COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — With one day left in the second-greatest rivalry between Ohio State University and the University of Michigan, Buckeyes are poised to out-bleed Wolverines.

As of Tuesday, Ohio State has donated almost 1,000 more units of blood than Michigan in the schools’ annual Blood Battle ahead of Saturday’s game. Hundreds of people donated blood Tuesday to save lives — and help Ohio State win the competition for the first time in four years.

Versiti Blood Center, the company running the drive, said the number of donations this year has grown compared to previous years. As the sole provider for the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the university’s other hospitals, blood drawn by Versiti in the name of the game directly benefits the Columbus community.

Each unit of blood has the potential to help three patients.

Dr. Dan Waxman, vice president and senior medical director for Versiti, said the need for blood right now is particularly hight He said he has been coming to this specific drive for years and there is always such a high energy.

“We’ve taken a long-held rivalry and turned it into, again, a rivalry but to recruit lifesaving blood donors,” said Waxman. “And again, each and every person that’s donating today that’s been donating for the last couple of weeks, those donations turn into lifesaving blood products, and it truly saves lives of patients.”

Wednesday is the final day of the blood battle. There are two blood drives at the Ohio Union and the Ross Heart Hospital.

Donors must be at least 16 years old with a parent’s permission, or 17 years old to independently donate.

Walk-ins and appointments are welcome. More information about donation times and eligibility can be found on Versiti’s website.