1968 USC Trojans football team

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1968 USC Trojans football
Pac-8 champion
Rose Bowl (NCG), L 16–27 vs. Ohio State
ConferencePacific-8 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 4
Record9–1–1 (6–0 Pac-8)
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons
← 1967
1969 →
1968 Pacific-8 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 USC $ 6 0 0 9 1 1
No. 15 Oregon State 5 1 0 7 3 0
Stanford 3 3 1 6 3 1
California 2 2 1 7 3 1
Oregon 2 4 0 4 6 0
UCLA 2 4 0 3 7 0
Washington State 1 3 1 3 6 1
Washington 1 5 1 3 5 2
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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[edit]

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 21at No. 16 Minnesota*No. 2W 29–2060,820
September 28at Northwestern*No. 3W 24–747,277
October 5No. 13 Miami (FL)*No. 2W 28–371,189
October 12at No. 18 StanfordNo. 2W 27–2481,000
October 19WashingtonNo. 1
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 14–760,990
November 2at OregonNo. 1W 20–1333,500
November 9No. 11 CaliforniadaggerNo. 1
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 35–1780,871
November 16No. 13 Oregon StateNo. 1
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 17–1359,236
November 23at UCLANo. 1
W 28–1675,066
November 30No. 9 Notre Dame*No. 2
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)
T 21–2182,659
January 1, 1969vs. No. 1 Ohio State*No. 2L 16–27102,063
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster[edit]

1968 USC Trojans football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 9 Bob Chandler So
QB 7 Mike Holmgren Jr
TE 84 Bob Klein Sr
WR 28 Jim Lawrence Sr
TE 86 Bob Miller Sr
OT 78 Marv Montgomery Jr
QB 6 Steve Sogge Sr
RB 32 O. J. Simpson Sr
OT 77 Sid Smith Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
FS 17 Mike Battle Sr
DT 72 Al Cowlings Jr
CB 16 Sandy Durko Jr
DE 83 Jimmy Gunn Jr
DE 85 Bill Hayhoe Sr
LB 55 Jim Snow Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt
Source:[3][4][5]

Rankings[edit]

Game summaries[edit]

Minnesota[edit]

  • OJ Simpson 39 rushes, 236 yards [6]

Miami (FL)[edit]

Stanford[edit]

  • O.J. Simpson 47 rushes, 220 yards [7]

Oregon State[edit]

  • O.J. Simpson 47 rushes, 238 yards [8]

Notre Dame[edit]

[9]

Vs. Ohio State (Rose Bowl)[edit]

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 USC
1 234Total
No. 1 Buckeyes 0 10314 27
No. 2 Trojans 0 1006 16

Awards and honors[edit]

1969 NFL/AFL Draft[edit]

Eight Trojans were selected in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, held in late January.

Player Position Round Overall Franchise
O. J. Simpson Running back 1 1 Buffalo Bills
Bob Klein Tight end 1 21 Los Angeles Rams
Bill Hayhoe Defensive tackle 5 116 Green Bay Packers
Bob Miller Tackle 6 138 New Orleans Saints
Jim Lawrence Back 8 189 New Orleans Saints
Jack O’Malley Tackle 12 302 San Francisco 49ers
Mike Battle Defensive back 12 311 New York Jets
Wilson Bowie Running back 13 320 Detroit Lions
Source:[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Southern California Yearly Results (1965-1969)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "1968 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. ^ "Probable lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 1, 1968. p. 3B.
  4. ^ "Football statistics". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 3, 1968. p. 2B.
  5. ^ "TV rosters: Rose Bowl". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1969. p. 52.
  6. ^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
  7. ^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
  8. ^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
  9. ^ Jenkins, Dan (December 9, 1968). "THE DAY THEY TIED UP O.J." Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  11. ^ "1969 NFL Draft". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2019.