My No. 2 game in Ferentz Era - Iowa-Ohio State, 2009

(This is an extension of Marc Morehouse's series on his Iowa football blog. Also, see Scott Dochterman's picks at his blog.)

The Rose Bowl was on the line, even if few believed it heading in to last November's Iowa-Ohio State game in Columbus.

Without quarterback Ricky Stanzi, waylaid by an ankle injury in Iowa's 17-10 loss a week earlier that cost the Hawkeyes a perfect record, few expected as much as a close game when freshman QB James Vandenberg and the Hawkeyes got inside the Horseshoe.

A classic is all it turned out to be. A 27-24 Ohio State win in overtime was one that left the Hawkeyes heartbroken, but what a game it was for America to enjoy on ABC.

Down 24-10 in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes rallied to tie it on a 99-yard kickoff return by Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and a 10-yard TD pass from Vandenberg to Marvin McNutt. But OSU's Devin Barclay made his field goal try in overtime and Iowa's Daniel Murray didn't get the chance to do likewise because the Hawkeye offense was shoved backward.

It was a ballgame. Iowa was a 17-point underdog. Months later, the Big Ten Network called it the conference's Game of the Year in any sport.

Excerpts from my column from that game:

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Those roses in Ohio State fans' hats and hands, in bright red on the Ohio Stadium video screens -- what a cruel and thorny tease to Iowa.

How close could you come to a Rose Bowl berth without gliding to Pasadena next month?

How could you respond so positively and purposefully to weeklong doubt from the outside world and a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against an OSU dynasty, and not see those roses thrown at your feet instead of those of the Buckeyes?

Iowa's 27-24 overtime loss to Ohio State almost, almost, almost transcended what eluded the Hawkeyes this mid-November Saturday. The Hawkeyes oozed with character from pillar to post in the Horseshoe, never flinching, wincing or shrinking against a Buckeyes team that was deigned the Big Ten champions before this game kicked off.

It's been said that sometimes it's better to get blown out than have your heart cut to shreds by a razor-thin margin. That's Horseshoe horse doo-doo.

Iowa claims no so-called moral victory, but gave what sure looked and felt like a victorious performance. It simply didn't win. ...

Receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said Vandenberg "lived" in the Iowa football complex last week. "He ate his food there. A couple times he texted me while he was watching film there. He prepared like a starter.

"He was cool, calm, never got too excited, never got down. He really reminded me of Rick (Stanzi) this week."

The kid was supposed to be raw meat for the mad dogs of the heralded OSU defense. Instead, he was as tough as a two-buck steak. ...

Coming so close hurts so much more than getting lapped. But the thing is, the Hawkeyes fully expected to battle for four quarters and beyond if required. So they weren't surprised about their effort, just downhearted by the result.

"Our attitude was we've earned our way into this game," Ferentz said about his team's mindset all week. "We knew what was on the line. We felt like we earned our right to play."

Strangely, Iowa may have gained more national stature from the way it played in this defeat than in how it stacked wins in its first nine games.

If that's true, it only means many weren't paying attention. The Hawkeyes aren't a great college football team. But they have genuine greatness in them, and it was displayed yet again Saturday. Even in defeat.