Kern was briefly hobbled by this tackle, but he returned to rip USC. photograph by AP

In the second quarter of a tight defensive struggle, Southern Cal tailback O.J. Simpson took a pitch at his own 20, broke a pair of tackles, made an incredible 180-degree cutback and scampered 80 yards for a touchdown that put USC up 10-0. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the Juice's spectacular run woke up Ohio State. "Now we knew he was for real," said OSU tackle Dave Foley. "He made us go to work." Behind quarterback Rex Kern, the Buckeyes clawed ahead 13-10 early in the third. Then, after Kern picked up a huge first down with a 14-yard scramble, he hit Leophus Hyden with a four-yard touchdown pass to clinch the win. Kern's play inspired Ohio State, but not as much as Simpson did. "O.J.'s run was the spark we needed," said OSU lineman Rufus Mayes. "He lit the fire."

'63 USC-Wisconsin | '64 Texas-Navy | '69 Ohio St.-USC
'72 Nebraska-Alabama | '79 Alabama-Penn St. | '83 Penn St.-Georgia
'87 Penn St.-Miami | '88 Miami-Oklahoma | '93 Alabama-Miami
'94 FSU-Nebraska | '96 Nebraska-Florida

Flashback | One vs. Two