![]() Woody Hayes (pictured here in an undated photo) took a lot of grief following the 1966 season. It was not one of our greatest defensive games. I sometimes think what would have happened had we lost to Illinois. Then, I hit Larry Zelina for a 44 yarder. When I got in the game, Dave Foley greets me in the huddle by saying, “Don’t throw a interception.” A play came in from the sideline and I waved it off. I was running around looking for my helmet. I put him in some precarious positions that season. He always felt he could play as well as any quarterback in the country. I don’t think Maciejowski was even nervous. He always wanted to make things exciting for us. Jim Otis: Kern got injured on the last drive. We were all wondering what the hell he was talking about. Jim Roman: We were playing in Illinois, so Woody’s pregame speech was about the Land of Lincoln. 26, where a 24–0 halftime lead evaporated in the second half before backup quarterback Ron Maciejowski rallied the team to a 31–24 win. 2 in the nation, Ohio State traveled to Illinois on Oct. When Woody had something that didn’t go right, he could always plan to overcome it the next year. After that game, we felt we really could do something special.ĭave Foley: The game against Purdue the year before really got to Woody. Lou Holtz: I had made a bet with Hugh Hindman in the off-season that we were going to shut Purdue out. He shadowed Leroy Keyes that day and basically took him out of the game. Jack Tatum was going to be the next Jim Brown, but he ended up playing defense for us. 12, the Buckeyes shut down the Boilermakers 13–0 before a throng of 84,834 at Ohio Stadium. 1 Purdue, led by Heisman Trophy candidates Mike Phipps and Leroy Keyes. 9 SMU to win the season opener 35–14 and dominated Oregon 21–6 to set up a showdown with No. Ohio State survived an aerial assault from No. (photo courtesy of The Ohio State University) A fantastic recruiter, coach Woody Hayes’ 1968 team included crew of men who came to be known as the Super Sophomores. Ohio State’s 1968 football team rose to prominence after a difficult 1966 season and a 1967 campaign that found the team going 6–3. They recognized our talent and welcomed us with open arms. The juniors and seniors had been beaten up and gone through some difficult times. When I got to Columbus I thought that those were the best football players I had ever seen. I changed my mind at the last second and went to Ohio State. I finished in the lower third of my class at East Liverpool, but even I knew which offer was better. Woody offered me $13,000 and no place to live. Georgia Tech had offered me $15,000 and a down payment on a home. 6, 1968, was my birthday and the day Ohio State offered me the coaching job. ![]() Even as freshmen, the Super Sophomores more than held their own against the Buckeye varsity during practice sessions. Ohio State prepared for the 1968 season with a roster of talented all-around athletes and a coaching staff that included Hayes, Earle Bruce, Lou Holtz and Bill Mallory. Fifty years later, the players who took the field that legendary season remain teammates in the best sense of the word. Widely considered one of the greatest teams in the history of college football, the 1968 Buckeyes averaged 32 points and 440 yards per game, holding opponents to an average of 15 points per contest. The Buckeyes went unbeaten during the regular season and became the nation’s top-ranked team along the way - one that would go on to humble a University of Southern California squad led by All-American running back O.J. The master recruiter had assembled what would come to be known as Ohio State University’s Super Sophomores. Hayes needed a quick infusion of talent, and by the start of the 1968 season he had it. A plane circled Ohio Stadium trailing a banner proclaiming “Goodbye Woody.” In Columbus, where Ohio State football is a way of life, the Buckeyes faithful were restless. After his 1966 Ohio State Buckeyes suffered through a dismal 4–5 season, fans were calling for the mercurial coach’s firing.
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