Defense vital for Iowa's chances at Ohio State

IOWA CITY - To state the obvious, Iowa will rely on its defense Saturday against Ohio State.

With a backup freshman quarterback leading Iowa's offense against the Big Ten's top-ranked defense, it's up to Iowa's defense not only to keep the Buckeyes (8-2) from scoring but to generate turnovers and possibly score itself.

“For us to win right now given our injury situation, common sense would say we have to play good defense,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “And we're going to have to.”

Iowa's defense has carried the team most of the season and ranks No. 14 nationally. The Hawkeyes have allowed less than 16 points a game, 13th best nationally. Although Iowa has surrendered 41 points the last two weeks, all but 10 have come off offensive turnovers and an 8-yard punt.

But what separates Iowa (9-1) from the rest of the league and even the nation is how it touches the football in pass coverage. The Hawkeyes rank first nationally in passes defended (54) and are tied with Clemson for the most interceptions (19).

Iowa's opportunistic defense has come up with big plays in nearly every game. Against Iowa State, Iowa snagged five interceptions. At Penn State, defensive end Adrian Clayborn improvised, blocked a punt and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. Against Indiana, in perhaps the season's most improbable play, Iowa safety Tyler Sash picked off a pass that caromed off four people and returned it 86 yards for a score.

That's the type of plays Iowa's players believe they need in order to compete with Ohio State.

“We have to be perfect,” Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer said. “They've got a ton of talent, and it's going to be a big challenge to contain all of their athletes. Their O-line is very, very physical, the most physical I've seen. It's going to be tough.”

The Buckeyes average more than 30 points a game but have had issues with consistency. Oct. 17 at Purdue, quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw two interceptions and the Buckeyes lost three fumbles in a 26-18 upset. But in the last three games - all wins - Ohio State has outscored its opponents 107-14. Of the 14 touchdowns Ohio State scored in those games, six were from at least 39 yards.

“We've got to stop the big play,” Angerer said. “They make big plays every game, and the key is not giving up that big play. It's going to be tough, it's going to be really tough.”

Pryor was efficient last week in a 24-7 win against Penn State, completing 8 of 17 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed five times for 50 yards and a score. He has thrown for 1,668 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions and leads the team in rushing with 604 yards and seven touchdowns.

“He's faster than anybody we'll see,” Angerer said. “Unfortunately, he throws the ball pretty well, too. You can't really focus on him because they've got so many other good athletes on the team. We're just going to have to try to contain him, and I'm pretty sure he's going to break a couple of runs on us. We'll have to just keep fighting through it.”

Pryor is just one player Iowa needs to stop. Wide receiver DeVier Posey has 45 catches for 672 yard and seven touchdowns this year.

“If we don't come up with a stellar defensive effort, it's going to be tough to be successful,” Ferentz said. “But, hey, we're a good defensive team.”