In November of 1969, Woody Hayes suffered his greatest defeat as Ohio State head coach. It wasn’t just the opponent (Michigan) or the margin (24-12). It wasn’t just that it was the most talented team that Hayes ever had. More than anything, it was how they lost.

Woody Hayes loved to run the football. But on that fateful afternoon in Ann Arbor, his top ranked Buckeyes put the ball in the air 28 times. Just 10 of those passes were completed. 6 were intercepted.

There were no playoffs and no postseason for Ohio State (The Buckeyes were ineligible for the Rose Bowl under the Big Ten’s “no-repeat” rule). No opportunity for immediate redemption, so Woody Hayes went about formulating his gameplan to beat Michigan in 1970.

That spring, the biggest hit at the movie theaters was Patton, the story of America’s most famous WW2 General, George Patton. As it happened, Hayes idolized General Patton and went to see the movie. It immediately became one of his favorites and he would make all Ohio State players and coaches watch it at least once throughout his remaining  years as head coach. 

Players who watched the movie were often struck by the similarities between the two men. Both were temperamental and prone to bouts of anger (though it wasn’t always clear when it was real and when it was just a motivation tactic). Both men liked to do things their way and didn’t take no for an answer from their superiors or subordinates. Both men didn’t care if they got criticized. Most of all, both men loved to attack on the ground.

Hayes loved the movie because he thought it was an accurate portrayal of one of his idols. He also loved it because it struck a nerve. It reminded him that he had strayed too much from his offensive identity in that Michigan game. Too much Curtis LeMay. Not enough George Patton. 

Hayes leaned into his offensive identity in 1970. He took the best collection of offensive talent in the country and put them in the T formation. It wasn’t always pretty but the Buckeyes went undefeated, avenged their loss to Michigan, and claimed the national championship.

But today, we live in a different era of offensive football and a different cultural moment. Like Hayes in 1969, Ryan Day lost to Michigan in November because he tried to play someone else’s brand of football. Too much running up the gut. Too much trying to prove points about toughness.

But one has to wonder if Ryan Day went to go see the biggest cinematic event of this holiday season after that devastating loss to Michigan — Wicked. If you haven’t seen or heard of it Wicked is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz about the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West.

It’s a very different film than Patton with a very different message. In the climactic moments of the film, the witch realizes that her goals have been misguided, that she’s been approaching things all wrong, and that the way to move forward is to take to the air. So she starts flying around on her broomstick (and adds a bit of singing for good measure).

Whether Ryan Days saw the movie or not, the core message has clearly rubbed off on him. The offense has leaned heavily on the pass on early downs, taken shots down the field to their elite receivers, and found creative ways to get their best players the ball in space.

And with the season on the line in the 4th quarter against Texas. With the game deadlocked 14-14 and the Ohio State offense pinned deep. With Buckeye Nation in a collective state of panic, worrying that they might be watching a retread of the disastrous Michigan game. Ryan Day showed he had learned his lesson and decided to try defying gravity. 9 straight passes to start the drive and some creative runs to finish it off. It was a gutsy drive. A tough drive, in a way that was true to Ryan Day’s offensive identity. And if we win tonight, it’ll become a legendary drive.

Notre Dame has a great pass defense and may be vulnerable to our heavy gap scheme run game. But if it’s tight in the 4th quarter, I expect Ryan Day to once again apply the lessons of Wicked and put the game in the hands of the passing attack. Go Buckeyes!