Blue White Illustrated

play, with the tailback and fullback lined up behind Schlichter in the I-formation, flanker Doug Donley went in motion to the right behind the quarter- back. The center snapped the ball, and Schlichter threw a short pass to Donley near the right sideline for a 6-yard completion. No one in the press box could re- call the last time Ohio State threw on the first play of the season, at least since Woody began coaching. On second down, tailback Ron Springs fumbled after taking a pitchout on the left, but the Buckeyes recovered at their own 24-yard line. On third down, Schlichter threw a down-and-out to Gerald for a 24-yard gain to the Ohio State 48-yard line. A few plays later, fac- ing third-and-7 at the Penn State 40, and with 11 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Schlichter tried to hit his flanker near the sideline at the Penn State 20. Pete Harris stepped in front of the re- ceiver, intercepted the ball and returned it to the Buckeyes' 46. It was Schlichter's fourth pass attempt of the game and it was a portent of what was to follow. Desperate measures Ohio State held the Lions to a 30-yard field goal by Bahr, and from that point the first half became a defensive clash of titans. As I wrote in The Penn State Football Encyclopedia, "Before the half was over, the Lions intercepted another Schlichter pass and recovered fumbles by Schlichter and Gerald but could not capitalize on the OSU turnovers. In the locker room Paterno calmly told his troops they were not going to sit on a three-point lead. 'We're going to play this baby like we were behind, like we are desperate,' he said." Not too desperate. Paterno utilized his traditional conservative playbook to run the ball, limit Chuck Fusina's passing and trust his veteran defense to fluster Schlichter and the Ohio State offense. His plan worked to perfection. "On State's second possession of the third quarter," I wrote in the encyclope- dia, "Fusina guided the Lions on a six- minute, run-oriented 13-play, 80-yard drive for a 10-0 lead with [Matt] Suhey getting the TD on a 3-yard run. From there, the Lion defense led by [Bruce] Clark and [Larry] Kubin [along with Harris, Matt Millen and Lance Mehl] took over, harassing Schlichter and the OSU offense by intercepting three more passes – another by Harris – and recov- ering another fumble. In the fourth quarter, Bahr kicked three more field goals to tie his single-game record and the Lions shut out the Buckeyes for the second time in 14 years, 19-0." "Hayes' frustration was complete in the dying moments of the game," re- ported Paracenzo, "when the Buckeyes had first-and-goal at the Lion four [with their backup quarterback], and got no farther than the five. In four shots, they lost a yard." Paterno's old-school strategy allowed Ohio State to gain more total yards than Penn State, 360-287, but Schlichter's lousy statistics were the direct route to RAISING THE BAHR Matt Bahr was crucial to Penn State's early-sea- son success in 1978. He kicked four field goals in the win over the Buck- eyes. Photo courtesy of Pattee and Paterno Li- brary Archives

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