The Ten Year War
The victory gave top-ranked Ohio State the Big Ten title for the first time in seven years en route to an AP national championship.Near the end of the quarter, Rex Kern threw an interception to Jim Betts, but the Wolverines were also forced to settle for a field goal from Dana Coin to tie it up.[15] The Wolverines would start moving the ball on their first possession of the second half, and Don Moorhead would toss a 13-yard scoring pass to Paul Staroba, but a blocked extra-point try kept the Buckeyes ahead 10–9.The Wolverines started deep in their own end, but couldn't score again, and the Buckeyes ran out the clock, setting the stage for a wild celebration that went well into the Columbus night, including the delivery of a goal post to the lawn of the Ohio Statehouse.Slade returned and spearheaded a Michigan drive to the Ohio State 15, where Dana Coin kicked a 32-yard field goal to put UM on top first, 3–0.Time soon became an issue for Michigan as the fourth quarter got underway, and with the stinging defensive tone of the game, Ohio State was poised to get a huge upset.As the Wolverines proceeded to run out the clock, OSU linebacker Randy Gradishar was ejected after he slugged Tom Slade through his facemask and starting a ten-minute bench clearing brawl.Michigan's faint hopes died with an upset defeat to an 8–3 Stanford squad minus 1970 Heisman Trophy recipient Jim Plunkett in the Rose Bowl.[23] The personnel issues that plagued Hayes’ 1971 squad had been alleviated, with junior Greg Hare taking over the signal-calling duties; a freshman phenomenon named Archie Griffin, who set the Ohio State single-game rushing record (in the first year the NCAA made freshmen eligible); and Champ Henson, who led the nation with 19 touchdowns before the Michigan game.U-M once again got the ball to the Buckeye 1, but miraculously, the Ohio State defense kept them out again, holding them on third and fourth down for their second goal-line stand of the game, as the crowd noise approached the pain threshold.[30] The record crowd of 105,223 at Michigan Stadium booed loudly as the Buckeyes tried to tear down the traditional M Club banner that the Wolverines run under when coming out of the tunnel,[31] but the fired-up teams couldn't do much offensively on the field – neither of them moved the ball much during the first quarter.Archie Griffin, beginning a superb game performance, helped awaken the OSU defense in the second quarter by running 38 yards on a third-and-two from his own 28, but the drive stopped in Michigan territory and Ohio State went up 3–0 on a Blair Conway field goal.[37] Hayes suffered a heart attack following Ohio State's successful ‘73 season,[38] but recovered and managed to retain one of the top teams in college football.Griffin was able to help move the ball to the Michigan 30, and as the second quarter started, Klaban kicked a 47-yard field goal to put Ohio State on the board 10–3.The kick barely missed the left upright, and the fans at Ohio Stadium exploded, rushing the field to tear the goal posts down as Lantry stood dejected.Schembechler had Ann Arbor police confiscate the film of a UPI photographer who was caught taking pictures of the closed practice, believing Hayes had sent him as a spy.[46] Ohio State couldn't move the ball on its first carry of the second half, and Michigan's ensuing possession ended in a failed 53-yard field goal attempt by Greg Willner.The Wolverines finally got the best of the exhausted OSU defense in the fourth quarter, as Leach led Michigan back down the field on a drive capped by his own score on a 3-yard option run.The reason Oklahoma finished on top was because the #1 Buckeyes were upset out west, by UCLA, 23–10, the same Bruins squad Ohio State humbled 41–20 during the regular season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[50] Michigan had developed into an offensive juggernaut, thanks to Rick Leach at quarterback, and a strong backfield that included Rob Lytle, Russell Davis and Harlan Huckleby.A few plays later, Ohio State jumped offside in its own red zone, giving the Wolverines a free first down, and Russell Davis took advantage by rushing in to break the scoreless tie.Now urgently needing a score, the Buckeyes finally put together a significant possession that carried over into the fourth quarter, but that drive would end when Jeff Logan fumbled and the ball was recovered by Tom Seabron.[58] A fired-up OSU squad tried once again to rip down the M Club banner in front of a record crowd of 106,024, leading to a short shoving match between the Buckeyes and the Michigan students.Ohio State drove the ball again into Michigan territory, but a botched option play held the Buckeyes in check, and a Janakievski field goal try failed.Ohio State would then get a golden opportunity of its own, recovering a Roosevelt Smith fumble to get the ball back at the Wolverine 31, but the Buckeyes would lose yardage and miss another field-goal try.After a lively recruiting duel with Schembechler, Hayes persuaded Art Schlichter to sign a letter of intent to play in Columbus, then moved veteran Rod Gerald to end.[63] Though bogged down with injuries, Ron Springs returned at tailback, with Calvin Murray and Ricky Johnson providing support, along with All-American linebacker Tom Cousineau.The Buckeyes began the season slow, losing to Penn State and Purdue, and tying Southern Methodist, but won the rest of their contests going into the Michigan game.Michigan tried to put together another score before halftime, but Gene Johnson was stripped of the ball going into the end zone, and it was recovered by OSU defensive back Vince Skillings for a touchback.Hayes was fired as head coach for hitting Clemson middle guard Charlie Baumann in the neck after he intercepted Schlichter late in the game, ending his successful 28-season career at Ohio State.