Ohio State's game at Indiana in 1978 was one of the most competitive and evenly played between the two schools. Woody Hayes' Buckeyes entered the game at 6-2-1, while coach Lee Corso's Hoosiers were a better team than suggested by their 4-5 record. Corso had practiced his squad behind closed doors all week in an attempt to register IU's first victory over the Buckeyes since 1951 – the Hoosiers were 0-21-1 in their last 22 meetings with Ohio State.

Jack Park, a leading Ohio State football historian, checks in each week during the college football season with a retrospective about the Buckeyes.

Ohio State’s game at Indiana in 1978 was one of the most competitive and evenly played between the two schools. Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes entered the game at 6-2-1, while coach Lee Corso's Hoosiers were a better team than suggested by their 4-5 record. Corso had practiced his squad behind closed doors all week in an attempt to register IU's first victory over the Buckeyes since 1951 – the Hoosiers were 0-21-1 in their last 22 meetings with Ohio State.

A Memorial Stadium crowd of 47,450 saw Ohio State come from behind for a narrow victory, 21-18, after trailing 10-7 at halftime. The Hoosiers had one last opportunity for the upset late in the final quarter. Pulling out all the stops, Corso called a pass play off of an end-around-reverse, with split end Mike Friede throwing deep into Ohio State territory. But Ohio State’s Mike Guess wasn't fooled – he intercepted at the OSU 27-yard line to end IU's final threat with just 1:37 remaining.

Even though his team was defeated, Corso has fond memories of that particular afternoon and his relationship with Hayes. Corso's good friend and avid Hoosier fan, Al Carpenter, attended all the games and most of IU's practices. Carpenter, a teenager with cerebral palsy, watched most of the games from the IU bench.

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As the Ohio State squad warmed up that afternoon, Carpenter asked Corso if it might be possible for Carpenter to meet Hayes. When the two head coaches met at midfield, Corso told Hayes about Carpenter and recalls how Hayes gladly went out of his way to talk with him. "It was heart-warming," Corso remembers. "He autographed Al’s program and took such a sincere interest in speaking with him. Al could not have felt greater."

After Hayes finished, Carpenter graciously thanked Corso, who in turn kidded Carpenter by saying, "Al, I've known you for several years, and you've never asked me for my autograph." "That's right, coach," a joyous Carpenter replied, "but then, you're not Woody Hayes!"

Corso recalls when longtime Indiana assistant coach Howard Brown passed away in 1974, Hayes was the only other Big Ten coach to attend his funeral. Brown, a guard, had been selected the Hoosier's MVP in ‘45 and ‘47. A plaque recognizing Brown's dedication to Indiana football is proudly displayed in IU's Memorial Stadium.

Corso also vividly remembers the morning in 1982 when he was fired following his 10th season with the Hoosiers. "Mrs. Anne Hayes was the very first person to call my wife, Betsy,” he said. “Mrs. Hayes offered a lot of warmth and encouragement, and wanted us to know it wasn't the end of the world. In our book, Woody and Anne Hayes were two very special people.”

As the teams left the Indiana playing field late that afternoon of Nov. 18, 1978, no one could have realized that Woody Hayes had just coached his final victory. The Buckeyes would play two more games, and Hayes’ outstanding 28-year career as their head coach would end abruptly following the Gator Bowl. Hayes finished with an Ohio State record of 205-61-10.