Ohio State Buckeye national championship seasons

1954
Associated Press
10-0

It didn't take Woody Hayes long to put his mark on the Ohio State Buckeyes. In his fourth season at the OSU helm, Hayes pushed his team to the limit and came away with the ultimate prize, his first National Championship.

It would be the first of five for Hayes, who won 205 games at OSU. Woody's 1954 team was the first in Ohio State history to win 10 games and had one of the Buckeyes' best ever players in Howard "Hopalong" Cassady.

Cassady, who won the Heisman trophy the next season, accounted for 849 yards and earned first-team All-American honors in 1954. He led the team with 609 rushing yards and 12 receptions. End Dean Dugger also earned All-America honors and four other players earned all-Big Ten honors, as the Buckeyes ran roughshod over their opponents that season, outscoring the opposition 249-75.

The defense was led by Jim Parker, who became an All-America guard the next two years, won the Outland Trophy as a senior and was a first round NFL draft pick of the Baltimore Colts. On the year, Ohio State held its foes to 7.5 points and 110 rushing yards per game, recovered 17 fumbles and had 18 interceptions and did not give up more than two touchdowns in a game.

OSU opened the season with a 28-0 victory over Indiana in Columbus. Quarterback Will Leggett rushed for 45 yards and passed for another 64 to lead the way.

The Buckeyes defeated western powerhouse Cal 21-13 the next week in Columbus as Cassady rushed for 104 yards and had touchdown runs of 29 and 26 yards. He also led the squad with four catches for 50 yards.

OSU drilled Illinois 40-7 the next week and then beat Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern in its next three outings. Robert Watkins had a pair of big games in that span, rushing for 112 and 105 against Illinois and Iowa, respectively.

Wins over the Pitt Panthers, 26-0, and the Purdue Boilermakers, 28-6, preceeded the annual Michigan finale.

The Buckeyes and the Wolverines battled to a 7-7 tie through the first three quarters and neither team could gain an edge. But, led by the running of Cassady and the passing of Leggett, Ohio State scored 14 fourth-quarter points for a 21-7 victory. Cassady ended the day with 94 rushing yards while Leggett had 42 and 58 yards passing. Leggett accounted for the first two Buckeye scores with passes to Frederick Kriss and Richard Brubaker, and Cassady iced the game with a one-yard dive late in the game. Ohio State was 9-0 and headed to Pasadena.

The Rose Bowl was a titanic battle between the Scarlet and Gray and the Southern California Trojans. The Buckeyes played flawless football with 22 first downs, 370 yards and no fumbles lost, and they rolled to a 20-7 victory as the Trojans had seven fumbles and totaled only six first downs.