How the Huskies Beat Ohio State 3 Times

It can be done.

A University of Washington football victory over Ohio State has happened before, in fact three times previously in the 12-game series matching these schools stretching over 68 years.

All it took was a green pill at halftime, an epic Jim Lambright pre-game rant and a walk-on linebacker playing like an NFL player he would become later.

While not all were recommended -- or likely legal -- ingredients for a showcase game such as this against one of college football's powerhouse programs, they provided three of the most satisfying wins in Husky football annals.

1966, Washington 38, Ohio State 22

Fifty-nine years ago, a Jim Owens-coached UW team sauntered into Ohio State without much fanfare and shocked the Buckeyes and legendary leader Woody Hayes by dishing out a 38-22 defeat after unleashing running back Donnie Moore in an overtly punishing manner.

Think Jonah Coleman, only shorter and more powerful.

On a rainy afternoon in Columbus, Moore carried the ball 30 times for 221 yards and scored twice before a stunned gathering of 80,241.

The 5-foot-8, 210-pound runner from Tacoma, Washington, didn't lose a yard all day. Running only between the tackles, he went for 20 the first time he touched the ball, for 21 the third time and for 47 and a score the last time. He gained more yards against the Buckeyes than any other opposing back before him.

"We got down and dirty in the trenches," Moore said. "Then we broke their spirits."

Yet he was a physical mess by halftime. In rushing for 114 yards, he had suffered a right hip pointer and a severely sprained ankle. The Buckeyes might have got beat, but they didn't go easy on the UW running back.

Moore needed something to dull all of his pain to take part in the final two quarters and the training staff, operating under much looser guidelines in those days, offered a couple of solutions.

First Moore received an injection in his leg, then was handed a green pill. He took half of what he described as "an upper," or amphetamine.

He went out and ran for another 107 yards.

"They shot me up -- I wanted to play," the bruising halfback recalled. "Then they said, ‘Take this for energy.' "

All of these medicinal treatments got him through the game, yet he paid for it later. On the plane ride home, Moore couldn't relax. His heart raced out of control. He demanded the team trainer counteract his palpitations.

"I said, 'If you don't give me something, I'm going to call the police when we get off this plane,' " he remembered.

Moore was lucky he wasn't arrested in Ohio for what he did to the Buckeyes.