1961 National Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
1961 National Championship
(Football Writers )
Won 8, Lost 0, Tied 1
Led by an explosive offense that averaged nearly 30 points per Big Ten game, the Buckeyes won their 10th undisputed Big Ten Championship and were awarded the Football Writers’ Association National Championship.
The Buckeyes scored 40 or more points two times and passed the 30-point plateau one other time. Just as they had in 1957 with an 18-14 win in Columbus, Texas Christian’s Horned Frogs denied the Buckeyes a perfect season with a 7-7 tie, but it was the only time all season that an opponent was within one touchdown of the mighty Scarlet and Gray.
The offense was led by three outstanding running backs (Matt Snell, Bob Ferguson and Paul Warfield). Ferguson led the Big Ten in rushing with 671 yards in conference games, while Warfield was fourth with 307 in Big Ten contests. Ferguson finished his career ranked second on the OSU all-time rushing list with 2,162 yards and was runnerup to Ernie Davis for the Heisman Trophy that year.
Still, the Buckeyes did not play in the Rose Bowl when the OSU Faculty Council voted to reject the bid. The Buckeyes ended the season ranked No. 2 in both the UPI and AP polls, one slot behind Bear Bryant’s Alabama Crimson Tide.
After the TCU tie, the Buckeyes defeated the eventual Pac-8 Champions, UCLA, 13-3 in Columbus. OSU scored all 13 points in the fourth quarter on rushing touchdowns by Snell and Warfield. While the offense took its time getting warmed up, the defense was smoking, holding the high-powered Bruin offense to 166 yards and a field goal.
One week later, the Buckeyes destroyed Illinois 44-0, outgaining the Illini 424-180 and forcing four turnovers. Eight Buckeyes rushed for 10 or more yards in the game, including quarterback John Mummey (63) and Warfield (62). Ferguson totaled only 45 yards on the ground, but had four scores.
The Buckeyes beat Northwestern and Wisconsin before hosting a Homecoming thriller against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Holding a slim 12-7 lead at the end of the third period, the Buckeyes scored on each of their first three possessions in the final stanza to tally a 29-13 win and keep their undefeated season intact. Ferguson rushed for 144 yards and a score and Joe Sparma passed for 88 yards and two scores, both to Charles Bryant, who caught four passes for 94 yards.
Hayes’ squad posted wins over Indiana and Oregon for wins six and seven before traveling to Ann Arbor for the annual battle with arch-rival Michigan.
OSU led 21-12 entering the fourth quarter before the Buckeye offense exploded for 29 fourth-quarter points and a 50-20 win. Ferguson rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns and Warfield added 122 yards and a score as OSU totaled 512 yards offense in chalking up all-time win No. 400.
