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The last time No. 1 Ohio St. ventured to No. 13 Iowa in 2004, they suffered one of their worst losses in recent memory. In fact, it was the worst loss under head coach Jim Tressel, dropping the game 33-7 to the Hawkeyes. It was also the last time that Buckeyes QB Troy Smith was not the starting quarterback.
The Buckeyes take their 4-0 record, and two wins against ranked opponents, back to Iowa City Saturday afternoon, and this time they have a Heisman Trophy candidate under center. Smith has been a big reason why Ohio St. is the team to beat, having thrown eight TDs and two interceptions (both coming against Penn St. last week), and racking up 884 yards so far. Speedster wide receiver, Ted Ginn Jr., hasn’t gained an astounding amount of yards, but has brought in five touchdown catches.
The Buckeyes’ running game has also been in tune thus far, with Antonio Pittman gaining 6.3 yards per carry and 112.5 yards per game. Pittman has also found the endzone four times.
Ohio State’s defense has been as solid as it usually is. The Buckeyes have yet to give up a rushing touchdown this season, and are allowing just eight points a game. The defense has also picked off eight passes, and returned two of them for touchdowns (each last week in the fourth quarter against Penn St.).
Ohio St. won’t be looking for revenge, they got that last year when Iowa went to Columbus and took a lopsided loss 31-6.
Iowa, meanwhile, looks to also improve on a 4-0 record, but it has come in a much different fashion than the Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes have yet to face a ranked opponent, and have picked up wins against I-AA Montana, Syracuse, Iowa St. and Illinois. Iowa hasn’t been 5-0 since 1995.
Quarterback Drew Tate has been solid for the Hawkeyes, throwing seven touchdowns (in only three games) and averaging 229 yards through the air. Albert Young has been his favorite receiver, coming out of the backfield. Young has 18 catches for 152 yards and one touchdown, not to mention three on the ground. Combined, rushing and receiving, Young has averaged 108 total yards per game.
Defensive lineman Mitch King has been a terror to opposing offenses, as he has picked up 6.5 tackles for a loss, including five sacks. Defensiveback Adam Shada leads the team with two picks.
This will be Ohio State’s toughest task for quite a while, and if they could get past the Hawkeyes, the road to the Big Ten title looks much clearer. The Buckeyes have won nine of the last ten against Iowa, but all will be forgotten by Hawkeyes’ fans if they can pick up a win on Saturday.
Douglas Kroll can be reached at dckroll@hotmail.com
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