1978 Ohio State Buckeyes football

Gator Bowl, L 15–17 vs. Clemson
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–4–1 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Woody Hayes (28th season)
MVP	Tom Cousineau
Captains	Byron Cato Tom Cousineau Ron Springs Tim Vogler
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium
Seasons ← 1977 1979 →

1978 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 5 Michigan +	7	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Michigan State +	7	–	1	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
No. 13 Purdue	6	–	1	–	1	9	–	2	–	1
Ohio State	6	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	1
Minnesota	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	4	–	2	5	–	4	–	2
Indiana	3	–	5	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Iowa	2	–	6	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Illinois	0	–	6	–	2	1	–	8	–	2
Northwestern	0	–	8	–	1	0	–	10	–	1

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1978 Big Ten Conference football season. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–4–1 record, including the 1978 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, where they lost, 17–15, to the Clemson Tigers. This would be Woody Hayes' last season as head coach of the team, as he was fired following an incident in the game in which he punched Clemson defender Charlie Bauman.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	1:30 p.m.	No. 5 Penn State*	No. 6	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC	L 0–19	88,203
September 23	2:30 p.m.	at Minnesota	No. 16	Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN		W 27–10	55,200
September 30	1:30 p.m.	Baylor*	No. 13	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 34–28	87,998
October 7	1:30 p.m.	SMU*	No. 14	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		T 35–35	87,721
October 14	2:30 p.m.	at Purdue	No. 16	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		L 16–27	69,465
October 21	1:30 p.m.	Iowa		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 31–7	87,326
October 28	1:30 p.m.	Northwestern		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 63–20	87,296
November 4	2:00 p.m.	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI		W 49–14	79,940
November 11	1:30 p.m.	Illinois		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (Illibuck Trophy)		W 45–7	87,819
November 18	1:30 p.m.	at Indiana	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN		W 21–18	47,540
November 25	12:30 p.m.	No. 6 Michigan	No. 16	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC	L 3–14	88,358
December 29	9:00 p.m.	vs. No. 7 Clemson*	No. 20	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	ABC	L 15–17	72,011	^[1]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Penn St	3	0	7	9	19
Ohio St	0	0	0	0	0

Date: September 18
Location: Ohio Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 2:48
Game attendance: 88,202
Game weather: Cloudy; 80 °F (27 °C); wind 10 mph (16 km/h) SW
Television network: ABC

Scoring summary

Q1	9:52	PSU	Bahr 30 yard field goal	PSU 3–0

Q3	4:52	PSU	Suhey 3 yard run (Bahr kick)	PSU 10–0

Q4	13:12	PSU	Bahr 41 yard field goal	PSU 13–0

Q4	6:45	PSU	Bahr 25 yard field goal	PSU 16–0

Q4	2:53	PSU	Bahr 30 yard field goal	PSU 19–0

Art Schlichter started the game at quarterback while Rod Gerald, the starter for the two previous seasons, opened the game at split end.^[2]

Minnesota

Ohio State Buckeyes (0–1) at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	7	14	0	6	27
Minnesota	0	0	0	7	7

at Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: September 23
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny • 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind SW 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn)
Game attendance: 55,200
Referee: R. McVay
Ohio State Football Archives

Game information

Ohio St

Schlichter
3/7, 57 Yds, INT
Springs
17 Rush, 82 Yds, TD
Donley
2 Rec, 57 Yds

Minnesota

Avery
6/14, 95 Yds, 2 INT
Barber
17 Rush, 57 Yds
Bailey
3 Rec, 62 Yds

^[3]

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	OSU	MINN
1	11:02	6	17	3:58	Ohio St	Schlichter 3-yard touchdown run, Janakievski kick good	7	0
2	14:28	10	51		Ohio St	Payton 1-yard touchdown run, Janakievski kick good	14	0
2	1:31	8	54		Ohio St	Schlichter 1-yard touchdown run, Janakievski kick good	21	0
2	0:04	5	58		Minnesota	39-yard field goal by Rogind	21	3
4	12:48	11	41		Ohio St	Springs 3-yard touchdown run, Janakievski kick no good	27	3
4	1:41	6	17		Minnesota	Dilulo 15-yard touchdown reception from Carlson, Rogind kick good	27	10
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							27	10

Baylor

SMU

Purdue

Iowa

Northwestern

Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ohio State	7	14	14	14	49
Wisconsin	0	7	0	7	14

Date: November 4
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Game attendance: 79,940

Scoring summary

1	OSU	Schlichter 1-yard run (Janakievski kick)	OSU 7-0

2	OSU	Otha Watson recovered blocked punt in end zone (Janakievski kick)	OSU 14-0

2	WIS	Charles 7-yard pass from Kalasmlki (Veith kick)	OSU 14-7

2	OSU	Ty Hicks 96-yard kickoff return (Janakievski kick)	OSU 21-7

3	OSU	Skillings 61-yard interception return (Janakievski kick)	OSU 28-7

3	OSU	Murray 14-yard run (Janakievski kick)	OSU 35-7

4	OSU	Castignola 15-yard run (Janakievski kick)	OSU 42-7

4	OSU	Castignola 6-yard run (Jankievski kick)	OSU 49-7

4	WIS	Green 1-yard run (Veith kick)	OSU 49-14

^[4]

Illinois

At Indiana

Ohio State Buckeyes (6–2–1) at Indiana Hoosiers (4–5)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	7	0	7	7	21
Indiana	7	3	0	8	18

at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

Date: November 18, 1978
Game weather: Overcast • 41 °F (5 °C) • Wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn) to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
Game attendance: 47,540
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

OSU – Paul Campbell 3-yard run (Vlade Janakievski kick), 10:19. Ohio St 7–0. Drive:
IU – Mike Harkrader 1-yard run (David Freud kick), 2:04. Tie 7–7. Drive:

Second quarter

IU – David Freud 30-yard field goal, 6:52. Indiana 10–7. Drive:

Third quarter

OSU – Art Schlichter 3-yard run (Vlade Janakievski kick), 2:58. Ohio St 14–10. Drive: 20 plays, 98 yards.

Fourth quarter;

OSU – Ricky Johnson 46-yard run (Vlade Janakievski kick), 13:13. Ohio St 21–10. Drive: 8 plays.
IU – Darrick Burnett 1-yard run (pass good), 5:01. Ohio St 21–18. Drive:

Top passers

OSU – Art Schlichter – 4/11, 22 yards, INT
IU – Tim Clifford – 10/19, 81 yards

Top rushers

OSU – Ricky Johnson – 18 rushes, 109 yards, TD
IU – Darrick Burnett – 18 rushes, 65 yards, TD

Top receivers

OSU – Ricky Johnson – 2 receptions, 9 yards
IU – Dan Powers – 6 receptions, 62 yards

Ricky Johnson played in place of the injured Ron Springs and Calvin Murray
Woody Hayes' last victory as Ohio State's head coach

Michigan

Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	7	0	7	0	14
Ohio St	3	0	0	0	3

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

Date: November 25, 1978
Game time: 12:56 p.m.
Game weather: Overcast, 40 °F (4 °C)
Game attendance: 88,358
TV: ABC
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

OSU – Bob Atha 29-yard field goal, 1:13. Ohio St 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 2:12.
MICH – Rodney Feaster 30-yard pass from Rick Leach (Gregg Willner kick), 0:09. Michigan 7–3. Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 0:59.

Third quarter

MICH – Roosevelt Smith 11-yard pass from Rick Leach (Gregg Willner kick), 4:12. Michigan 14–3. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 5:19.

Top passers

MICH – Rick Leach – 11/21, 166 yards, 2 TD
OSU – Art Schlichter – 4/9, 43 yards, INT

Top rushers

MICH – Roosevelt Smith – 10 rushes, 67 yards
OSU – Ron Springs – 12 rushes, 63 yards

Top receivers

MICH – Doug Marsh – 2 receptions, 39 yards
OSU – Rod Gerald – 1 reception, 25 yards

Gator Bowl (vs. Clemson)

Main article: 1978 Gator Bowl

Gator Bowl: #7 Clemson Tigers (10–1) vs. #20 Ohio State Buckeyes (7–3–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	0	9	0	6	15
Clemson	0	10	7	0	17

at Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Florida

Date: December 29, 1978
Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 72,011
Referee: Jim Artley
TV: ABC
Box Score

Game information

Second quarter

OSU – Bob Atha 27-yard field goal, 12:08. Ohio St 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards.
CLEM – Steve Fuller 4-yard run (Obed Ariri kick), 5:03. Clemson 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards.
OSU – Art Schlichter 4-yard run (kick failed), 1:21. Ohio St 9–7. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards.
CLEM – Obed Ariri 47-yard field goal, 0:05. Clemson 10–9. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards.

Third quarter

CLEM – Cliff Austin 1-yard run (Ariri kick), 2:18. Clemson 17–9. Drive: 19 plays, 84 yards.

Fourth quarter

OSU – Art Schlichter 1-yard run (run failed), 8:11. Clemson 17–15. Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards.

Top passers

OSU – Art Schlichter – 16/20, 205 yards, INT
CLEM – Steve Fuller – 9/20, 123 yards

Top rushers

OSU – Art Schlichter – 18 rushes, 70 yards, 2 TD
CLEM – Tracy Perry – 14 rushes, 54 yards

Warren Ratchford – 10 rushes, 54 yards

Top receivers

OSU – Doug Donley – 3 receptions, 54 yards
CLEM – Jerry Butler – 4 receptions, 44 yards

Personnel

Roster

1978 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
OL		Ernie Andria
TE		Ron Barwig
RB		Cliff Belmer
OL		Tim Brown
RB		Paul Campbell
QB		Greg Castignola
WR	`47`	Doug Donley	So
OL		Keith Ferguson
G	`56`	Ken Fritz	Jr
WR	`8`	Rod Gerald	Sr
RB		Ty Hicks
WR		Chuck Hunter
RB	`21`	Ricky Johnson
TE		Jimmy Moore
RB		Calvin Murray
RB		Joel Payton
OL		Joe Robinson
OL		Jim Savoca
QB	`10`	Art Schlichter	Fr
RB		Ron Springs (C)
QB		Mike Strahine
OL		Tim Vogler
RB		Ricardo Volley
OL		Tom Waugh

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
CB	`25`	Todd Bell	So
DL		Byron Cato
LB	`36`	Tom Cousineau (C)	Sr
LB		Kelton Dansler
DL		Gary Dunn
CB	`27`	Ray Ellis	So
LB	`65`	Keith Ferguson	So
DB		Mike Guess
DL		Luther Henson
LB	`5`	Jim Laughlin	Jr
LB		Paul Ross
DB		Vince Skillings
DL		Mark Sullivan
LB		Al Washington

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Bob Atha
K	`13`	Vlade Janakievski	Jr
P	`19`	Tom Orosz	So

Head coach

Woody Hayes

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

Depth chart

Defense

FS
Vince Skillings
Bob Murphy

WLB	ILB	ILB	SLB
Paul Ross	Al Washington	Tom Cousineau	Kelton Dansler
Jim Laughlin	Tony Megaro	Terry Vogler	⋅

ROV
Todd Bell
Duncan Griffin

CB
Mike Guess
⋅

DE	NT	DE
Byron Cato	Mark Sullivan	Gary Dulin
Joe Hornik	⋅	⋅

CB
Ray Ellis
Lenny Mills

Offense

SE
Rod Gerald
⋅

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Keith Ferguson	Ken Fritz	Tim Vogler	Jim Savoca	Joe Robinson
Tim Burke	Scott Burris	Tom Waugh	⋅	Tim Brown

TE
Jimmy Moore
Jim Houston

FL
Doug Donley
⋅

QB
Art Schlichter
Greg Castignola

FB
Paul Campbell
Ricardo Volley

Special teams
PK Vlade Janakievski
PK Bob Atha
P Tom Orosz
LS John Hutchings

RB
Ron Springs
Ricky Johnson

^[6]

1979 NFL draftees

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL club
Tom Cousineau	1	1	Linebacker	Buffalo Bills
Ron Springs	5	136	Running Back	Dallas Cowboys
Jimmy Moore	6	150	Guard	Baltimore Colts
Joe Robinson	9	229	Tackle	Kansas City Chiefs

References

^ "Woody adds punch to Gator Bowl". The Miami News. December 30, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives Archived 2015-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-Jun-21.
^ "Buckeyes win by run." Eugene Register-Guard. 1978 Sept 24.
^ "Buckeyes' Defense Overcomes Badgers." Palm Beach Post. 1978 Nov 5.
^ Palm Beach Post November 12, 1978
^ 1979 Ohio State Football Media Guide

v t e Ohio State Buckeyes football
Venues	Recreation Park (1890–1897) Ohio Field (1898–1921) Ohio Stadium (1922–present) Woody Hayes Athletic Center (practice)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Illinois: Illibuck Trophy Michigan (The Ten Year War) Penn State
Culture & lore	History Block O Brutus Buckeye "Across the Field" "Buckeye Battle Cry" "Carmen Ohio" "Hang On Sloopy" Marching band Neutron Man The Ten Year War Snow Bowl (1950) 1969 Michigan game 1973 Michigan game The Kick Holy Buckeye 2005 Texas game 2006 Michigan game 2016 Penn State game
Media	WBNS-TV WBNS WBNS-FM Ohio State Sports Network
People	Head coaches All-Century Team NFL draftees Statistical leaders Retired numbers
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold