the Wisconsin machine last year was a stronger defense. The Badgers scored plenty of points against the Bucks in Ohio Stadium last year but lost out because the Bucks pushed the ball across the goal line every time they had their hands on it.

That much-needed defensive bulwark has come in big Fred Negus, a sophomore center. Negus is a 185-pounder who backs the line of defense and has turned the Northwestern (sic, I think Hawk meant Wisconsin) defense from a sieve into a much stronger unit according to scouting reports from Brown's assistant coaches.

The shot-in-the-arm for the offense has come in a sophomore tailback, Elroy Hirsch. Hirsch is heavy enough for rough, tough football at 185 pounds and fast enough to play on any team as well as one of the shiftiest runners in the Western Conference.

Interesting that Wisconsin's center, Fred Negus, and tailback, Elroy Hirsch both weigh 185 pounds. Elroy and Negus sounds like a law firm or a cruise line magic show. Either way, I wouldn't want their services.

Better Than Harmon

"He's the best I've seen this year." commented Coach Ernie Godfrey who has been watching the Badgers play, "and better than Harmon when Tommy was a sophomore. He's terrific."

The Bucks seem finally to have shaken the injury jinx that has plagued them all season and will be in the best shape as a team that they have been in all season unless some new and unexpected injuries show up in the week's first practice tonight.

Hawk must have had a crystal ball, because the last paragraph he wrote was a perfect foreshadowing of the week ahead. However, it wasn't the injury bug the Buckeyes had to be fearful of.

All Ready to Go

Although Paul Sarringhaus bumped his injured ankle again, Bob Frye suffered a charleyhorse and Bill Willis injured his leg, all these hurts appear to be minor in character and the men will probably be ready to go at top speed again by mid week.

In addition, left ends Don Steinberg and Dante Lavelli are rounding into condition so that they way (sic) possibly be ready to play again by the end of the week. Lavelli has an injured knee and Steinberg a shoulder separation but both worked out slowly last week and may improve enough to be ready for at least part-time service this week.

Reviews Wildcat Game

In looking over the Northwestern game, Brown was high in his praise of the Wildcat primary defense. He called the Wildcats the "toughest team we have met so far" but added that the "back-breaking schedule set up for Coach Lynn Waldorf and his squad is beginning to tell.

"The real difference in the game came in inside line play." Brown said, "because we were able to wear them down toward the last of the game. Their guards, Duke and Kapter, and their linebackers, Fullback Ed Hirsch and Center George App caused us plenty of trouble."

Brown had high praise for Northwestern, but remember Ohio State left Dyche Stadium with a 20-6 victory. The Buckeye coach had more superlatives for Otto Graham.

Graham Was Sparkplug

"Graham was the sparkplug of the out outfit and it wasn't till he had to leave the game in the final minutes that the Wildcats seemed to bog down. He was hampered in his passing by the fast charging of our linemen, particularly Bob Shaw."

The other outstanding Bucks, in the opinion of their coach, were Backs Fekete and Sarringhaus who ran very well; Tommy James, who made a couple of tackles in the safety position that prevented touchdowns, and the middle of the line as a whole.

Getchell's artwork this week depicts Ohio State's drive for a national championship. To this point, the football program was without a national title and Getchell shows that being without one is haunting the team and coach Brown. 

If Ohio State's battling Buckeyes need any added incentive to spur them on for their remaining games against Western Conference opponents---which I doubt--- -they can get it by looking at the standing and the schedules.

They have the Western Conference championship squarely in their hands---if they can keep it there.

All they need to do is defeat Wisconsin at Madison next Saturday, Illinois at Cleveland on Nov. 14 and Michigan in Ohio Stadium on Nov. 21.

If they do that they'll have an undisputed and undisputable title, regardless of what may happen in the rest of the conference.

Today there are three teams which haven't lost a conference game---Ohio State, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The Bucks play Wisconsin next Saturday and Illinois two weeks later.

If they can win from the Badgers and Illini they'll have eliminated each from the ranks of teams undefeated in conference games. If they can do that they can cinch the Big Ten crown by defeating or tying Michigan on Nov. 21 in Ohio Stadium.

It isn't often that such a clear cut opportunity faces a conference team. Usually you have to figure your probabilities on the basis of someone else beating Minnesota----Ohio State doesn't usually play Minnesota. But Illinois took care of that little detail on Oct. 10 by downing the Gophers 20 to 13.

So there are only Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin left with no conference defeats. 

[...]

On those records the Bucks should be at least an even choice against any team they're still to meet.

So prospects seem bright for that undisputed title.

And what a climax is in prospect if the Bucks do go undefeated through the rest of their conference schedule and Bernie Bierman's Seahawks aren't defeated again before Nov. 28 when the Fliers and Buckeyes close the season at Ohio Stadium.

To break it all down, win the remaining games and take the title.

Defense Functions

Ohio State's defense continued to function against Northwestern Saturday against all but Otto Graham's rifle-like passes.

Northwestern gained only 42 yards on the ground. Ohio's five opponents this fall have gained only a total of 370 yards, an average of 74 per game.

Gene Fekete (Big Bertha to his mates) has individually gained more yards than all of Ohio State's opponents. He has a total of 554 yards and a total of 60 points, which is 21 more points than Ohio's combined opponents have scored.

Paul Sarringhaus, Ohio's second best ground gainer, has 357 yards to his credit, only 13 yards less than Ohio's combined opponents.

To this point, the Buckeyes' defense is shutting down the opponent's run game, while Fekete and Sarringhaus pound away. Byrer has more stats.

Here are the offensive records of Ohio State ball carriers so far this season:

Fekete---554 yards in 109 tries for an average of 5.08 and total of 60 points.

Sarringhaus---357 yards in 58 tries for an average of 6.18 and total of 24 points.

Horvath---251 yards in 46 tries for an average of 5.5 and total of six points.

Frye---188 yards in 29 tries for an average of 6.5 and a total of 14 points.

James---79 yards in 18 tries for an average of 4.4 yards and no points. 

Palmer---64 yards in 19 tries for an average of 3.4 and a total of 12 points.

Lipaj---17 yards in six tries for an average of 2.9 and total of 6 points. 

Lynn---9 yards in six tries for an average of 1.5 and total of 12 points.

Priday---11 yards in three tries for an average of 3.6 and no points.

Durtschl---11 yards in three tries for an average of 3.6 and six points.

Shaw---two yards in one try for an average of 2 and 12 points.

Staker---five yards in one try and no points.

Sarringhaus has tried 27 forward passes, completing 12 of them for a total of 296 yards.

Horvath has completed six in 10 tries for a total of 61 yards.

Slusser has completed two in eight tries and for a total of 39 yards.

James has completed two in five tries for a total of 39 yards.

Frye has completed one in three tries for a total of 21 yards.

Durtschl has completed none in one try.

Ever read the book of Numbers? If not, Byrer just gave you a good taste of it.

Today's Old School Ad

County Auditor N.A. Thatcher took to the paper to remind residents of their civic responsibility to pay their property taxes.

When military needs (to) take men from homes and business, federal laws provide a measure of relief from taxes---and county taxes provide for part of the administration of such regulations.

When men are released from service they record their papers---county taxes provide a Recorder's Office.

When ex-service men need aid---county taxes provide for Soldiers' Relief.

What connection does the County Auditor have with these functions? He pays the bills, sees to it that, in the stress of increasing war time costs, expenditures are not authorized unless funds are on hand, administers and maintains the records and accounts.

PROPERTY TAXES constitute only a part of county revenue. In order to use available funds WITHOUT INCREASING TAXES, the County Auditor has brought about a $35,000 annual reduction in state hospital charges, required the use of $127,000 utility taxes for their intended county purposes without diversion, and devised means to pay off county debts with delinquent collections, thus releasing funds for operating purposes.