The 1974 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University in the 1974 Big Ten Conference football season. The Buckeyes compiled a 10–2 record, including the 1975 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where they lost, 18–17, to the USC Trojans.
1974 was the first season in which Ohio State played an 11-game regular season schedule. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allowed teams to schedule 11 regular season games beginning in 1970, but the Buckeyes played only nine regular season games in 1970, their last nine-game regular season. Ohio State played 10 regular season games in 1971, '72 and '73.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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| September 14 | 2:30 p.m. | at Minnesota | No. 4 | | | W 34–19 | 45,511 | |
| September 21 | 1:30 p.m. | Oregon State* | No. 2 | | | W 51–10 | 86,383 | |
| September 28 | 1:30 p.m. | SMU* | No. 1 | | | W 28–9 | 87,487 | [1] |
| October 5 | 4:30 p.m. | vs. Washington State* | No. 1 | | | W 42–7 | 50,000 | |
| October 12 | 1:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 1 | | | W 52–7 | 87,717 | |
| October 19 | 1:30 p.m. | Indiana | No. 1 | | | W 49–9 | 87,671 | |
| October 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at Northwestern | No. 1 | | | W 55–7 | 42,337 | |
| November 2 | 1:30 p.m. | Illinois | No. 1 | | | W 49–7 | 87,813 | |
| November 9 | 12:30 p.m. | at Michigan State | No. 1 | | ABC | L 13–16 | 78,533 | |
| November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | at Iowa | No. 4 | | | W 35–10 | 48,700 | |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 2 Michigan | No. 3 | | ABC | W 12–10 | 88,243 | |
| January 1, 1975 | 5:00 p.m. | vs. No. 5 USC* | No. 3 | | NBC | L 17–18 | 106,721 | |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Eastern time
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Game summaries
At Minnesota
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes (0–0) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (0–0)
at Memorial Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: September 14, 1974
- Game weather: Sunny • 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind 18 miles per hour (29 km/h; 16 kn)
- Game attendance: 45,511
| Game information
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- First quarter
- OSU – Archie Griffin 10-yard run (Tom Skladany kick), 9:31. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards.
- MINN – Steve Goldberg 52-yard field goal, 1:56. Ohio St 7–3. Drive:
- Second quarter
- OSU – Pete Johnson 4-yard run (Tom Skladany kick), 12:59. Ohio St 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards.
- OSU – Champ Henson 36-yard run (Tom Skladany kick), 9:25. Ohio St 21–3. Drive: 4 plays, 59 yards.
- Third quarter
- OSU – Cornelius Greene 1-yard run (Tom Skladany kick), 11:26. Ohio St 28–3. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards.
- Fourth quarter 3
- MINN – Rick Upchurch 36-yard run (pass good), 9:29. Ohio St 28–11. Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards.
- MINN – Tony Dungy 6-yard run (pass good), 5:14. Ohio St 28–19. Drive: 5 plays, 16 yards.
- OSU – Cornelius Greene 57-yard run (kick failed), 1:17. Ohio St 34–19. Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards.
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- Top passers
- Top rushers
- Top receivers
- OSU – Dave Hazel – 3 receptions, 63 yards
- MINN – Rick Upchurch – 3 receptions, 50 yards
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Archie Griffin sets school career rushing record
Oregon State
SMU
Washington State
Wisconsin
Indiana
Northwestern
Illinois
Michigan State
Ohio State fans still insist that Brian Baschnagel scored from one yard out on the final play at Michigan State on November 9. The game officials ruled otherwise, and the Buckeyes suffered a 16-13 loss that cost them the no.1 ranking. Ohio State entered the game at 8-0 and the Spartans were 4-3-1. The frantic, final play occurred after Champ Henson was stopped within inches of the goal line with 13 seconds remaining. Ohio State was out of timeouts, and Michigan State's players were slow getting off the pile. The Buckeyes scrambled and snapped the ball, but it went through QB Cornelius Greene's legs. Baschnagel picked it up and ran into the end zone. Head linesman Ed Scheck signaled touchdown, but field judge Robert Dagenhardt ruled that time had run out before the play began. Fans of each school climbed atop the goalposts, uncertain which team had won. 46 minutes later, with about 40,000 of the 78,533 fans still in the stadium, the public address announcer told the half-empty stadium that Big Ten commissioner Wayne Duke had decided the officials were correct in ruling that time has expired. Referee Gene Calhoun also said the Buckeyes would have been penalized if time had not run out because they didn't come to a one-second set before the snap of the ball.
Iowa
Michigan
Rose Bowl
Personnel
Coaching staff
- Woody Hayes – head coach (24th year)
- George Chaump – offensive coordinator (7th year)
- George Hill – defensive coordinator (4th year)
- Joe Bugel – offensive guards (1st year)
- Charles Clausen – defensive line (4th year)
- Mickey Jackson – (1st year)
- John Mummey – quarterbacks (6th year)
- Ralph Staub – tackles, tight ends (5th year)
- Dick Walker – defensive backs (6th year)
- Blair Conway – place kicker, punter (1st year)
- Jeff Kaplan - director of counseling, 'brain coach' (2nd year)
Roster
| 1974 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
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| Players
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Coaches
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| Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Roster
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Depth chart
Defense
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Offense
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| LT
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LG
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C
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RG
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RT
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| 72 Kurt Schumacher
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60 Ted Smith
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52 Steve Myers
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69 Dick Mack
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73 Scott Dannelley
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| 68 Lou Pietrini
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64 Bill Lukens
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56 Ron Ayers
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78 Garth Cox
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53 Doug Porter
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[2]
Awards and honors
- Archie Griffin, Heisman Trophy[3]
1975 NFL draftees
References
External links
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National championship seasons in bold |
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National championships in bold |