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Ohio State Buckeyes © |
Purdue Boilermakers |
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Played October 25, 1975 at Ross-Ade Stadium West Lafayette, Indiana |
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Teams' Belt Records
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Team |
Belt Reigns |
Overall Record |
Home Record |
Away Record |
Neutral Record |
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W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
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| Ohio State © | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Purdue | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | ||||||||
Previous Belt Meetings: None
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1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
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Ohio State |
14 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
35 |
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Purdue |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
A former Belt holder, the 1-5 Purdue Boilermakers coached by Alex Agase were next for the top-ranked, 6-0 Ohio State Buckeyes of coach Woody Hayes. Ohio State had not allowed a score in the last 2 games & the concern was not for a Buckeyes' win but for a defensive shutout. Ohio State's RB Pete Johnson rushed for 131 yards with 2 touchdowns while All-Big Ten QB Cornelius Greene threw for 2 touchdowns & rushed for another in a 35-6 Buckeye victory. After forcing the Boilermakers to punt on their first possession, Johnson took the handoff on the first snap & went 60 yards for a touchdown giving Ohio State a 7-0 lead just 1:37 into the game. Purdue scored the first points of the season by a Big Ten team against the Ohio State defense when PK Steve Schmidt hit a 22-yard field goal but on the ensuing kick-off, Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy winning, All-American RB Archie Griffin returned the kick 53 yards to the Purdue 37-yard line. Seven plays later, Johnson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run as the Buckeyes took a 14-3 lead. As Ohio State moved into scoring position on their next drive, Purdue's LB Bob Manella intercepted Greene’s pass & returned it to the Boilermakers’ 24-yard line. Purdue then used 15 plays to get into position for a 27-yard field goal by Schmidt. Ohio State drove 80 yards in 12 plays on the next possession with Greene hitting WR Brian Baschnagel on the 22-yard touchdown pass giving the Buckeyes a 21-6 halftime lead. Ohio State opened the 2nd half with another 80-yard scoring drive; this one concluded with Greene finding WR Lenny Willis for a 41-yard touchdown pass & a 28-6 advantage. When the Boilermakers were stopped on 4th down at the Ohio State 10-yard line, the Buckeyes went 90 yards in 11 plays with Greene scoring on a 28-yard touchdown run on the first play of the final quarter. Griffin’s 23-yard run midway through the final quarter breaking the NCAA career rushing record previously held Cornell’s RB Ed Marinaro was the highlight of the final period. Greene finished with 103 yards passing while Griffin added 130 yards rushing to his career total. Purdue's QB Mark Vitali threw for 173 yards while RB Mike Pruitt finished with 127 yards rushing in the loss. Ohio State finished the season 11-1; Big Ten Champions & ranked 4th nationally while the Boilermakers finished 4-7. Purdue would play for The Belt again in 1981.
