Hlas column: Penn State did Iowa no favors by losing to Ohio State

Saturday wasn't a worst-case scenario for Iowa's football team.

It was a worst-worst-worst-case scenario.

The Hawkeyes lost to Northwestern, 17-10.

They lost starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi for the rest of the regular-season.

And Ohio State manhandled Penn State on the road, 24-7.

Had the Nittany Lions given the Buckeyes a righteous thrashing, maybe Ohio State would have come into this Saturday's home game against Iowa dispirited, licking its own wounds.

Instead, Ohio Stadium will be dialed up emotionally about as high as possible with the Big Ten title the Buckeyes' for the taking with a win.

On top of that, OSU sophomore quarterback/athlete Terrelle Pryor appears to have rounded into form after a mostly rocky season.

And the Buckeyes' defense, shredded at Purdue a few weeks ago in a shocking loss to the Boilermakers, is back to Ohio State's standards. Penn State had just 201 yards and nine first-downs against the Buckeyes.

Could there be a less-opportune time for the Hawkeyes to come to Columbus, with red-shirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg making his first college start?

If Iowa finds a way to win this one, bronze this season on the spot and ship it directly to the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Hawkeyes' current streak of five straight losses at OSU? The average margin of defeat was a gruesome 20 points.

Iowa hasn't played at Ohio State since 2005, so this will be new stuff for the whole team. That it hasn't won there since 1991 tells you new stuff isn't necessarily good stuff.

The Hawkeye with perhaps the best idea about what to expect is receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. He is from Ohio, grew up a Buckeye fan, and has seen firsthand what can happen in the stadium nestled on the banks of the Olentangy River.

“Everything I learned about football, I learned from Ohio State,” Johnson-Koulianos said after Saturday's game. “The tradition, what it means to be a playmaker.”

DJK, for all his reputation of being a little more flamboyant than the typical Hawkeye, speaks thoughtfully.

“Coach (Jim) Tressel is from Youngstown, and I followed his career,” said Johnson-Koulianos, who is from Campbell, just outside Youngstown. Tressel coached at Youngstown State before going to Ohio State.

“They've got some real playmakers,” DJK said. “They've got smart coaches with great gameplans. And the Horseshoe is a tough venue to play in. One of the tougher venues, I would say.

“I've been there a couple games and experienced it. It's definitely a 12th man. Our responsibility is to understand what we're going into.”

Iowa's defense and special teams will need to be borderline flawless. Then it's still on the offense, piloted by young Vandenberg.

“He knows there's so many people counting on him to finish the season strong,” Johnson-Koulianos said.

We shouldn't lose sight of the fact it's been a terrific season for the Hawkeyes. But the Northwestern game was a big splat, and the potential looms for another this week.

Perspective takes a holiday this week. It will return, in time.