Ohio State (5-0) 23 - Iowa (4-1) 7
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OSU Head Coach, John Cooper, has been complaining lately that the crowd noise at past games was almost nonexistent, especially in the last home game against Arizona. He called the fans "pathetic." Rightfully so, as some Wildcat players said that the noise level in their recent game at Oregon was louder and tougher than playing in Ohio Stadium. To correct this situation, Cooper had canned crowd noise piped into the practice sessions prior to the Iowa game on Saturday. His push to have the fans respond to his complaint was well-accepted, as the crowd really gave it their "all". This really inspired the team, especially the defense. He called the fans at the Iowa game "fantastic."
This game was just an outstanding effort on both sides. The Buckeyes, as a whole, rushed for 204 yards with Pepe Pearson leading the way with 106 yards on 19 carries. Michael Wiley had two TD's on runs of 1 and 11 yards. LB, Andy Katzenmoyer, playing FB for the first time in his colletiate career, laid a crushing block to spring Wiley free on his first TD run. David Boston caught one TD, a six yard reception from Stanley Jackson. The O-line had its best game of the year. They blocked well for the running game and their protection for the QB's was good. When Jackson was struggling in the fourth quarter, the fans wanted Joe Germaine back in as QB to try to help add a little spark to the offense. But Cooper stuck with Jackson because of the need for his ability to control the ball, his running ability, and leadership. The Ohio State defense set the tone of the game. This group contained Iowa's Big Three. QB Matt Sherman had a tough day with 18-37-1-1 TD for 189 yards. He took a beating all game long. TB, Tavian Banks, was held to 84 yards on 22 carries. WR/KR, Tim Dwight, did have a decent game with 7 catches for 90 yards, but was unable to get open and break a long one on a short pass. DB, Antoine Winfield, who is always all over the field in every game, covered Dwight like glue, at times. The "Big Cat", Katzenmoyer, CNN College Football Player of the Week, finished the game with 11 tackles and one interception. He helped stop Banks and put pressure on Matt Sherman. The Iowa game was his best game of the year and now is probably the front runner for the Butkus Award that goes to the nation's top linebacker. According to Iowa's coach Hayden Fry - Katzenmoyer "...from sideline to sideline is as good as any linebacker I've ever seen." He is turning into a great player, but he isn't the only reason the defense has been playing good. Other LB's, Kevin Johnson and Jerry Rudzenski, are playing well in more of a supporting role. The kicking game was spectacular in holding Iowa to no return yards on punts and kickoffs. Kickoffs were booted into the end zone. Punts had hang time and were kicked away from Tim Dwight, preventing him from doing any damage. The Bucks kept the mistakes to a minimum (losing one fumble for their only turnover) and played an outstanding game, next Saturday's game at Penn State in Happy Valley will require an even greater effort to beat the excellent and angry 2nd ranked Lions. We've beaten them three out of the four years they've been in the Big Ten. You can bet, the Lions have this game highlighted on their schedule like they did in 1994 when they gave us one of our worst beatings ever, 63-14. |
| Statistical Highlights | ||
| Stats | Iowa | OSU |
| First Downs | 16 | 19 |
| Rushes (yards) | 35-106 | 45-238 |
| Passing | 202 | 139 |
| Comp Att Int | 19-38-1 | 13-22-0 |
| Return Yards | 0 | 78 |
| Punts,Avg | 6-44.5 | 5-41.4 |
| Fumbles Lost | 4-2 | 4-1 |
| Penalties (yards) | 1-5 | 4-30 |
| Time of Possession | 31:19 | 28:41 |
  During the OSU -vs- Iowa game of 1997 Iowa's second-longest winning streak was busted by the Bucks at seven games. When was Iowa's last defeat?
Answer below. |
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