1968 USC Trojans football team
American college football season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1968 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their ninth year under head coach John McKay, the Trojans compiled a 9–1–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 259 to 168.[1] The team was ranked #2 in the final Coaches Poll and #4 in the final AP Poll.
| 1968 USC Trojans football | |
|---|---|
Pac-8 champion | |
Rose Bowl, L 16–27 vs. Ohio State | |
| Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 2 |
| AP | No. 4 |
| Record | 9–1–1 (6–0 Pac-8) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captains |
|
| Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 USC $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Oregon State | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Steve Sogge led the team in passing, completing 122 of 207 passes for 1,454 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. O. J. Simpson led the team in rushing with 383 carries for 1,880 yards and 23 touchdowns. Jim Lawrence led the team in receiving with 26 catches for 386 yards and two touchdowns.[2] Simpson won both the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Award.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21 | at No. 16 Minnesota* | No. 2 | W 29–20 | 60,820 | [3] | |
| September 28 | at Northwestern* | No. 3 | W 24–7 | 47,277 | [4] | |
| October 5 | No. 13 Miami (FL)* | No. 2 | W 28–3 | 71,189 | [5] | |
| October 12 | at No. 18 Stanford | No. 2 | W 27–24 | 81,000 | [6] | |
| October 19 | Washington | No. 1 |
| W 14–7 | 60,990 | [7] |
| November 2 | at Oregon | No. 1 | W 20–13 | 33,500 | [8] | |
| November 9 | No. 11 California | No. 1 |
| W 35–17 | 80,871 | [9] |
| November 16 | No. 13 Oregon State | No. 1 |
| W 17–13 | 59,236 | [10] |
| November 23 | at UCLA | No. 1 |
| W 28–16 | 75,066 | [11] |
| November 30 | No. 9 Notre Dame* | No. 2 |
| T 21–21 | 82,659 | [12] |
| January 1, 1969 | vs. No. 1 Ohio State* | No. 2 | L 16–27 | 102,063 | [13] | |
| ||||||
Rankings
Game summaries
Minnesota
- OJ Simpson 39 rushes, 236 yards [14]
Miami (FL)
Stanford
- O.J. Simpson 47 rushes, 220 yards [15]
Oregon State
- O.J. Simpson 47 rushes, 238 yards [16]
Notre Dame
Vs. Ohio State (Rose Bowl)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 1 Buckeyes | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
| No. 2 Trojans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
- Date: January 1, 1969
- Location:
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA - Game start: 5:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 102,063
- Game weather: Sunny; 84 °F (29 °C)
- Referee: Charles Moffett
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy Kyle Rote
| 2 | 9:40 | USC | Ayala 21-yard field goal | USC 3–0 |
| 2 | 6:38 | USC | Simpson 80-yard run (Ayala kick) | USC 10–0 |
| 2 | 1:45 | OSU | Otis 1-yard run (Roman kick) | USC 10–7 |
| 2 | 0:03 | OSU | Roman 26-yard field goal | Tie 10–10 |
| 3 | 1:40 | OSU | Roman 25-yard field goal | OSU 13–10 |
| 4 | 13:52 | OSU | Hayden 4-yard pass from Kern (Roman kick) | OSU 20–10 |
| 4 | 10:05 | OSU | Gillian 16-yard pass from Kern (Roman kick) | OSU 27–10 |
| 4 | 0:45 | USC | Dickerson 19-yard pass from Sogge (pass failed) | OSU 27–16 |
Roster
| 1968 USC Trojans football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
1969 NFL/AFL draft
Eight Trojans were selected in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, held in late January.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
| O. J. Simpson | Running back | 1 | 1 | Buffalo Bills |
| Bob Klein | Tight end | 1 | 21 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Bill Hayhoe | Defensive tackle | 5 | 116 | Green Bay Packers |
| Bob Miller | Tackle | 6 | 138 | New Orleans Saints |
| Jim Lawrence | Back | 8 | 189 | New Orleans Saints |
| Jack O’Malley | Tackle | 12 | 302 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Mike Battle | Defensive back | 12 | 311 | New York Jets |
| Wilson Bowie | Running back | 13 | 320 | Detroit Lions |
- Source:[22]