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Posted on by Jeff Cummins

THE GAME- Looking Back 1973

The third installment of Michigan-Ohio State week takes us back to 1973. By this time, the decade of the ’70s had established its own feel, slightly different from that of the ’60s. Motorists waited in odd/even lines for gas (hmm….sounds vaguely familiar), and on Nov. 24, 1973, the Carpenters ruled the airwaves with “Top of the World.”

In the Big Ten, the two old rivals were on top of the world that day, as both teams entered the ’73 game with perfect record. Ohio State grabbed a 10-0 halftime lead as two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin twisted and and spun his way on a long run during an Ohio State touchdown drive. In the second half, Michigan had the better of the action, and with the Wolverines facing a critical play, quarterback Dennis Franklin faked a handoff to fullback Ed Shuttlesworth and kept the ball himself on an option, scoring to tie the game, 10-10. Later in the game, Michigan kicker Mike Lantry missed a 58-yard field goal, but Lantry got a second chance when Ohio State quarterback Greg Hare was intercepted by Tom Drake, giving Lantry another shot. This time, Lantry’s kick was wide right instead, giving Ohio State the ball one final time. On the final play, Greg Hare lofted a pass into the air, and before it hit the ground, a record 43 people touched the ball, including a few stragglers who who wandered onto the field from section 3, before the ball fell harmlessly to the ground.The game ended in a 10-10 tie, with Michigan quarterback Dennis Franklin leaving the game due to an injury he suffered on a possession following Michigan’s touchdown.

In the controversial aftermath, Big Ten athletic directors voted 6-4 to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl, with rumors swirling that Michigan State voted for Ohio State in retaliation for Michigan voting against Michigan State’s admittance to the Big Ten in 1949. Ohio State went on to trounce USC in the Rose Bowl, 42-21, as both Ohio State and Michigan finished the season undefeated.

Here it is is, in two parts, but in all its glory, thanks to our friend Brian Cook at mgovideo. Sit back and enjoy!

 

About Jeff Cummins

Jeff Cummins has written about football since 1998, including nine years with The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He frequently contributes feature stories to Touchdown Illustrated, an insert in the national college football game program, published by University Sports Publications, and he has also written the official pregame stories for the game programs of the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship game. He has written the preview story for the official program for the NHL Winter Classic at MIchigan Stadium, and numerous college basketball feature stories for College Hoops Illustrated, another game program insert published by University Sports Publications. In addition, he has written stories about theater, music, physical therapy, and newsletter marketing. He’s an avid Michigan football fan and long-time New York Jets season ticket holder, and he can be reached at jeffcummins@optonline.net.

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