The hype surrounding Saturday’s game between No.1-ranked USC and No. 5 Ohio State arguably makes this one of the most anticipated meetings between the schools.

For sheer color, however, it might be hard for this year’s contest to top the 1959 game, which is virtually forgotten today. The game does not even register with some USC players from that era. Willie Brown, who was a freshman running back at USC in 1959, cannot even remember the game.

The Trojans and Buckeyes were forced to play at the Coliseum on a Friday night because the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox were playing in the World Series and Game 3 was scheduled for Sunday. That made it the first night game in Ohio State history.

A crowd of just 49,592, perhaps thrown off by the odd starting time, saw the 11th-ranked Trojans shut out the 14th-ranked Buckeyes 17-0 on a field that included a dirt infield for the baseball game.

Legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes was so angry afterward, he allegedly punched a sportswriter, who actually was a Buckeyes fan.

USC students chanted, “We’re No. 1,” after the victory only to see coach Don Clark fired following losses to UCLA and Notre Dame. A relatively unknown assistant replaced Clark: John McKay.

“The shutout victory was an encouraging sign for Trojan football fans, who had suffered through back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1940-41,” said USC football historian Mike Glenn.

USC’s defense, led by All-American twin linemen Marlin and Mike McKeever, held Ohio State All-American fullback Bob White to 56 yards rushing and the Buckeyes to 84. The Trojans rushed for 301 yards. The Buckeyes passed for just 59 yards while USC amassed 166.

“I don’t want to see the statistics,” Hayes said. “You should be proud of the Trojans. We’re trying to jell but USC wouldn’t let us. They were tremendous on defense and almost as good on offense.”

According to a United Press International report of the game, Ohio State completed “seven of twelve aerials, some for virtually no yardage.”

“They were the best team I’ve played on the West Coast since I’ve been coaching,” Hayes said.

USC punted just once while Ohio State punted six times. USC sophomore quarterback Bob Charles threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Luther Hayes and then scored on a 4-yard run.

But the game recaps were almost equally divided between the events on the field and Hayes’ locker room punch.

After Hayes berated the Buckeyes, Al Bine, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Examiner, accused Hayes of attacking him and Dick Shafer, the brother of Bob Shafer, executive sports editor of the Pasadena Independent Star News.

Hayes said he merely hastened the reporters from the locker room, but Dick Shafer said he was punched in the back.

“I’ve been writing boxing for 21 years and I know a punch when I see one,” Bine said.

But Hayes told UPI, “I didn’t hit anyone. I just told them to stay out. When one of them wouldn’t leave, I shoved him along, that’s all.”

Shafer recalled the incident differently.

“Hayes yelled at us (reporters) to get the hell out of the way, then swung and slammed me into the wall (outside the Buckeyes’ dressing room),” he said.

Dick Shafer and his brother were longtime Ohio State fans. He said afterward his back was sore and had a “slight knot.”

Two days after the football game drew less than 50,000, a crowd of 92,394 saw the Dodgers beat the White Sox, 3-1, in the first World Series game at the Coliseum.

The victory over the Buckeyes was the beginning of an impressive 8-0 start that saw the Trojans climb to No. 4 in the rankings. But the losses to unranked UCLA and Notre Dame doomed Clark, the last USC player to actually coach the Trojans.

“Don Clark never coached USC to a victory over the Irish or Bruins,” Glenn said.

Ironically, Pete Carroll’s 1-4 start in 2001 was the worst by a USC coach since Clark’s 1-4 start in 1958.