American college football season
1968 USC Trojans football |
---|
Pac-8 champion |
---|
|
---|
Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
---|
Ranking |
---|
Coaches | No. 2 |
---|
AP | No. 4 |
---|
Record | 9–1–1 (6–0 Pac-8) |
---|
Head coach | |
---|
Captains | - O. J. Simpson
- Steve Sogge
|
---|
Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
---|
Seasons |
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.
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 |
---|
September 21 | at No. 16 Minnesota* | No. 2 | | W 29–20 | 60,820 |
September 28 | at Northwestern* | No. 3 | | W 24–7 | 47,277 |
October 5 | No. 13 Miami (FL)* | No. 2 | | W 28–3 | 71,189 |
October 12 | at No. 18 Stanford | No. 2 | | W 27–24 | 81,000 |
October 19 | Washington | No. 1 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 14–7 | 60,990 |
November 2 | at Oregon | No. 1 | | W 20–13 | 33,500 |
November 9 | No. 11 California | No. 1 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 35–17 | 80,871 |
November 16 | No. 13 Oregon State | No. 1 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 17–13 | 59,236 |
November 23 | at UCLA | No. 1 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell)
| W 28–16 | 75,066 |
November 30 | No. 9 Notre Dame* | No. 2 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)
| T 21–21 | 82,659 |
January 1, 1969 | vs. No. 1 Ohio State* | No. 2 | | L 16–27 | 102,063 |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
Roster
1968 USC Trojans football team roster |
Players | Coaches |
Offense | Defense | Special teams | - Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
- Injured
- Redshirt
|
- Source:[3][4][5]
Rankings
Game summaries
Minnesota
- OJ Simpson 39 rushes, 236 yards [6]
Miami (FL)
Stanford
- O.J. Simpson 47 rushes, 220 yards [7]
Oregon State
- O.J. Simpson 47 rushes, 238 yards [8]
Notre Dame
[9]
Vs. Ohio State (Rose Bowl)
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 USC | 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
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 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 | |
Awards and honors
1969 NFL/AFL Draft
Eight Trojans were selected in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, held in late January.
- Source:[11]
References
- ^ "Southern California Yearly Results (1965-1969)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ^ "1968 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ^ "Probable lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 1, 1968. p. 3B.
- ^ "Football statistics". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 3, 1968. p. 2B.
- ^ "TV rosters: Rose Bowl". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1969. p. 52.
- ^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
- ^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
- ^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (December 9, 1968). "THE DAY THEY TIED UP O.J." Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
- ^ "1969 NFL Draft". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
|
---|
Venues | |
---|
Bowls and rivalries | |
---|
Culture and lore | |
---|
People | |
---|
Seasons | |
---|
National championship seasons in bold |
|
---|
Pacific Coast | |
---|
AAWU | |
---|
Pacific-8 | |
---|
Pacific-10 | |
---|
Pac-12 | |
---|
National championships in bold |