Ohio State Predictions

After a week of trying to shake the disappointment of the Northwestern loss, the entire Hawkeye nation has to face the reality of playing a very talented and daunting Ohio State Buckeye team that is going for an unprecedented sixth straight Big Ten championship. A day that has been circled on the calendars of Iowa fans since the end of the Orange Bowl lost some of its luster after Iowa’s loss last week, but with a group of seniors that have given so much to this football program playing their final game in Kinnick, I have a feeling that the Hawkeye faithful will respond in kind with a raucous environment. Here are my thoughts.


The Manzi. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in Iowa football history with a 25-7 record as a starter, 53 touchdown passes, and 6,855 yards career passing. Stanzi also gave Hawkeyes fans several memorable moments over his three years as a starter with the 4th quarter drive against Penn State in 2008, Stanzi to McNutt against Michigan State in 2009, the wild comeback against Indiana in 2009, and a win in the Orange Bowl. One of the biggest question marks heading into the season was whether Stanzi would be able to improve on the 15 interceptions he threw last season. Without question, Stanzi has made remarkable progress in this department this season. Stanzi has thrown 22 touchdowns to only four interceptions this year, two of which were arguably not his fault. More than his ability to throw a good deep ball and his ability to commandeer his offense, the Hawkeyes are going to miss Stanzi’s leadership and calm demeanor in the huddle and under center, both qualities that are impossible to teach.

Mr. Clayborn. While Adrian Clayborn has not had the type of season statistically that either he hoped for or that Iowa fans expected, he has still wreaked havoc in opponents’ backfields all season and has forced opposing offensive coordinators to structure their game plans around him. Clayborn’s career at defensive end has been one of the best at Iowa since Matt Roth. Regardless of his statistical production this season, I would argue that his decision to come back was good for him to spend another year learning the techniques and skill that he will need at the next level in the NFL. Despite what know-it-all, or at least they think so, draft experts Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay think, Clayborn will make the NFL team that drafts him very happy due to his ferocious hand fighting abilities and his quickness on the edge. Something tells me that Clayborn will give the Kinnick crowd a few reasons to cheer on Saturday.

The Ohio State. The gaudy statistics on both offense and defense that Ohio State has put up this year is scary for any Iowa fan to see, especially after the offensive and defensive woes that Iowa has had the past two weeks. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in both scoring offense and scoring defense, which is good enough for sixth and fifth nationally, respectively. To add injury to insult, Ohio State is fifth in the nation in rushing defense surrendering only 86 yards a game and sixth in the nation in pass defense allowing only 151 yards a game. Suffice it to say, the Iowa offense will have to be at its absolute best on Saturday. Although several factors have played a role in the Iowa offense sputtering the past two weeks, it has seemed as though there has been no rhythm to the offense or play calling in general. I would expect no drastic changes to the Iowa play calling on Saturday, but, as is always the case, execution and minimizing mental mistakes will be critical against this stout Buckeyes defense.

Defensive Determination. After Northwestern’s late scoring touchdown drive last week, Iowa fans have questioned whether this defense has lost its ability to stop opponents when needed after giving up late scoring drives in Iowa’s losses to Arizona, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and what should have been a touchdown against Indiana. While many have questioned the conditioning of this unit in recent weeks, it is obvious that due to the offense’s inability to sustain drives, the defense has been on the field longer than normal leading to tired players at the end of the game. The offense will have to move the ball on Saturday against Ohio State or we will see the same story of a tired Iowa defense in the fourth quarter.

With Dan Gable serving as the honorary captain, a planned Air Force flyover, and the emotions of Senior Day, it is hard to imagine Iowa coming out flat on Saturday. The proof is in the pudding, however, that this Ohio State team is very talented and will capitalize on any Hawkeye mistakes. Despite having many of the intangibles mentioned above in their favor on Saturday, the Hawkeyes will have to play a near flawless game to win. While it is certainly not an impossibility, the way this season has gone, it seems appropriate that Iowa players and fans’ hearts will be broken once again.

Prediction: Iowa 21 Ohio State 23

Pick to Click: The Seniors