The Game of the Century: When Oklahoma and Ohio State Battled to the Finish
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September 24, 1977, was a day college football fans had been waiting for. The No. 3-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, a perennial powerhouse, traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to face off against the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes in a highly anticipated, non-conference matchup. The game, played in front of a packed and passionate crowd at Ohio Stadium, lived up to its billing, becoming a thrilling back-and-forth contest decided in the final seconds.
Sooners top Ohio State 1977 25 Sep 1977, Sun The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho) Newspapers.com
Both teams were loaded with talent, and the game quickly turned into a high-stakes chess match. Ohio State’s defense, led by head coach Woody Hayes, was known for its toughness, but the Sooners’ high-powered offense, guided by quarterback Thomas Lott, proved difficult to contain. The two teams traded blows throughout the game, with momentum swinging with every score.
The game’s climax came in the fourth quarter. Ohio State took a 28-22 lead with a little over a minute to play. But Oklahoma refused to give up. Thomas Lott led a last-minute drive down the field, and with just six seconds remaining, he found wide receiver Steve Rhodes for a touchdown, tying the game at 28. Then, in a moment of pure drama, Oklahoma kicker Uwe von Schamann, a native of Germany, drilled the extra point, clinching an improbable 29-28 victory for the Sooners.
The win marked a significant moment in Oklahoma’s storied history, while the loss was a heartbreaker for the Buckeyes. The contest is still remembered today as a classic example of two college football titans leaving it all on the field.
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