In 1972, the Big Ten changed its bylaws and rescinded the "no repeat" rule for the Rose Bowl. Now a team could go to Pasadena every season if it earned the right.
The NCAA also changed its stance on freshmen and allowed them to play varsity football. This made a significant impact on the careers of Brian Baschnagel, Tim Fox, Ken Kuhn and one Archie Griffin.
| The 1972 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 9–2 |
| B1G Record | 7–1, 1st |
| Coach | Woody Hayes (22nd year, 149–49–7) |
| CaptainS | Dick Galbos, George Haenohrl |
Games of Note
September 16th • Iowa • Ohio Stadium
The No. 3 Buckeyes entered the 1972 season on a three-game losing streak. Frank Lauterbur and Iowa failed to defeat Ohio State since 1962.
The 77,098 on hand watched a scoreless and sloppy first quarter. The Buckeyes won the toss and received the opening kick. On the second play from scrimmage, they fumbled the center-quarterback exchange and Iowa recovered at the 17-yard line.
Iowa did not take advantage of the early gift, however. Doug Nelson fumbled on third down and Ohio State's defensive end Jim Cope recovered at the 22.
The turnover bug hit the Buckeyes against on their second possession. Quarterback Greg Hare dropped back to pass from the Hawkeyes' 37 and looked for Mike Bartoszek down the field. Instead, he found an Iowa defender and Ohio State finished its second drive with its second turnover.
Before the quarter ended, Iowa's quarterback, Kyle Skogman, followed suit and threw a pick to Rick Seifert at the Buckeyes' 46. In all, the teams combined for four turnovers in the opening quarter.
Near the end of the half, Hayes' squad scored when Randy Keith plowed into the end zone on 4th-and-1. Blair Conway converted his first career point after attempt to make it 7-0.
Champ Henson's two short touchdown runs and Archie Griffin's first collegiate snap highlighted the second half. With less than four minutes remaining, Dave Purdy and Griffin did not connect on a pitch resulting in a five-yard loss. Hayes immediately pulled and he was concerned about his future playing time.
The 21-0 victory marked the defense's first shutout in 18 games.
| DATE` | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP. 16 | IOWA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 21–0 |
| SEP. 30 | NORTH CAROLINA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 29–14 |
| OCT. 7 | CALIFORNIA | MEMORIAL | W, 35–18 |
| OCT. 14 | ILLINOIS | OHIO STADIUM | W, 26–7 |
| OCT. 21 | INDIANA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 44–7 |
| OCT. 28 | WISCONSIN | CAMP RANDALL | W, 28–20 |
| NOV. 4 | MINNESOTA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 27–19 |
| NOV. 11 | MICHIGAN STATE | SPARTAN STADIUM | L, 12–19 |
| NOV. 18 | NORTHWESTERN | DYCHE STADIUM | W, 27–14 |
| NOV. 25 | NO. 3 MICHIGAN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 14–11 |
| JAN. 1 | NO. 1 USC | ROSE BOWL | L, 17–42 |
| 9–2, 280–171 |
September 30th • North Carolina • Ohio Stadium
After a bye week, Ohio State returned to action against North Carolina on a chilly 49-degree late September day.
The Tar Heels won the last meeting between the two teams in 1965.
The Buckeyes started slow and a blocked Gary Largo punt gave North Carolina an early 7-0 lead.
Hayes had seen enough of his inept offense and heeded the advice of running back coach Rudy Hubbard to insert Griffin into the contest. For Ohio State's third series of the afternoon, the fifth-team running back was on the field.
The drive started with an inside sweep by the freshman for six yards. On second down, Griffin picked-up six more yards and the Buckeyes' initial first down of the game. The drive stalled, but the offense showed signs of life with the Eastmoor graduate carrying the ball.
On the next series, Griffin took the first handoff 32 yards and across midfield. The workhorse on the drive, Griffin accumulated 56 of its 73 yards. Conway's first field goal as a Buckeye got Ohio State on the board.
At the start of the second quarter, Griffin again worked the ball down the field on a drive that ended in Hare's 17-yard keeper for a touchdown.
At the end of the first half, Ohio State led 9-7 and Griffin had 111 yards rushing on 16 carries.
The Buckeyes kept the momentum in the second half as Griffin's running set up touchdowns for Keith and Henson. A 55-yard run by Archie – his longest of the day – was the key play before Henson's 1-yard plunge.
With under five minutes remaining, Griffin recorded his first touchdown. On his last run of the day, he raced outside to the left and down the sideline for a 9-yard score. Griffin finished the day with an Ohio State single-game record 239 rushing yards on 27 carries, breaking Ollie Cline's previous mark of 229 yards against Pittsburgh in 1945.
A recap of Griffin's record From The Columbus Dispatch:
The Ohio Stadium crowd of 86,180 gave Griffin a standing ovation when he came off the field after his TD and another roar when it was announced he'd broken the record. He'd also caught a 17-yard pass for 256 total offense.
His dazzling show reminded many fans of Hopalong Cassady's start as a Buckeye. The then-18-year-old freshman from Central High scored three touchdowns, rushing for 41 yards and catching passes for 95 more against Indiana on Sept. 27, 1952. Older fans likened Archie's running style to that of Jumpin' Joe Williams, sophomore sensation of Francis Schmidt's 1935 team.
The Blue Devils came to Columbus for the fist time in 11 years and had the 86,123 on hand nervous for the first half. With 25 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Duke led 3-0 and had to punt on the Buckeyes' 44. Ralph Holloway blocked the punt and Luttner made good on years of practicing the scoop and score drill. From there, Ohio State went on to win 24-10.
Lost in the shadow of Griffin's record-setting day was Elmer Lippert's 116 yards on 10 carries.
October 21st • Indiana • Ohio Stadium
Following the record setting game against North Carolina, California held Griffin to just 41 yards and a 2.7 yards per carry average. Even without a strong performance by Griffin, the Buckeyes still managed to generate 379 total yards of offense in a 35-18 victory.
In the Week 3 matchup against Illinois, Griffin returned to form. He rushed for 192 yards and set the table for Henson's three touchdown runs. Ohio State won 26-7 with the last points coming off of Purdy's fourth quarter touchdown pass to Fred Pagac as time expired.
The game against Indiana marked the 50th anniversary of Ohio Stadium's dedication game against Michigan on Oct. 21, 1922. Ohio State honored the 14 members of the 1922 team in attendance at halftime.
The Hoosiers (4–1) entered this contest with an undefeated Big Ten record after wins over Minnesota and Wisconsin. John Pont's team looked for its first win over the Buckeyes were since 1959.
No. 4 Ohio State scored on its second possession when Hare raced in from seven yards out. A bad snap on the conversion kept the score 6-0. Indiana's ensuing drive ended after the second play when linebacker Rick Middleton intercepted Ted McNulty's pass and returned it 30 yards to the one. Henson punched it in and a successful two-point conversion put Ohio State up 14-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
The Buckeyes scored in every quarter and racked up 386 rushing yards in the 44-7 win. Henson was the game's leading rusher with 116 yards and two touchdowns.
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| IOWA | W8 | 21–10–2 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | W1 | 2–1 |
| CALIFORNIA | W6 | 6–0 |
| ILLINOIS | W5 | 38–19–4 |
| INDIANA | W9 | 36–10–4 |
| WISCONSIN | W13 | 31–7–4 |
| MINNESOTA | W4 | 11–5 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | L2 | 6–7 |
| NORTHWESTERN | W1 | 32–13–1 |
| MICHIGAN | W1 | 26–39–4 |
| USC | L1 | 8–6–1 |
November 11th • Michigan State • Spartan Stadium
Wisconsin and Minnesota played Ohio State tough in the two games leading up to the trip to East Lansing. The Buckeyes defeated Wisconsin 28-20 in a game that did not feature a single punt.
Minnesota caused concern for the 86,439 in Ohio Stadium, leading 13-7 in the first quarter. The Buckeyes got on track, though, and went on to win 27-19.
Now ranked fifth in the AP Poll, Ohio State (7–0) headed north to East Lansing to battle the Spartans (3–4–1). Eight days prior to the game, Michigan State's longtime head coach, Duffy Daugherty, announced his intentions to retire at the end of the season. The news injected life into the Spartans.
Early in the second quarter, it appeared the Buckeyes were in control on this cloudy, 41-degree day. Conway booted a 44-yard field goal on the second possession, Hare threw a touchdown on the next possession and the defense recorded a safety to push Ohio State out front 12-6.
However, Michigan State unleashed a new weapon in soccer-style kicker Kirk Krijt. The walk-on from the Netherlands made his debut and promptly made 4-of-5 field goals against the Buckeyes. His foot and five Ohio State turnovers were the difference in the 19-12 Michigan State victory.
After the game, Hayes talked to reporters for 14 seconds before leaving without fielding a single question. Daugherty ended his career with two national championships and a 4–4 record against the Buckeyes.
November 25th • #4 Michigan • Ohio Stadium
After the turnover-plagued loss in East Lansing, Ohio State traveled to Evanston and defeated Northwestern 27-14. Henson rushed for 153 yards and four touchdowns in the Buckeyes' last game against an Alex Agase-coached Wildcats team. Now, Ohio State faced Michigan with the Big Ten title on the line.
Undefeated and No. 3 Michigan entered on a 21-game regular season winning streak. The last team to beat Bo Schembechler's squad in the regular season was Ohio State in 1970. The ninth-ranked Buckeyes were an underdog when Conway kicked off at 1:31 p.m. in Ohio Stadium.
The Wolverines had the first two scoring opportunities. Kicker Mike Lantry missed a 44-yard attempt near the end of the first quarter, but put Michigan up 3-0 when he connected from 35 yards out with 14:13 left before halftime.
The Buckeyes battled back and Henson scored on a 1-yard dive at the midway point of the second quarter. Conway's extra point made it 7-3 and the score held through the second quarter, mainly due to a fine defensive stand by the Buckeyes.
Following Henson's touchdown, the Wolverines drove 79 yards to the Ohio State 1-yard line. The Wolverines had four attempts to punch it in but the Buckeyes turned them away each time. Ohio State took over with seven seconds left in the half and gladly took a knee.
Hayes' team received the second half kickoff and marched 78 yards for a score. Hare and Griffin provided two key plays in the scoring drive. On 2nd-and-3 from his own 35, Hare called his own number, dodged and weaved for a 35-yard gain to the Wolverines' 30-yard line. On the very next play, Griffin rushed over right guard then cut to the right sideline and eventually the end zone. Conway's second successful point after made it 14-3.
Michigan immediately responded and drove the ball inside the red zone. The Wolverines had 1st-and-goal from the Buckeyes' five-yard line, but it took a fourth-down run by Ed Shuttlesworth to put the points on the board. The two-point conversion trimmed the lead to 14-11.
Action from the fourth quarter as written in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Then came the frantic final period.
Michigan was knocking on the touchdown door twice early in the fourth period and both times it was denied. Shuttlesworth, a 225-pound junior from Cincinnati, was stopped on the Ohio 1 when he ran into linebacker Rick Middleton which ended that bid.
A costly Ohio interception, with Randy Logan picking off Hare's pass, gave Michigan another opportunity. The Wolves took over on the Ohio 29 and nine plays later were stopped again when Franklin ran into a stone wall on fourth down.
The goal line stands with a riveting guitar soundtrack:
The Buckeyes' defense stepped up with the game on the line and secured the 14-11 victory. Arnie Jones, Rick Middleton and Randy Gradishar led the team in tackles.
When asked about kicking a field goal to tie, Schembechler replied, "I never considered it. I didn't want a tie. We wanted to win."
The victory gave Hayes his eighth Big Ten title and pushed his record against the Wolverines to 14–8.
January 1st • #1 USC • Rose Bowl
The largest crowd to attend a football game greeted No. 3 Ohio State and No. 1 USC on the first day of 1973.
The Trojans scored a touchdown in the first quarter, and the Buckeyes followed suit in the second to tie the game. Ohio State played a strong first half, but the second act in the game belonged USC.
The Trojans recorded touchdowns on five consecutive possessions to start the second half. The Buckeyes didn't have an answer and lost 42-17.
1972 Recap
- Ohio State defeated Iowa to end a three-game losing streak.
- Archie Griffin set an Ohio State single-game rushing record with 239 yards against North Carolina as a freshman.
- The Buckeyes took a 34–12–2 series lead in Illibuck Trophy games by beating Illinois 26-7.
- Ohio State played Indiana on the 50th anniversary of Ohio Stadium's dedication. The Scarlet and Gray won 44-7.
- Woody Hayes improved to 19–1–2 against the Badgers and defeated John Jardine's team for the 13th consecutive time.
- Duffy Daugherty ended his Michigan State coaching career with a victory over Ohio State.
- Champ Henson rushed for 153 yards and four touchdowns in the 27-14 win over Northwestern.
- The Buckeyes' defense used two goal line stands to defeat Michigan 14-11.
- No. 1 USC scored touchdowns on five consecutive second-half possessions to win the Rose Bowl 42-17.
- Ohio State started the 1972 season as the No. 9 team in the nation and finished 1972 in the same spot of the AP Poll.
- Charles Bonica, Randy Gradishar, George Hasenohrl and John Hicks were named All-Americans.
- Rick Seifer, George Haenohrl, John Bledsoe, Rich Galbos and Earl Belgrave were selected in the NFL Draft.
The 1972 season kicked off the Archie Griffin era. Ohio State used two goal line stands to defeat Michigan and won its 16th Big Ten title. A disappointing showing against USC in the Rose Bowl fueled the 1973 team.
Buckle up Buckeye fans, the next five teams turned in exciting seasons.
