Looking Back: Clemson-Ohio State 1978 Gator Bowl
Danny Ford made his Clemson debut as head coach in grand style with a 17-15 victory over Ohio State and coaching legend Woody Hayes to close the 1978 season. The victory gave the Tigers an 11-1 final record, tying the school record (at the time) for victories in a season. With the win, Clemson finished sixth in the AP Poll and tied for sixth in the Coaches Poll.
Ford had been named head coach of the Tigers on Dec. 10 after Charley Pell resigned as head coach to take the same position with the Florida program. Ford was just 30 years old at the time, the youngest head coach in the nation.
While Clemson had a young coach on the sideline, it had an old quarterback by college standards on the field. Steve Fuller, a third-team All-American and first-team Academic All-American, was in his fourth year as a starter and ran the offense efficiently. He ran a Tiger offense that had just one turnover in 80 plays.
Fuller engineered a 15-play, 80-yard drive and finished it off with a four-yard run to give Clemson a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. Ohio State freshman Art Schlichter guided the Buckeyes to a touchdown drive with just 1:21 left in the first half, but the extra point was blocked, making the score 9-7.
The Tigers drove downfield behind Fuller's arm to the Ohio State 30 and Obed Ariri kicked a 47-yard field goal to put Clemson up 10-9 at halftime.
Clemson scored the only points of the third quarter on a one-yard run by freshman Cliff Austin. It completed an 83-yard drive that took 18 plays.
With 8:11 left and Clemson holding a 17-9 lead, Schlichter scored his second touchdown of the game to bring Ohio State to within two points. Ohio State went for two, but Jim Stuckey tackled Schlichter on a quarterback sweep to prevent the score.
Ohio State got the ball back after a failed Tiger drive. Faced with a third-and-five at the Clemson 24, second-team middle guard Charlie Bauman intercepted Schlichter when he dropped into coverage. It was the only interception of Bauman’s four-year career and the only turnover of the night for the Buckeye offense.
On the return, Bauman was run out-of-bounds in front of the Ohio State bench. There was a scuffle that involved Hayes, and consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called on Ohio State, giving Clemson excellent field position.
Clemson ran out the clock, giving the Tigers their first win over a Big Ten school. Bubba Brown was the star of the Clemson defense with 22 tackles. Randy Scott added 16 tackles and Jim Stuckey had 11 to key the Clemson defense.
