Fifty years ago, another undefeated Ohio State football team traveled to Michigan with a national championship on the line.
Unlike the Buckeyes who will play in Ann Arbor on Saturday, that Ohio State team was not headed for a Big Ten championship game or playoff qualification.
In 1969, OSU’s 22-game winning streak made it the most dominant team in college football. Since Big Ten teams could not go to the Rose Bowl in consecutive years back then, the Buckeyes need only win at Michigan to likely lock up the votes necessary to repeat as national champions.
This is the story of what happened next, written 50 years ago by Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Ed Chay.
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 22, 1969 - A record collegiate crowd of 103,588 witnessed one of the great upsets when Michigan’s inspired Wolverines stunned No. 1-ranked Ohio State, 24-12, to gain a share of the Big Ten title and sew up an invitation to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
It was a great day for the Wolverines, who entered the game 15-point underdogs. But they didn't play like underdogs. They beat Ohio State with a first-half punch, scoring all their points in the first two periods, and then resorted to a brilliant defense by intercepting six OSU passes and playing aggressive hard-charging football.
It was a big day for first-year coach Glenn (Bo) Schembechler — the genius pupil who beat his old master — Ohio’s Woody Hayes, under whom he learned his lessons many years ago when he coached for Hayes at OSU.
Schembechler and his staff conceived a brilliant defense to shut off Ohio's running attack and stymie its passing game.
"We can't lay an egg today. We have come to win," Schembechler declared before the game. But few in this mammoth bowl and millions in the television audience would have believed him. But Schembechler was a believer. He believed in himself and, most of all, he believed in his team which is stacked with 21 Ohioans.
All of them, but particularly defensive halfback Barry Pierson, who made a 60-yard punt return to pave the way for one Michigan touchdown and intercepted three passes, has to be singled out as one of the big stars. There were others, captain and end Jim Mandich of Solon, safetyman Tom Curtis of Aurora, the Michigan offensive and defensive lines and the backfield headed by quarterback Don Moorhead and fullback Garvie Craw, who scored three touchdowns between them. The 218-pound Craw scored twice on short runs and Moorhead once on a two-yard burst.
Place-kicking specialist Tim Killian, junior from Lincoln Park, Mich., kicked a 25-yard field goal for Michigan's other points. He missed four other field goal attempts of 47, 39 and 43 in the third period and one of 46 yards in the last period. But those points weren't needed because Ohio could not generate much offense in the second half.
Fullback Jim Otis and end Jan White tallied for Ohio State in the first half. Otis went in from one-yard out and White took a 22-yard pass from Rex Kern, who had four passes intercepted and hit six of 17 for 88 yards.
His replacement, Ron Maciejowski of Bedford, hit only three of 10 and had two aerials picked off.
It was a bitter setback for Ohio State, which only once penetrated past midfield in the second half, and for Hayes, who saw an unbeaten season, second straight national and Big Ten title go down the drain. Hayes had to settle for a share of the crown — his sixth since coming to Ohio 19 years ago.
The loss was Ohio’s first after eight victories this season and snapped a 22-game winning streak dating back to 1967. Ohio also failed in its bid for a record 18th straight Big Ten victory. The Bucks now have won 17 straight conference games twice — during the 54-55-56 seasons and from 1967 through yesterday.
Hayes had only praise for Michigan, which out-rushed Ohio, 266 to 222, but yielded in passing yards to the Buckeyes, 155-108.
Michigan also had a slight edge in first downs, 21-20, in what was a bruising display of defense on the part of the Wolverines.
Michigan twice came from behind in the first half and that was the tipoff that it was ready to spring an upset.
Michigan played Ohio State off its feet in the first half as the Wolverines refused to be impressed with Ohio’s No. 1 rating or their unbeaten record. Michigan succeeded in doing what eight other teams were unable to do — run and run with consistency and pass equally well.
Ohio State took the opening kickoff and marched 45 yards to the Michigan 11, where the Wolverines braced and stopped Otis one-yard short of a first down.
Michigan’s first series also was unsuccessful as the host team was forced to kick with Larry Zelina returning 34 yards to the Michigan 16. Five plays later, Ohio scored when Otis knifed over from one-yard out. (Stan) White’s placement failed, giving Ohio a 6-0 lead.
Michigan then took the kickoff and moved 56 yards in 11 plays to take the lead when Craw cracked over from three yards out and Frank Titus kicked the extra point with 3:35 left in the opening period.
The Buckeyes regained the lead early in the second period when Kern fired a 22-yard pass to White who broke one tackle and outran Bryan Healy into the end zone. (Stan) White booted the placement but Michigan was offside and Ohio decided to try for a two-point conversion which fizzled when Kern was nailed behind the line of scrimmage.
Then Michigan took over, putting 17 points on the scoreboard on two touchdowns and a 25-yard field goal as the Wolverines completely took the game away from the Buckeyes.
Michigan made it 14-12 when Craw scored his second TD on a 1-yard smash to cap a 67-yard, nine-play march. In this drive, Moorhead hit split end Bill Harris and Solon's Jim Mandich on two nine-yard passes.
Ohio State was stopped on the next series and was forced to punt, with Barry Pierson gathering in the ball and romping 60 yards to the Ohio 3. That was the shocker of the first half as Pierson ran through the befuddled OSU defenders. After Craw gained one yard to the two, Moorhead tallied at 10:10 and Titus split the uprights for a 21-12 Michigan lead.
But that wasn't the end of Michigan's first-half fireworks. The Wolverines came back with their best sustained drive to this point, moving 80 yards in 15 plays to hike the margin to 24-12.
Moorhead hit on two of three passes as Michigan stayed mainly on the ground. Moorhead did what Kern has been noted for, sweeping the ends on the option play, with Taylor and Craw running inside.
With fourth down at the Ohio 3, Michigan decided to go for a TD. Here Moorhead passed over the middle to Mandich, who caught the ball for a touchdown, but it was nullified because of an illegal procedure on Michigan. With the ball now on the Ohio 8, Killian kicked his sixth field goal of the season to give Michigan a 24-12 lead.
An Ohio drive was stopped when Aurora’s Tom Curtis intercepted a Kern pass on the OSU 32, but the Buckeyes got the ball back in the closing seconds of the first half when Mike Sensibaugh picked off Moorhead’s aerial and brought it back to the Ohio 40. However, just 51 seconds remained as the Bucks went to the air. Ohio got to the Michigan 43, but Kern’s pass was intercepted by Curtis as the final seconds ticked away.
Ohio continued to stumble around in the third period. The Buckeyes were held at the Michigan 43 and were forced to punt and then Kern had two passes intercepted. Both aerials were picked off by Pierson, but the Wolverines ran into a stiff Ohio defense and went to the field goal with Killian missing efforts from 47, 43 and 39 yards.
Kern was under great pressure by a fast-charging Wolverine defense and the Bucks' running attack also sputtered.
- Story by Ed Chay, The Plain Dealer
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