1977 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1977 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten co-champion
Sugar Bowl, L 6–35 vs. Alabama
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 11
Record9–3 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorAlex Gibbs (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorGeorge Hill (7th season)
MVPDave Adkins
Captains
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
1977 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Michigan + 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 11 + 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Michigan State 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 3 – 1
Indiana 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Minnesota 4 – 4 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Iowa 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 6 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Illinois 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Northwestern 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1977 Big Ten season. In their 27th year under head coach Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes compiled a 9–3 record (7–1 in conference games), tied with Michigan for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 337 to 85. In games against ranked opponents, they lost to No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 5 Michigan, and No. 3 Alabama in the 1978 Sugar Bowl. They were ranked as high as No. 3 but dropped to No. 11 in the final AP poll after losing to Michigan and Alabama.[1]

The Buckeyes gained an average of 294.5 rushing yards and 84.8 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 119.6 rushing yards and 92.0 passing yards per game.[2] The team's individual statistical leaders included quarterback Rod Gerald (913 passing yards, 61.9% completion percentage), running back Ron Springs (1,092 rushing yards, 5.7 yards per carry), and Jim Harrell (13 receptions for 310 yards).[2] Offensive tackle Chris Ward and linebacker Tom Cousineau were consensus first-team All-Americans.[3]

The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 101:30 p.m.Miami (FL)*No. 5
W 10–086,287[4]
September 171:30 p.m.MinnesotaNo. 6
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 38–787,799[5]
September 241:30 p.m.No. 3 Oklahoma*No. 4
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ABCL 28–2988,119[6]
October 18:30 p.m.at SMU*No. 6
W 35–751,970[7]
October 81:30 p.m.PurdueNo. 4
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 46–087,707[8]
October 152:30 p.m.at IowaNo. 5
W 27–660,070[9]
October 222:30 p.m.at NorthwesternNo. 4
W 35–1529,563[10]
October 291:30 p.m.WisconsinNo. 3
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 42–087,837[11]
November 52:00 p.m.at IllinoisNo. 4
W 35–066,973[12]
November 121:30 p.m.IndianaNo. 4
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 35–787,786[13]
November 1912:30 p.m.at No. 5 MichiganNo. 4
ABCL 6–14106,024[14]
January 2, 19782:00 p.m.vs. No. 3 Alabama*No. 9
ABCL 6–3576,811[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Miami (FL)

Team 1 234Total
Miami (FL) 0 000 0
• Ohio St 0 1000 10
  • Date: September 10
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
  • Game start: 1:30 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 2:29
  • Game attendance: 86,287
  • Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C); wind 10–15 mph (16–24 km/h) WNW
Scoring summary
Q210:40OSUJanakievski 31 yard field goalOSU 3–0
Q24:56OSUSprings 21 yard run (Janakievski kick)OSU 10–0
  • Ron Springs 27 Rush, 114 Yds

Minnesota

Team 1 234Total
Minnesota 0 070 7
• Ohio St 7 3721 38
  • Date: September 17
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
  • Game start: 1:30 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 2:36
  • Game attendance: 87,799
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy; 83 °F (28 °C); wind 5–15 mph (8.0–24.1 km/h) S–W
Scoring summary
Q16:57OHSTJones 29 yard pass from Gerald (Janakievski kick)OHST 7–0
Q213:03OHSTJanakievski 18 yard field goalOHST 10–0
Q34:45OHSTVolley 2 yard run (Janakievski kick)OHST 17–0
Q34:29MINNWeber 100 yard kickoff returnOHST 17–7
Q49:16OHSTSprings 8 yard run (Janakievski kick)OHST 24–7
Q45:19OHSTDonley 38 yard pass from Castignola (Janakievski kick)OHST 31–7
Q40:41OHSTPayton 7 yard run (Janakievski kick)OHST 38–7
  • Ron Springs 27 Rush, 147 Yds

Oklahoma

#3 Oklahoma Sooners (2–0) at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes (2–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oklahoma 17 3 0929
Ohio State 0 14 14028

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Date: September 29
  • Game time: 1:55 p.m.
  • Game weather: Overcast, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 88,119
  • Referee: Gene Calhoun (Big Ten)
  • TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Ara Parseghian
Game information

At SMU

Team 1 234Total
• Ohio St 7 1477 35
SMU 0 007 7
  • Date: October 1
  • Location: Cotton Bowl
  • Game attendance: 51,970

Purdue

See also: 1977 Purdue Boilermakers football team
Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio State Buckeyes
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Purdue 0 0 000
Ohio St 29 10 7046

at Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

  • Date: October 8
  • Game attendance: 87,707
Game information

Iowa

Team 1 234Total
• Ohio St 3 1077 27
Iowa 0 006 6

At Northwestern

See also: 1977 Northwestern Wildcats football team
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes at Northwestern Wildcats
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ohio St 14 7 7735
Northwestern 3 6 0615

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

  • Date: October 22
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Light rain, 53 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 29,563
Game information

Wisconsin

Team 1 234Total
Wisconsin 0 000 0
• Ohio St 7 71414 42
  • Date: October 29
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
  • Game attendance: 87,837

Illinois

Team 1 234Total
• Ohio St 0 7217 35
Illinois 0 000 0
Scoring summary
2OHSTCampbell 1-yard run (Janakievski kick)Ohio St 7-0
3OHSTPayton 1-yard run (Janakievski kick)Ohio St 14-0
3OHSTSprings 15-yard run (Janakievski kick)Ohio St 21-0
3OHSTHarrell 5-yard run (Janakievski kick)Ohio St 28-0
4OHSTJohnson 15-yard run (Janakievski kick)Ohio St 35-0

[16]

Indiana

Team 1 234Total
Indiana 7 000 7
• Ohio St 7 0217 35
Scoring summary
1INDCalvin 2 yard pass from Arnett (Freud kick)IND 7–0
1OHSTPayton 3 yard run (Janakievski kick)Tie 7–7
3OHSTHarrell 29 yard pass from Gerald (Janakievski kick)OHST 14–7
3OHSTGerald 8 yard run (Janakievski kick)OHST 21–7
3OHSTSprings 1 yard run (Janakievski kick)OHST 28–7
4OHSTCampbell 1 yard run (Janakievski kick)OHST 35–7

[17]

Michigan

Team 1 234Total
Ohio St 3 030 6
• Michigan 0 770 14

Sugar Bowl

Team 1 234Total
Ohio St 0 006 6
• Alabama 0 13814 35

Personnel

Roster

1977 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
G 69 Ernest Andria Jr
TE 82 Ronald Barwig So
OT 74 Tim Brown So
OT 76 Tim Burke Jr
G 63 Scott Burris So
QB 4 Norman Burrows Fr
FB 38 Paul Campbell So
QB 7 Greg Castignola So
OT 78 Garth Cox Sr
C 50 James DeLeone Fr
TB 47 Doug Donley Fr
G 59 Ernest Epitropoulos Fr
WR 89 Bryan Ferguson So
G 65 Keith Ferguson Fr
G 56 Kenneth Fritz So
QB 8 Rod Gerald Jr
WR 11 James Harrell Sr
TE 24 Charles Hunter So
TE 87 William Jaco Jr
RB 21 Ricky Johnson So
WR 49 Herman Jones Sr
G 51 Mark Lang Sr
G 92 Joel Laser Jr
RB 35 Felix Lee Fr
FB 34 Jeff Logan (C) Sr
OT 73 Douglas Mackie So
G 61 David Medich Fr
G 64 Nicholas Miller Fr
TE 99 Jimmy Moore Jr
RB 43 Calvin Murray Fr
WR 84 Douglas Pauley Fr
FB 30 Joel Payton Fr
OT 77 David Phillips Fr
C 53 Douglas Porter Sr
G 70 Joseph Robinson Jr
G 57 James Savoca Sr
FB 37 Michael Schneider So
RB 23 Ron Springs Jr
TE 80 Grgeory Storer Sr
QB 6 Michael Strahine Sr
QB 9 Alvin Taylor So
C 52 Tim Vogler Jr
FB 18 Ric Volley So
OT 79 Chris Ward (C) Sr
G 58 Thomas Waugh Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 94 David Adkins Sr
S 22 Joseph Allegro Sr
DE 88 David Allen Fr
MG 93 Terry Bach Fr
DT 67 Eddie Beamon Sr
DB 25 Todd Bell Fr
LB 19 Thomas Blinco So
MG 55 Aaron Brown (C) Sr
DB 41 James Caruso So
DT 71 Byron Cato Jr
LB 36 Tom Cousineau Jr
DE 96 Martin Cusick Sr
DE 32 Kelton Dansler Jr
DE 86 Joseph Dixon Sr
DT 60 Gary Dulin So
DB 27 Ray Ellis Fr
DB 39 Leon Ellison Fr
LB 33 John Epitropoulos Fr
DE 13 Michael Faler So
S 46 Duncan Griffin Jr
S 44 Ray Griffin (C) Sr
DB 12 Mike Guess So
DT 66 Tyrone Harris Sr
DT 54 Luther Henson Fr
DE 83 Joseph Hornik Jr
MG 98 Wendell Kellum Jr
DE 5 James Laughlin So
LB 95 Brian Lewis Jr
LB 90 Anthony Megaro Fr
DE 91 Ronald Miller Fr
DT 62 Ed Mills So
DB 20 Leonard Mills Jr
DB 28 Robert Murphy Fr
DE 16 Paul Ross Jr
DB 10 Keith Saunders Sr
MG 68 Tim Sawicki So
S 14 Brian Schwartz So
DB 48 Vince Skillings Fr
DT 72 Mark Sullivan Jr
LB 97 Terry Vogler Jr
LB 15 Alvin Washington Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 3 David Budd So
K 13 Vlade Janakievski Fr
K 2 Douglas McEldowney Fr
P 1 David McKee Jr
P 19 Thomas Orosz Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2018-Dec-16

Depth chart

[18]

1978 NFL draftees

Player Round Pick Position NFL club
Chris Ward 1 4 Tackle New York Jets
Ray Griffin 2 35 Defensive back Cincinnati Bengals
Herman Jones 7 185 Wide receiver Chicago Bears
Jeff Logan 7 191 Running back Baltimore Colts
David Adkins 8 209 Linebacker Atlanta Falcons
Aaron C. Brown 10 252 Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers

References

  1. ^ "1977 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "1977 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 11. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  4. ^ "Buckeyes squeak out 10–0 triumph". News Journal. September 11, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Buckeye offense awes humbled Gophers, fans". The Marion Star. September 18, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Oklahoma's Uwe gets his kicks, 29–28". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 25, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Ohio State topples Mustangs". The Marshall News Messenger. October 2, 1977. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Payton keys Buckeyes". The Post-Crescent. October 9, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Rugged Buckeyes conquer Iowa, 27–6". The Sioux City Journal. October 16, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Big plays pace Buckeyes past Northwestern, 35–15". The Pantagraph. October 23, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Badgers overwhelmed, 42–0". Wisconsin State Journal. October 30, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Ohio State rolls over Illini, 35–0". The Grand Rapids Press. November 6, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Bucks' strong second-half overcomes IU". Journal and Courier. November 13, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Curt Sylvester (November 20, 1977). "Ah! Everything Comes Up Roses For Bo's Gutty Wolverines, 14–6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 7D – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Tide rips Onio State 35–6 in sweet Sugar". Birmingham Post-Herald. January 3, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Eugene Register-Guard. November 6, 1977.
  17. ^ Eugene Register-Guard. November 13, 1977.
  18. ^ 1978 Ohio State Football Media Guide
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