Memories of game that ended early

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -It's been 18 years and Greg Frey still refuses to accept defeat.

"There were 2 1/2 minutes left on the clock, and now we'll never know," the former Ohio State quarterback said Monday.

When No. 1 Southern California hosts No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday in the first big tilt of the college football season, it will be the first time the teams meet since their showdown in 1990, - a game people still talk about because of its bizarre circumstances and twist at the end.

No. 18 USC marched into Ohio Stadium to take on the 15th-ranked Buckeyes before a raucous crowd of 89,422 and a national television audience on ABC. The Buckeyes were 2-0 and had permitted just 126 yards on the ground in those two victories. Coach Larry Smith, an Ohio native, and his Trojans were 2-1 and had plummeted 13 spots in the rankings after getting drilled 31-0 at Washington the week before.

The scene was set for some Big Ten redemption. After all, USC had broken a lot of Buckeyes' hearts with victories in the four previous meetings. A year earlier, the Trojans won 42-3 in Los Angeles. And one-point losses in the Rose Bowl to USC had cost Ohio State shots at national titles in 1974 and again in 1979.

In 1990, the Trojans dominated right from the start. Zuri Hector returned a blocked punt 8 yards for a touchdown and tailback Ricky Ervins went 15 yards for a TD - part of an eye-popping day featuring 199 yards on 28 carries with two TDs - for a 14-0 lead after a quarter.

USC stretched its lead to 28-10 midway through the third quarter on Scott Lockwood's 66-yard run. At about the same time, a thunderstorm swept in and put on a horizon-to-horizon light show. Lightning and thunder rocked the old concrete stadium, and a squall brought a downpour.

And still they played on.

"We were concerned about the fans and the teams," then-Ohio State athletic director Jim Jones said. "When you think about it, we were at the mercy of God in the whole scheme of things."

The Buckeyes drove 50 yards through the thunderstorm for a touchdown on Raymont Harris's 1-yard run and Frey's two-point conversion pass to Jeff Graham. That left the Trojans on top 35-26 with 2:36 left.

"I've been involved with a lot of comebacks but that was awesome because of the conditions," Frey said. "So we had some momentum. I had been down this road before. I'm thinking, 'We've got a ton of time."'

Except they didn't.

Referee Ron Winter conferred for a second time with USC's Smith and Ohio State coach John Cooper about suspending the game. ADs Jones and Mike McGee of USC were not a part of the talks.