Woody Hayes prepared for Michigan all year long and that was never more apparent than after his 1969 juggernaut lost a 24-12 decision to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
The loss stopped Ohio State's 22-game winning streak, killing a chance to capture back-to-back national titles. The fact former Woody and Ohio State assistant Bo Schembechler engineered the upset in his first season as Michigan's head just added insult to injury.
From spring drills on, Woody reminded his players on the daily of that crushing defeat and even had a rug installed in the locker room depicting the final score so they would walk across it every single day.
Woody's rug served as a daily reminder of the 1969 loss to Michigan.
Even with one eye on the Wolverines throughout the 1970 season, Ohio State still plowed its way through the schedule, rattling off eight straight wins.
Michigan was essentially doing the same to its opponents, winning nine in a row ahead of the showdown in Columbus. With the Wolverines ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll and Ohio State No. 5, it marked the first time since 1905 that two undefeated and untied teams would clash to determine the Big Ten champion.
Game two of the Ten Year War between Woody and Bo started off with a bang as Michigan muffed the opening kickoff giving the Buckeyes excellent field position. Michigan's defense stood tall however, forcing a 28-yard field goal from Fred Schram, as Ohio State took an early 3-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, it was Ohio State committing a key turnover as Rex Kern tossed an interception setting up a Dana Coin 31-yard field goal to tie the game a 3-3.
Kern struck back with a vengeance just before the half. Facing 4th-and-2 at the Michigan 29, the senior quarterback converted a short run to move the chains. Three plays later, he hit Bruce Janikowski with a 26-yard touchdown toss giving the Buckeyes a 10-3 lead with only 1:18 left in the first half.
The breathing room didn't last long as Michigan's Don Moorhead found receiver Paul Staroba for a 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter, cutting Ohio State's lead to 10-9. Safety Tim Anderson ensured the Buckeyes would preserve the one point cushion, blocking Coin's extra point attempt.
Still leading by the slimmest of margins, Ohio State added another Schram field goal pushing the lead to 13-9 early in the fourth quarter before another huge play from a Buckeye defender.
This time it was Stan White etching his name in The Game's history with an interception of a Moorhead throw. White snagged the pass at the Michigan 23 yard line and returned it to the nine, giving Kern and company outstanding field position.
Looking to ice the game, Woody's offense did just that as Kern ran the option to the right side on 3rd-and-4 before pitching to halfback Leo Hayden for the backbreaking touchdown giving Ohio State a 20-9 victory.
Hayden's day included 117 rushing yards on 28 attempts while fullback John Brockington added 77 yards on 27 carries.
Ohio State's defense was really the story however as it held a Michigan offense averaging 247 rushing yards per game to just 37 on 30 carries.
The Wolverines managed only 155 total yards and 10 first downs with three turnovers against a tenacious Ohio State defense led by Jim Stillwagon's 12 tackles including two for loss.
The win propelled the team's seniors, dubbed the "Super Sophs" back in 1968, to their 27th win in 28 games and clinched a date with Stanford and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jim Plunkett in the Rose Bowl.
The season would end on a sour note however as Plunkett threw for 265 yards and a touchdown as Stanford scored the game's final 14 points to turn a 17-13 Ohio State lead midway through the third quarter into a 27-17 comeback victory.
The loss capped a 9-1 season featuring a Big Ten title and a No. 5 ranking in the final AP Poll. Ohio State was awarded the national championship from the National Football Foundation due its final poll coming before the bowl games but Nebraska was the true No. 1 team in 1970, finishing with an 11-0-1 record.
