On this date in Ohio State football: Oct. 4, 1975

Taking a look back at a game Ohio State played on this date:

Ohio State 41, UCLA 20

Setup: If you ask an Ohio State football fan of a certain age (read: mature) to name their favorite all-time OSU team, it's a good bet the 1975 Buckeyes would be right up there on the list. It was Woody Hayes' last true powerhouse, and there's also the sentimentality of it being Archie Griffin's senior year, not to mention the season of his second Heisman Trophy. Those were high times, indeed, and in early October, the Buckeyes showed their might by clubbing a third ranked opponent in four weeks. This was on the road at UCLA, which offered roadblocks in the form of a good team (ranked 13th), a different playing surface (grass, requiring new shoes) and a funky start time (9 p.m. Eastern).

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Stars: All the names you know and love: Griffin led all rushers with 160 yards on 21 attempts; quarterback Cornelius Greene added 120 on the ground and 98 through the air; and Pete Johnson scored two touchdowns to give him 11 in four games, on his way to an OSU season record of 26 that still stands.

Turning point: First, Ohio State's 31-7 lead in the second half lead was shaved to 38-20 on the second of Eddie Ayers' TD runs early in the fourth quarter. Then Greene threw an interception, and UCLA soon was knocking on the door again with a first-and-goal at the OSU 7. But the Buckeyes defense held on downs, and it later forced a turnover when linebacker Ken Kuhn intercepted a John Sciarra pass at the OSU 25 to seal the deal.

Impact: The convincing road win persuaded Associated Press poll voters to jump Ohio State ahead of Oklahoma and into the No. 1 spot (OSU already was No. 1 in the coaches' poll). The Buckeyes stayed there through the rest of the season — the regular season, anyway. When they faced UCLA again in the Rose Bowl, Dick Vermeil's Bruins showed they had learned much from their humbling October loss. The 23-10 defeat was considered a huge upset, but the better team had won the day.

Quotable: "Cornelius did a super job today, but there was one better back on the field, and that was our tailback, Archie Griffin. I'm always amazed at that youngster. He's a better young man than he is a football player and he's the best ballplayer I've ever seen." — Hayes

rstein@dispatch.com