Rose Bowl Flashback 6-Pack: 1969 – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Take a look back at Ohio State’s six Rose Bowl wins. Today: 1969 OSU 27, USC 16.
1969 Rose Bowl
No. 2 Southern California 16
No. 1 Ohio State 27
Jan. 1, 1968, Rose Bowl, 102,063
PASADENA, Calif. – The Buckeyes put the finishing touches on a perfect 10-0 season and a national championship by coming from behind to beat Southern California. The game had matched unbeaten teams for the first time in the 22-year history of the Big 10-Pac 8 meeting at the Rose Bowl.
Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson had followed a USC field goal with an 80-yard run to take the Trojans to a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Ohio State answered with a 1-yard run by Jim Otis and a 26-yard field goal by Jim Roman to tie before the half.
OSU would put it away with 14 points early in the final quarter. A USC fumble at the Trojans’ 21 set up a Rex Kern pass to Leo Hayden for the final 4 yards, then a fumbled reception cost Southern Cal the ball again at its own 16.
Kern, the game’s MVP, hit Ray Gillian on the Buckeyes’ first down for the score and a commanding 27-10 lead with 10:05 remaining. USC turned the ball over five times on the day, while OSU was error-free.
