OHIO STATE Archie Griffin gets another shot at national title

The No. 2 man in Ohio State's athletic department never played on a national-championship team at OSU.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Archie Griffin won two Heisman Trophies, played in the NFL and then returned to become a living legend in his hometown.
But he still aches because there is something missing from his resume.
"I always said I'd give up a Heisman Trophy for a national championship," said Griffin, the only two-time winner of the Heisman who is now the No. 2 man in Ohio State's athletic department. "That's the honest to goodness truth because that's what I wanted more than anything."
Three times during his career at Ohio State, Griffin was on teams that had a shot at winning a national championship. Each time they failed.
He is reminded of it even at family gatherings. His youngest brother, Keith, chose not to follow in the footsteps of three Griffin boys and he played at Miami. It is Keith -- and none of his older brothers -- who has a national championship ring.
OSU eyes title
Now No. 2 Ohio State will meet top-ranked Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3. The winner takes home the national championship.
The Buckeyes have not won an undisputed national title since 1968. Nine times in the ensuing 33 years, Ohio State has been in the running to finish the season at No. 1. But something always seems to happen.
The last time the Buckeyes had a national championship riding on a single game was the 1980 Rose Bowl.
A year earlier, Woody Hayes had his 28-year coaching career come to a fiery end when he was dismissed for punching a Clemson player in the final minutes of the Gator Bowl.
After a lengthy search, Ohio State plucked Earle Bruce, a former Hayes lieutenant and the head coach at Iowa State, to take Hayes' place.
Great season
The Buckeyes responded with a remarkable season behind sophomore quarterback Art Schlichter and a defense that gave up more than one touchdown in only four games all year. They finished the regular season 11-0 and No. 1 in the nation and met No. 3 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.
Make no mistake about it, the Trojans were no underdog. Their lineup included one current (Charles White) and one future (Marcus Allen) Heisman Trophy winner, prototypical offensive linemen (Anthony Munoz, Brad Budde), one of the best cornerbacks of all time (Ronnie Lott) and other players who made names for themselves in the pros.
The Buckeyes took the opening kickoff and drove deep into USC territory. On fourth and 1, Bruce decided to go for it rather than take a sure three points from placekicker Vlade Janakievski.
Bruce's memories
Almost 23 years have passed, and Bruce, recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, admits that to this day he still wonders what might have happened if he had kicked the field goal in what would become a 17-16 loss.
"The thing that you always say after you lose something like that: What if? What if? The 'what if' for me is what if we would have gone for a field goal on the first drive?" Bruce said, pained by the memory.
"We ran the option and instead of pitching it we kept it and Art was hit by Ronnie Lott and stopped. We didn't make any points. If we would have got three points there, they might not have had the opportunity to come back and beat us at the end."
Quarterback Paul McDonald and White led an 80-yard march in the fourth quarter that resulted in the tying touchdown. Eric Hipp's extra-point kick decided the game.
It became just another in a string of disappointments for Ohio State.
Bruce doesn't have an answer for why the Buckeyes always seem to come up short.
"We just haven't been able to put it together for the one game that you win the championship," said Bruce, now semiretired and living in Florida. "You need something good to happen and we've lost the opportunity, either because of our own mistake or maybe the good play of the other team. Normally, though, it's been your own mistakes that determine the fate of a championship."
Griffin knows that feeling, too.
The only blemish
As a sophomore in 1973, the only blemish on the Buckeyes' record was a 10-10 tie at No. 4 Michigan that dropped Ohio State out of the No. 1 spot. Even a 42-21 dismantling of Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl couldn't get the second-ranked Buckeyes around Notre Dame in the final rankings.
In 1974, Ohio State was No. 1 again but lost 16-13 in a disputed finish at Michigan State.
Still, the Buckeyes climbed back to No. 3 and could have captured the national title with a win over No. 5 USC in the Rose Bowl. This time, they lost 18-17.
None of those losses can compare with 1975, however. Again the Buckeyes were No. 1 most of the season and met UCLA -- a team they had pummeled 41-20 on their home field three months earlier -- in the Rose Bowl.
"Oh, man, that last one, that's the most disappointing," Griffin said. "It was in our hands.
"Now, it's always tough to come back and play a team that you've beaten before. It just didn't happen early in the game. We were moving the ball, but we just couldn't put it in the end zone.
"We just didn't get it done. You leave a team hanging around long enough and they're going to feel that they can beat you. All of a sudden they made a few plays and it got rolling for them.
"That's the most disappointing game that I had while I was at Ohio State."
UCLA's stunning 23-10 reversal ended Griffin's college career.
Another string
Fast forward two decades and the Buckeyes had another string of close calls.
In 1995, No. 2 Ohio State won its first 11 games and was a heavy favorite at No. 12 Michigan.
The Buckeyes had a Heisman Trophy winner once again, tailback Eddie George.
But Michigan had tailback Tim Biakabutuka, who rushed for a school-record 313 yards in the Wolverines' stunning 31-23 upset.
History repeated itself a year later. Once again the Buckeyes won every game until they played Michigan. Again they were No. 2. Again they were heavily favored and playing before a home crowd against the No. 21-ranked Wolverines.
And, again, they lost. This time, despite dominating most of the game, Ohio State lost 13-9.
Michigan's only touchdown came when Tai Streets caught a short slant pass from Brian Griese, All-American cornerback Shawn Springs slipped and fell on a wet spot in the turf, and Streets streaked 69 yards for a touchdown.