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Hawkeyes football is going for an elusive victory

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Hawkeyes football is going for an elusive victory

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Aside from the four West Coast additions, Kirk Ferentz has won in every Big Ten Conference stadium but one as an Iowa football head coach.

He is 0-6 at Ohio Stadium, starting with a 41-11 loss in his first year as the Hawkeyes' head coach in 1999 and continuing through the 54-10 debacle in 2022 that ended with him being called out by a columnist from Ohio was questioned about his son, Brian's job performance as an offensive coordinator.

Ohio Stadium was also the site of a humiliating 31-6 loss in 2005, when Drew Tate had a miserable day for a Hawkeye team that came in with enormous expectations. The famed Horseshoe was also the site of Ferentz's greatest coaching woes, when he took a knee in a 24-24 game to win a winner-takes-all matchup in 2009 in which Ohio State won the Big Ten. Championship won, going into overtime.

More: Sign up for Chad Leistikow's Iowa Hawkeyes SMS group here

Since Iowa won't visit Ohio State again until 2029 — after Ferentz's contract expires and when he would be 74 years old — this is likely the last chance for him to check the Columbus box.

“We were close in 2009 and played a great game there in 2013,” Ferentz said this week. “So we had some times where we made it competitive.”

The 2013 game in particular provides a blueprint for keeping this game close, and Ferentz sees parallels between then and now. Ohio State was 6-0 on the year and had an immense talent advantage, led by quarterback Braxton Miller and running back Carlos Hyde.

“It felt like they had 12 players on the field offensively,” Ferentz said. “Somehow you have to contain them a little bit and then also try to get a few plays on your side, and that’s always a challenge.”

More: Leistikow: What it will take for Iowa football to pull off a shocking upset against Ohio State

In 2013, Iowa took the first kickoff and marched 80 yards in 12 plays, using up 5:37 of game time behind two and three tight end looks to take a 7-0 lead and announce that it would be a power. Quarterback Jake Rudock completed 11 balls on the day to tight ends Jake Duzey, CJ Fiedorowicz and George Kittle for a total of 181 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa led the game 17-10 at halftime and was tied 24-24 early in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State's talent ultimately secured a 34-24 win. But the fourth-place Buckeyes had to fight for everything over 60 minutes. That's the goal for Iowa on Saturday, to make it a four-quarter war and then try to get a win at the end. Ferentz was the offensive line coach at Iowa in 1987 when Chuck Hartlieb's miraculous fourth-and-23 touchdown pass to Marv Cook delivered an improbable 29-27 victory over Ohio State.

To defeat the talented Buckeyes, a complete performance from the first kickoff to the final seconds is essential.

“Coach Rai (Braithwaite) made a good point, he said we haven't played a full 60-minute game yet,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said, and his strength coach is right. Iowa played a good second half against Illinois State, a good first half against Iowa State, a good second half against Troy and three good quarters against Minnesota. Nine good quarters, seven not so good in four games.

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Iowa's Jay Higgins explains the challenge of going to Ohio State

Amusingly, the senior linebacker and co-captain awaits red jerseys on the other side at Ohio Stadium, but he has plenty of motivation.

“We still haven’t seen what this team can do for four quarters,” Higgins continued. “When you play against an opponent like that, of course you need four quarters to beat them. “You just don't have the luxury of waiting until halftime and just putting together a good half of football.”

Behind a tight end-centric approach with Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga, Iowa may be able to make a game of it on Saturday. And the icing on the cake for a possible win in Iowa? That would be No. 200 for Ferentz as Iowa's head coach. If that happens, the No. 1 win in Columbus could be Ferentz's No. 1 win in his coaching career.

Chad Leistikow's prediction for the Iowa vs. Ohio State football game

Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) at No. 3 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0)

Time, TV, line: 2:30 p.m., CBS, Ohio State with 19½ points

Where Iowa comes out on top: The Hawkeyes will have to recognize slight edges on Saturday. A historically strong secondary will have to look for ways to upset Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, who threw 10 interceptions at Kansas State a year ago. Iowa has the better tight ends and can almost keep up with Ohio State at running back and defensive tackle and certainly has the better linebackers. Placekicker Drew Stevens must be used for long field goals when the offense stalls. The Hawkeyes can find comfort in a hostile environment as they are the least penalized team in the country.

Where Ohio State comes out on top: The Buckeyes have an incredible defensive line, which could make medium and long passing routes a bad idea for Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara, who can't afford to take sacks or negative plays. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is so good that he may be able to stop some big runs from Kaleb Johnson and limit Lachey's downfield production. Ohio State's biggest advantage is at wide receiver, with Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith likely scoring at least 15 combined targets, including a few throws from distance. The Buckeyes will score. The challenge for Iowa's defense is to keep them in the low 20s.

Prediction: Ohio State 30, Iowa 17… Johnson rushed for over 100 yards and Iowa's offense performed well against the Buckeyes' veteran defense. The Hawkeyes will be competitive into the second half, but Ohio State's firepower is too great. A few big plays from the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball seem inevitable.

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has worked for The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network for 29 years. Chad is the 2023 INA Sports Columnist of the Year in Iowa and NSMA Co-Sports Writer of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad's SMS Group (Free for Subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.

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