Iowa vs. Ohio State Football 2009
Battered Hawkeyes Face Buckeyes for Big Ten Championship
Nov 12, 2009
The Hawkeyes will battle Ohio State for a the Big Ten Conference championship on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Columbus, Ohio. and they'll have to do so without their starting quarterback and their No. 1 running back. And they also happen to be coming off its first loss of the season — a 17-10 setback vs. Northwestern.
But Iowa (9-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) has pulled off some surprises in 2009, and a victory at Ohio State would be perhaps the most impressive of all.
Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) is No. 11 in the Bowl Championship Series standings — one spot below Iowa. Yet the Buckeyes just scored an impressive victory of their own, winning 24-7 at Penn State. OSU has won decisively three weeks in a row since being upset by Purdue 26-18 on Oct. 17.
The winner of Saturday's game will clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title. The showdown is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST and will be telecast by ABC.
The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes will be meeting for the 62nd time, but haven't played since 2006. Ohio State holds a 44-14-3 series advantage and won the last meeting, 38-17, at Iowa City, Iowa.
Freshman Vandenberg Will Start at QB for Iowa
Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is out for the rest of the regular season because of an ankle injury suffered vs. Northwestern, so the Hawkeyes will turn to James Vandenberg.
The redshirt freshman struggled terribly last week, going 9-for-27 for just 82 yards with one interception and no TDs. He three only three collegiate passes before that.
Bad news for the Hawkeyes is that they weren't a great offensive team with Stanzi, who has thrown for 2,186 yards and 15 TDs. They average just 24.1 points and 349.8 yards per game.
Coach Kirk Ferentz's Hawkeyes had already been playing without leading rusher Adam Robinson, who like Stanzi is out because of an ankle injury. Robinson, a freshman, has run for 629 yards and five TDs.
Brandon Wegher Carries Huge Load for Iowa
Another freshman, Brandon Wegher, saw extensive action even before Robinson's injury and has assumed the role of Iowa's primary runner. Wegher has rushed for 502 yards and six TDs, but he averages only 3.8 yards per carry.
The Hawkeyes do have a deep cast of receivers, including Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Trey Stross, Marvin McNutt and tight end Tony Moeaki. Johnson-Koulianos leads Iowa with 31 catches for 553 yards and two touchdowns. McNutt has been the most explosive, managing 547 yards and five TDs on just 23 receptions.
But the group might not be able to do much if the offensive line can't protect Vandenberg. The Hawkeyes have surrendered 22 sacks, and they'll be facing an Ohio State team that's been highly effective rushing the passer.
Hawkeyes Excel at Forcing Turnovers
Iowa ranks among the top 15 in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense (15.9 points allowed per game) and total defense (291.7 yards). The Hawkeyes are also tied for the FBS lead in interceptions with 19, and are second in turnovers forced with 26.
Safety Tyler Sash is responsible for a large chunk of the turnovers. The sophomore is tied for third in the FBS with six interceptions, and has forced two fumbles. He's also third on the team with 70 tackles.
Linebacker Pat Angerer leads the Hawkeyes with 106 tackles. The senior moved up to 11th in the FBS with a 17-tackle performance vs. Northwestern. He's part of a solid linebacking corps that also features Jeremiha Hunter (80 tackles) and A.J. Edds (55 tackles, 3 interceptions). Safety Brett Greenwood has three interceptions as well, but he's been sidelined by a neck injury.
A stout defensive line includes Broderick Binns (50 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 8 pass breakups), Adrian Clayborn (13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks) and Karl Klug (10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks).
Buckeyes Must Avoid Turnovers
Ohio State has been inconsistent offensively, while averaging 30.3 points and 373.8 yards per game, and will need to avoid turnovers against an Iowa team that specializes in creating them. Both of OSU's losses — to USC and Purdue – came about largely because of giveaways.
As usual, the Buckeyes will depend heavily on the arrm and the feet of quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The sophomore has passed for 1,668 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's been just moderately accurate, completing 54 percent of his passes and has thrown nine interceptions.
Pryor is also Ohio State's leading rusher, producing 604 yards and seven TDs on 5.3 yards per rush. But the Buckeyes now have a healthy Dan Herron at running back as well as Brandon Saine (507 yards). Herron (389 yards, 6 TDs) has played the last two games after an anke injury limited him to two carries in the previous four contests.
Coach Jim Tressel's Buckeyes also feature a pair of big-play receivers. DeVier Posey has made 45 catches for 672 yards and seven touchdowns. Dane Sanzebacher has 24 catches for 482 yards and six TDs.
Buckeyes Defense One of Best in FBS
The Ohio State defense has been stellar, ranking third in the FBS in scoring defense (11.2 points per game), sixth in total defense (254.1 yards) and third in rushing defense (85.4 yards). The Buckeyes are also tied for fifth in turnovers forced with 25 – just one fewer than Iowa.
The star-studded unit is lead by linebackers Brian Rolle (78 tackles) and Ross Homan (76 tackes), safety Kurt Coleman (56 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles), and tackle Cameron Heyward (46 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss).
Heyward has five of Ohio State's 27 sacks, and linebacker Thomas Gibson has four sacks among his 10.5 tackles for loss. Lineman Nathan Williams has added 3.5 sacks, with 8.5 tackles for loss.
Ohio State held Penn State to 201 yards of offense last week. The Nittany Lions had 307 in their 21-10 loss to Iowa on Sept. 26.
