Idoneous Intensity In Iowa

Dan Herron bulled into the endzone with 1:47 remaining in the final quarter as Ohio State survived Iowa on Senior Day at Kinnick Stadium. The Big 10 showdown pitted the eighth ranked Buckeyes and 21st ranked Hawkeyes with conference title implications on the line. Ohio State pulled out a 21-17 victory in the final minute to remain in contention for a share of the Big 10 championship. Ohio State has won the conference six straight seasons but Wisconsin and Michigan State are also vying for Big 10 primacy this year. The Hawkeyes fell to 7-4 while OSU bumped their record to 10-1. For the Buckeyes, it was the first fourth quarter comeback of the season.
Marvin McNutt’s 19 yard touchdown reception with one minute to go in the first quarter gave Iowa their first lead of the game. McNutt finished with 92 receiving yards. Hawkeye quarterback, Ricki Stanzi, was sharp and accurate. The Ohio native threw for 195 yards and a score in the Iowa loss. Iowa’s balanced attack caught the Buckeyes off guard and off the scoreboard until Devin Barclay’s 18 yard field goal in the second quarter. OSU quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, threw two interceptions and the Bucks’ offense was mistaken-prone throughout the first half. Pryor matched Stanzi in yardage but his receivers could not hold on to the ball and he made several ill-timed passes. Pryor did find Dane Sanzenbacher six times during the game. Sanzenbacher snagged 102 yards on the day, including two pretty passes for 42 yards on OSU’s first scoring drive. The Buckeyes couldn’t reach the end zone, however, and settled for their only points of the half on Barclay’s kick. The Buckeyes drove into Iowa territory late in the half, but Pryor was picked off in the end zone by Micah Hyde. Iowa took a 7-3 advantage into the locker room.
The second half was all about dual-threat Pryor. The OSU signal-caller came out of the break running on first downs and picking up yardage with his legs. Pryor led the team in rushing with 78 yards. The Buckeyes took their first lead of the game midway through the third stanza when Pryor connected with Reid Fragel from five yards out. Iowa tied it at 10-10 five minutes later. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos caught a 23 yard bomb from Stanzi and McNutt hauled in a 18 yard reception to put the Hawkeyes in position to score. The thrifty Buckeye defense held strong and stalled Stanzi’s effort to reach the endzone. Michael Meyer punched home a 31 yard field goal to even the score for 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. The Buckeyes would have to rely on the athletic Pryor to move the ball. It turns out, the quarterback was up for the challenge as he took over the game in the final quarter. Even after a costly miscue, Pryor responded well to the negative play. The Big 10 battle would come down to the final few minutes in nail-biting fashion.
Marcus Coker burst into the Iowa endzone after Shaun Prater intercepted Pryor at the OSU 27 yard line in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes answered with Jordan Hall’s 33 yard kick return, but Pryor’s targets failed to catch the ball and the Hawks sacked towering Terrelle. The clutch kicking Barclay booted a 48 yard field goal, a career long, to cut the deficit to four. Ohio State’s defense stepped up with a sack and a tipped pass on the next Iowa drive. Brian Rolle and Ross Homan led the charge on defense and the cornerbacks for OSU made the necessary tackles. The Hawkeyes went three and out on the ensuing kickoff and it was all Buckeyes from there. In dramatic fashion, OSU orchestrated a 76 yard drive culminating in Herron’s game winning leap into the endzone. DeVier Posey dropped what would have been a touchdown pass on third down for the visitors. On fourth down with 4:02 remaining, Pryor rushed for 14 yards and the first down. Pryor’s conversion on fourth and ten made all the difference. Sanzenbacher caught a 24 yard pass at the two yard line to keep the drive alive three plays later. OSU took the lead for good, leaving a stunned and bewildered Kinnick Stadium crowd. The Hawkeyes’ final attempt to tie or take the lead was thwarted when Cameron Hayward sacked Stanzi and McNutt was short of the first down on fourth-and-22.

Parting Points: Song of the day- “You Mean the World to Me” by Toni Braxton