1968 USC Trojans football team
| 1968 USC Trojans football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Pac-8 champion | |
Rose Bowl, L 16–27 vs. Ohio State | |
| Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 2 |
| AP | No. 4 |
| 1968 record | 9–1–1 (6–0 Pac-8) |
| Head coach | John McKay (9th year) |
| Captain | O. J. Simpson |
| Captain | Steve Sogge |
| Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (c. 94,500, grass) |
| 1968 Pacific-8 football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #4 USC $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #15 Oregon State | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1968 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1968 college football season. In their ninth year under head coach John McKay, the Trojans compiled a 9–1–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 259 to 168.[1] The team was ranked #2 in the final Coaches Poll and #4 in the final AP Poll.
Steve Sogge led the team in passing, completing 122 of 207 passes for 1,454 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. O. J. Simpson led the team in rushing with 383 carries for 1,880 yards and 23 touchdowns. Jim Lawrence led the team in receiving with 26 catches for 386 yards and two touchdowns.[2] Simpson won both the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Award.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21 | at No. 16 Minnesota* | No. 2 | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | W 29–20 | 60,820 | ||||
| September 28 | at Northwestern* | No. 3 | Dyche Stadium • Evanston, IL | W 24–7 | 47,277 | ||||
| October 5 | No. 13 Miami (FL)* | No. 2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 28–3 | 71,189 | ||||
| October 12 | at No. 18 Stanford | No. 2 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | W 27–24 | 81,000 | ||||
| October 19 | Washington | No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 14–7 | 60,990 | ||||
| November 2 | at Oregon | No. 1 | Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR | W 20–13 | 33,500 | ||||
| November 9 | No. 11 California |
No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 35–17 | 80,871 | ||||
| November 16 | No. 13 Oregon State | No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 17–13 | 59,236 | ||||
| November 23 | at UCLA | No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell) | W 28–16 | 75,066 | ||||
| November 30 | No. 9 Notre Dame* | No. 2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Rivalry) | T 21–21 | 82,659 | ||||
| January 1 | vs. No. 1 Ohio State* | No. 2 | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | L 16–27 | 102,063 | ||||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. | |||||||||
1968 team players in the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| O.J. Simpson | Running Back | 1 | 1 | Buffalo Bills |
| Bob Klein | 1 | 21 | Los Angeles Rams | |
| Bill Hayhoe | Defensive Tackle | 5 | 116 | Green Bay Packers |
| Bob Miller | Tackle | 6 | 138 | New Orleans Saints |
| Jim Lawrence | Back | 8 | 189 | New Orleans Saints |
| Jack O’Malley | Tackle | 12 | 302 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Mike Battle | Defensive Back | 12 | 311 | New York Jets |
| Wilson Bowie | Running Back | 13 | 320 | Detroit Lions |
Awards and honors
- O. J. Simpson, Heisman Trophy[4]
- O. J. Simpson, Walter Camp Award
References
- ↑ "Southern California Yearly Results (1965-1969)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ↑ "1968 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1969.htm
- ↑ http://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html