It’s been nearly 50 years since former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in the award’s history, took home his first trophy in 1974. But it didn’t mean that his help wasn’t still required in Ohio State’s Spring Game on Saturday.
With the Ohio State offense struggling, trailing 34-10 midway through the third quarter, the Buckeyes called in some help in the form of Griffin, who checked in and took a handoff from quarterback Kyle McCord to the house, going 25 yards for the score.
“I still think (Chip Trayanum) was the second leading ball carrier on the day. I think the first one was Archie Griffin,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “That was fun watching him there. I think next year is the 50th anniversary of his first Heisman, so we wanted to make sure he came back for that one. The offense needed a little help at that point, too, right around the 30-yard line, so we felt like we called into the bullpen and pulled in 45, so that was good.”
Griffin’s touchdown helped spark the Ohio State offense, which turned a 34-10 blowout into just a 40-31 loss by the end of the scrimmage, and provided one of the Spring Game’s best highlights.
