Woody Hayes earned his final bowl victory in OSU’s lone appearance at the Orange Bowl. After falling behind 10-0, the Buckeyes unleashed previously injured Rod Gerald at quarterback and the switch from Jim Pacenta to the quick-silver Dallas native was too much for the Buffaloes.

Ohio State scored 27 straight points, with Jeff Logan scampering in from 36 yards late in the first quarter to start the barrage. A 99-yard Buckeye drive dominated the second quarter and resulted in Pete Johnson’s final OSU touchdown with just 24 seconds showing in the half. That gave OSU a 17-10 lead and the Bucks controlled the second half.

Gerald ran for 91 yards and a touchdown and threw for 59 yards to capture the Most Valuable Offensive Back Award.

Ohio State pocketed a share of the Big Ten championship and finished No. 5 in the final UPI rankings.