There are moments in sports that transcend the scoreboard—moments that become etched in rivalry lore forever. For Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye, that moment came during the 2025 Michigan game, and the man behind the mask is Jeff Moody.
Growing up in the small town of Fredericktown, Ohio, Moody never dreamed of attending Ohio State. He wanted to stay close to home. But his father, a proud Buckeye legacy, encouraged him to apply and become a fourth-generation Ohio State student.
Fate had other plans. Near the end of his freshman year at Ohio State's Mansfield campus, Moody heard about Brutus tryouts. He made the drive to Columbus multiple times a week that spring, and after earning the gig, he transferred to the main campus—a requirement for all Brutus team members.
His three-year tenure as the beloved mascot was filled with volunteer events, bowl games, and even a College Football Playoff national championship ring. But Moody had one final goal for his senior year: to be Brutus at The Game in Ann Arbor.
Last November, that dream became reality. From the moment he woke up to the second he stepped into the tunnel at the Big House, Moody was buzzing with adrenaline. "I didn't want to leave that game with any regrets," he said.
He certainly didn't. During a timeout late in the third quarter, Moody pulled off a stunt that would go down in Buckeye history. He sprinted into the end zone, shuffled his feet over the iconic Michigan "M" in the snow, leaving a massive "X" in its place. Then, he marched to the sideline, carving a Script Ohio into the snow before dotting the "i" with a triumphant leap. For good measure, he ran over the "M" one more time.
At first, Moody had no idea the magnitude of what he'd done. That changed when a FOX Sports crew member told him Brutus was going viral. When he finally checked his phone after the game, it was flooded with messages from the small group of people who knew his secret.
"Getting to do something that leaves just a little bit of a mark on this rivalry that I've grown up watching is probably one of the proudest things I've ever done," Moody reflected. "I look back on it and I'm like, I can't believe I got to be a part of that."
For Buckeyes fans, that snow-covered "X" will forever be a symbol of passion, pride, and the unbreakable spirit of The Game. And for Jeff Moody, it's a memory that will never be crossed out.