Ohio State vs Michigan: 10 best games in “The Game” history
By Luke Norris
4. 1975
Final Score: Ohio State 21, Michigan 14
The legendary Woody Hayes would describe the 1975 edition of “The Game” as Ohio State’s greatest comeback victory. And it certainly was an incredible one as the top-ranked 10-0 Buckeyes took on the fourth-ranked 8-0-2 Wolverines in yet another classic Ohio State-Michigan football game.
For the Buckeyes to make their fourth straight trip to the Rose Bowl, and this feat coming in the “Ten-Year War” no less, Ohio State would have to do something that nobody had done in six years: beat Michigan in Michigan. And the runner you would think would be the one to help pull this off was not eventual two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, who saw his 100-yard rushing streak stop at 31 with only 46 yards on the ground that Saturday.
Instead, the hero of the day would be 250-pound junior fullback Pete Johnson.
Michigan outplayed Ohio State for three quarters but could never really pull away from the visitors but seemed to have the edge as they held a 14-7 lead at home late in the fourth quarter. But fate was with the Buckeyes on this day as Johnson capped off an 80-yard drive with his second score of the day, tying the game at 14-14.
On the following possession, Michigan quarterback Rick Leach fired a pass right into the hands of Ohio State sophomore Ray Griffin’s hands on the Wolverine 32. Griffin returned it down to the Michigan 3-yard line, setting up the winning score from Johnson, who bulldozed his way into the end zone, thus giving Ohio State their first outright conference title since 1970 and their first win in the Big House since 1967.