College Football Old School Game of the Week: Byars' Historic Performances Leads Buckeyes To Comeback Win

Keith Byars, with his shoe off, runs for his one of his five touchdowns during Ohio State's comeback win over Illinois in 1984.

Most of the college football media and college football fans would agree that Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie was the rightful winner of the 1984 Heisman Trophy.

But if you were in or around Columbus, Ohio, they would tell you the best player in college football in 1984 was Ohio State Buckeyes running back Keith Byars, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race behind Flutie as Byars ran for a then school record 1,764 yards and scored 22 touchdowns while catching 42 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.

Byars' finest performance would come midway through the '84 season when the #8 ranked Buckeyes hosted the Illinois Fighting Illini in front of nearly 90,000 fans at Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State entered the Illinois game with a 4-1 record as they been upset by the Purdue Boilermakers 28-23 one week earlier, despite a 30-carry, 191-yard two touchdown performance by Byars which caused the Buckeyes to drop from #2 to #8 in the country.

The Buckeyes were led by head coach Earle Bruce, who was in his sixth season as the Ohio State head coach after taking over for Woody Hayes who had been fired after punching a Clemson player toward the end of the 1978 Gator Bowl to end his 28-year run in Columbus where Hayes led the Buckeyes to eight Rose Bowl appearances and three national championships.

While the Buckeyes made it to Pasadena in Bruce's first season in 1979, they had not returned to the "Grandaddy of them all" as they had complied four straight 9-3 seasons.

But led by Byars, who ran for 728 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 22 passes for 212 yards in the Buckeyes' first five games, and the additions of freshman wide receiver Cris Carter and linebacker Chris Spielman, the Buckeyes looked to end their mini-drought from the Rose Bowl.

On the other side were the Fighting Illini, who came into the Ohio State game with a 4-2 record and unranked as Illinois hoped to return to the Rose Bowl for the second year in a row after ending a 20-year absence the year before.

Illinois was led by head coach Mike White, who has in his fifth season as the Illini head coach, as he had turned the Illinois football program with a strong passing attack, which went against the old "three yards and a cloud of dust" that the Big 10 Conference had been built on.

Pulling the trigger at quarterback was Jack Trudeau, who had thrown for 2,446 yards and 18 touchdowns the year before, with his favorite target being wide receiver David Williams who caught 59 passes for 870 touchdowns in his freshman season in 1983.

Trudeau, Williams, and the Illini traveled to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes in hopes of defeating the Buckeyes for the second straight year after losing their previous 15 meetings dating back to 1968.

The Buckeyes got the ball first as they begin their initial possession at their 30-yard-line with three straight runs by Byars for 12 yards before two other running plays gained only two yards forcing Ohio State to punt to the Illini.

Illinois would then move 80 yards in 12 plays, the biggest play being a 38-yard run by running back Thomas Rooks, with the drive being capped off with a three-yard touchdown pass from Trudeau to wide receiver Randy Grant to give the Illini a 7-0 lead with 10:32 to go in the first quarter.

After an Ohio State three-and-out, the Illini got the ball back at their 34-yard-line as Trudeau completed passes of 17 yards to running back Ray Wilson and 23 yards to Grant on a nine-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal by Chris White to extend Illinois' lead to 10-0.

Ohio State would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line but would give the ball right back to the Illini as Tomczak would be picked off by Illinois cornerback Mike Heaven on a pass intended for Carter to give Illinois the ball at the Ohio State 21-yard-line.

Three plays later, Trudeau would find Williams in the end zone for the nine-yard touchdown to extend Illinois' lead to 17-0 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Buckeyes on the first play of their ensuing possession as Byars dropped a pitch from Tomczak which was recovered by Illinois safety Craig Swoope at the Ohio State 21-yard-line.

It would take the Illini six plays to get back into the end zone as Trudeau would throw his third touchdown pass of the game, an 8-yarder to tight end Cap Boso on the second play of the second quarter to increase Illinois' lead to a seemingly insurmountable 24-0.

Illinois quarterback Jack Trudeau completed 32 of 52 passes for 313 yards and threw four touchdown passes.

The one thing going for the Buckeyes was that still had time to mount a comeback as they were nearly three quarters of football to play.

Taking over at their 12-yard-line, the Buckeyes would drive to the Illini 13-yard-line, thanks in large part to two passes from Tomczak to wide receiver Mike Lanese for 39 yards, until the drive stalled as two runs by Byars gained zero yards which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up a 4th & 10 situation.

Instead of kicking a field goal to get on the board, Bruce went for the 1st down which the Buckeyes could not covert as Tomczak would throw an incomplete pass to end the drive and give the Illini the ball at their 13-yard-line.

Illinois seemed poised to make a 31-0 lead as a 36-yard pass from Trudeau to Grant help moved the Illini to the Ohio State 31-yard-line until a clipping penalty would kill the drive and force Illinois to punt the ball to the Buckeyes, who would begin their next possession at their nine-yard-line.

Ohio State would then ride the right arm of Tomczak to help them drive down the field as he would complete three straight passes for 68 yards, the biggest one being a 36-yard completion to Carter, to move the Buckeyes to the Illinois 23-yard-line.

After a holding penalty pushed the Buckeyes back 10 yards, Tomczak would complete a 17-yard pass to Carter which was followed by a 16-yard touchdown run by Byars to put Ohio State on the scoreboard and cut the Illinois lead to 24-7 with 4:13 left in the second quarter.

Thanks to an late hit penalty on Swoope on the touchdown, the Buckeyes would kick off from the Illinois' 45-yard-line when they attempt an onside kick which was recovered by linebacker Joe Jenkins to give Ohio State the ball at the Illinois 31-yard-line.

After an one-yard run by Byars on 1st down, Tomczak would throw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Carter that for the Buckeyes' second touchdown in 50 seconds to trim the deficit to 10 points at 24-14.

Illinois looked to stop the Buckeyes' rally before it could get going as the Illini traveled 27 yards on the first three plays of their ensuing possession until Trudeau would be intercepted by Ohio State cornerback Sonny Gordon to give the Buckeyes the ball back at their 38-yard-line with 2:03 left before halftime.

The Buckeyes would then drive 62 yards in 10 plays with Tomczak completing five of eight passes for 47 yards to help set up Byars' four-yard touchdown run to make it an one-possession game at 24-21 with 23 seconds to go in the first half.

Illinois would take a knee to end the first half as they would set to get the ball to start the second half with hopes of stopping the Buckeyes' momentum.

But the Illini would fumble the opening kickoff of the second half as Wilson lost the football after a hit by cornerback William White as Scott Leach would make the recovery to give Ohio State the ball at the Illinois 26-yard-line.

After riding the passing game to get back in the game, the Buckeyes would rely on Byars on the ground attack for this drive as he carried on all four plays of the drive  with the last carry being an one-yard dive into the end zone to give Ohio State a 28-24 lead just 73 seconds into the second half.

Having seen their 24-point lead evaporated, the Illini would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Trudeau would complete passes of 14 yards and 15 yards to David Boatright to help move Illinois to the Ohio State 29-yard-line until the drive stalled as the Illini would settle for a 46-yard field goal by White to cut the Buckeyes' lead to 28-27.

The Buckeyes would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line as Byars would carry the ball two straight times gaining 15 yards until an illegal procedure penalty pushed Ohio State back five yards to their 33-yard-line where they would face a 2nd & 11 situation.

That is when Tomczak handed the ball off to Byars who took around the right side toward the sideline before cutting it back to the middle of the field where around the Illinois 40-yard-line where Byars would lose his left shoe but still outran the Illini defense for a 67-yard touchdown that would increase Ohio State's lead to 35-27 with 8:57 left in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Illini would put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive that would end with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Trudeau to Wilson to bring Illinois to within two points at 35-33 as they decided to go for the two-point conversion which they converted as Trudeau would keep the ball himself and run it into the end zone to tie the game at 35 with 1:03 to go in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes would begin their next possession at their 21-yard-line as Byars would carry the ball seven times for 30 yards on a 14-play, 49-yard drive that culminated with a 47-yard field goal by Rich Spangler to give Ohio State a 38-35 lead with 10:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Illini would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line for their next drive which would last nearly seven minutes as Illinois would convert on four straight 3rd down conversion to move to the Ohio State seven-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal as Rooks would carry the ball on the next two plays, gaining six yards to set up a 3rd & goal at the one when Rooks was stopped for no gain to bring up a 4th & goal situation.

Instead of trying to get into the end zone that would give them the lead, the Illini settled for the game-tying field goal, which White made from 18 yards out to tie the game at 38 with 3:18 to go in the game.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Buckeyes would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line with a chance to drive down the field for at least a field goal that could give them the win.

Following an incomplete pass to begin the drive, Tomczak would hand the ball off to Byars, who would run for 23 yards to give the Buckeyes a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.

From there, Byars alternated carries with John Woolridge as the Buckeyes would advance all the way to the Illinois three-yard-line when Tomczak pitched it Byars, who took it in for his fifth touchdown of the game but more importantly give Ohio State a 45-38 lead with just 32 seconds to go in the game.

Ohio State wide receiver Cris Carter would catch seven passes for 134 yards and scored one TD.

Illinois would have one last chance to at least salvage a tie as they took over at their 21-yard-line as Trudeau would complete a 19-yard pass to Grant which unfortunately for the Illini would be followed by four straight incomplete passes to end the game as Ohio State completed what was then the greatest comeback in school history to win the game 45-38 thanks in large part to Byars who finished with a school record 274 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.

Illinois would win three of their four remaining games of the regular season to finish the season with a 7-4 record but not enough to earn an invitation to a bowl game as there were just 18 bowl games in 1984.

As for Ohio State, they would go 4-1 over the last month of the regular season to finish with a 9-2 overall record as they would finish first in the Big 10 conference to earn the Buckeyes their first trip to the Rose Bowl in five years which they lost 20-17 to the USC Trojans.

Byars would return to Ohio State for his senior season but his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy would before the season even began as he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot causing him to miss the first five games of the 1985 season.

Byars would return to the field only to reinjure his foot in his second game back which caused him to miss the rest of the regular season as the Buckeyes would be invited to play the BYU Cougars in the Citrus Bowl where he reaggravated the injury again.

Byars would recover from the injury to have a 13-year NFL career as he played for four different teams, with his longest tenure being with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986-1992, as he would become a prolific pass catcher out of the backfield as he finished his career with 610 catches for 5,661 yards and 30 touchdowns to go along with his 3,109 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.