DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — It's been 18 years and Greg Frey still refuses to accept defeat.

"There were 2½ 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, Sept. 13, 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.

The Trojans dominated right from the start, and took a 28-10 lead 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.

And still they played on.

Late in the game, the Buckeyes drove 50 yards through the thunderstorm for a touchdown that left the Trojans on top 35-26 with 2:36 left.

"We had some momentum," said Frey. "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 coach Larry Smith and Ohio State coach John Cooper about suspending the game.

"I told him we were going to try an onside kick," Cooper said. "I told him if USC gets it, it's all over."

And that's precisely what happened.

Making the situation even worse for distraught Ohio State fans, no sooner had the teams left the sodden field — and the wet, angry fans had filed out of the stadium — than the weather cleared.

The fallout was almost immediate. Ohio State's fans were outraged that Cooper elected to take the defeat and called him a quitter, a tag he had difficulty avoiding.

Ohio State vs. USC

Ohio State and Southern California have played 21 times. The Buckeyes are 9-11-1 all-time versus the Trojans and have lost five straight in the series. OSU's last victory was a 42-21 decision in the 1974 Rose Bowl. The past five meetings:

Sept. 22, 1990 USC 35, Ohio State 26

Sept. 23, 1989 USC 42, Ohio State 3

Jan. 1, 1985 USC 20, Ohio State 17*

Jan. 1, 1980 USC 17, Ohio State 16*

Jan. 1, 1975 USC 18, Ohio State 17*

* Rose Bowl