Iowa-Ohio State game analysis

When the Hawkeyes have the ball

The heart of Ohio State's defense is a line that can reach 10 deep. The stud of the bunch is end Cameron Heyward (6-6, 287), who leads the Buckeyes with five sacks to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss. His play has jumped off the video so noticeably that he was thrown the “are you leaving for the NFL” question this week. Heyward, son of the late NFL back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, said no. At times, he'll line up across from Iowa left tackle Bryan Bulaga today. Many, many NFL draft experts across the World Wide Web are projecting Bulaga as a first-round pick next April.

Heyward was unblockable in last week's 24-7 victory at Penn State. He earned Big Ten player of the week with 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. He lined up over both tackles and the right guard, so they'll try to find a matchup Heyward can exploit.

The Buckeyes are formidable even without starter Dexter Larimore, who's missed the last four games with a knee injury. Seven OSU D-lineman have at least 10 tackles and they've combined for 32 tackles for loss. The most disruptive lineman might be junior end Thaddeus Gibson (6-2, 240), who leads the Buckeyes with 10.5 tackles for loss and has four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Tackles Doug Worthington (6-6, 276) and Todd Denlinger (6-2, 292) have combined for six tackles for loss.

Junior middle linebacker Brian Rolle (5-11, 221) is the team's most active linebacker. He leads the team in tackles with 78, has an interception and also intercepted a two-point conversion against Navy and returned it all the way to help the Buckeyes prevail, 31-27. Junior weakside linebacker Ross Homan (6-0, 229) isn't far behind with 76 tackles, three interceptions and four other passes defended.

Strong safety Kurt Coleman (5-11, 188) is the leader in the secondary. He has three interceptions and is third on the team with 56 tackles. Three other defensive backs - safeties Anderson Russell and Jermale Hines and corner Chimdi Chekwa - have 30-plus tackles. The Buckeyes' 16 interceptions are second in the Big Ten only to the Hawkeyes' 19.

Of course, the major headline out of Iowa City has been the loss of junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi. His regular season ended last week with a high-ankle sprain that turned the tide in a 17-10 loss to Northwestern. Stanzi had surgery Monday and is looking a return for the bowl game.

Enter red-shirt freshman James Vandenberg, a 6-3, 205-pounder from Keokuk. He finished 9 of 27 for 82 yards in nearly three quarters against the Wildcats. He didn't lead the Hawkeyes to any points and his longest drive was nine plays for 43 yards.

The numbers weren't great and he did have some misses in the passing game, most notably a bomb that floated over the wrong shoulder of a wide-open-for-a-TD Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. The positives were solid decision making and a strong arm. Yes, he threw an interception on his first pass, when he clearly didn't see a linebacker in underneath coverage, but he also made good decisions with a handful of throwaways when he could't find anyone open. His arm was apparent on the many out routes Iowa offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe called in the second half.

A major concern for Iowa coaches in game-planning has to be what they can expect to get out of the running game. Last week, Iowa fell behind by only a touchdown and ended up running the ball just 10 times in the second half. Freshman running back Brandon Wegher is beaten up, but has answered the bell since fellow freshman Adam Robinson suffered a high-ankle sprain at Michigan State three weeks ago. With a red-shirt freshman QB making his first career start at Ohio Stadium, the Hawkeyes need to have more than one dimension.

Going off 10 games of resume, Ohio State's D-line will be a lot for Iowa's O-line to handle. Maybe too much.

Advantage: Ohio State

When the Buckeyes have the ball

The Buckeyes lost a lot of firepower from last season. Gone are tailback Beanie Wells (1,197 rushing yards) and wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline, who combined for 63 catches, 1,014 yards and 12 touchdowns. So, it has to be understandable that OSU's offense has taken some time to find its footing.

Sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor remains a tremendous athletic vessel but without those NFL-bound weapons and playing behind an O-line that features three new starters and three sophomores and two juniors, his play has been up and down. He came under a little fire after two fumbles and two interceptions in a 26-18 loss at Purdue.

Last week at Penn State, playing in front of a decidedly hostile crowd in his home state, Pryor responded with a steady performance, throwing two TD passes and rushing for another with no turnovers in tow. And you know what? If you look at Pryor's numbers they're not bad. Probably about as good as a sophomore quarterback's numbers should be - a 54 percent completion rate (121 of 224), 15 TDs to nine interceptions and a pass efficiency of 130.6.

Pryor, who's fighting some leg and toe issues, also leads the Buckeyes in rushing with 604 yards (5.3 a carry) and seven TDs.

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz joked this week that he might have to check out the Chicago Bulls for a suitable scout team representation of Pryor. At 6-6, 235 pounds, that sounds about right. Oh, but wait, none of the Chicago Bulls can run a 4.3-second 40-yard dash. That's what's striking. Pryor is so fluid and yet so powerful, shaking off Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman on his 7-yard TD run last week.

The Buckeyes' O-line has come together after earlier struggles, specifically the Wisconsin game. OSU seemed to favor the right side and tackle J.B. Shugarts (6-8, 298) and guard Bryant Browning (6-4, 312) while running the ball against Penn State. Fullback Zach Boren (6-1, 255) also was a force leading running plays through the hole.

Sophomore DeVier Posey (45 catches, 672 yards, seven TDs) and junior Dane Sanzenbacher (24-482-6) are 1-2 on the team in receiving. They aren't as good as the tandem of Robiskie and Hartline but could easily make big plays if Iowa's front four doesn't put pressure on Pryor. Brandon Saine (4.7-yard average) and Dan Herron (six touchdowns) are solid tailbacks. Both will run the ball against the Hawkeyes but it will be interesting to see if the OSU line can punch holes in Iowa's front seven.

After last week's 17-10 loss to Northwestern, members of the Iowa defense actually chastised themselves for give up 10 points. One of NU's touchdowns came off a recovered fumble in the end zone. It's a wonder they didn't beat themselves up over that.

That's the exact mentality Iowa's defense needs to take into the Horseshoe, because if OSU scores many more than 10 points, it's going to be tough for Iowa's offense to keep up.

Iowa will have a tough time making Ohio State one dimensional. OSU doesn't have a top-notch back, but Pryor is pretty much that. OSU's rushing today will be a major stat. If the Hawkeyes' defense flogged itself over anything last week, it probably should've been time of possession, which, with a freshman QB trying to figure it out, was a huge. Iowa lost that battle to the Cats, 34:20 to 25:40. Northwestern didn't strike in the second half, but the Hawkeyes failed to send NU's offense off the field in a three-and-out. NU's second-half drives lasted nearly four minutes on average.

A big plus stat for the Hawkeyes is the 12 sacks they've produced in the last four games.

Iowa's defense is carrying the weight here. Last week was the first game the opponent didn't spit up a key turnover. Ohio State is in that mode. It doesn't have to take a lot of chances on offense because its defense and special teams are playing at such a high level. OSU Jim Tressel isn't about to help Iowa win.

Advantage: Iowa

Special teams

The Buckeyes' Ray Small is a threat on punt returns, earning Big Ten special teams player of the week with 130 return yards, including two 40-plus yarders that set up scores, in the Penn State victory. He's only third in the Big Ten with 8.5 yards a return, but don't let that fool you. He's returned 11 more punts (30) than anyone else in the Big Ten. Lamaar Thomas is a threat on kickoff returns with a 20.9-yard average, and the Buckeyes aren't afraid to run reverses and fake reverses. Iowa's kick coverage unit has made strides, but special teams are paramount. This is a game where invisible return yardage could mean life or death.

When talented kicker Aaron Pettrey suffered a torn knee ligament against New Mexico State, OSU turned to Devin Barclay, a 26-year-old former walk-on who joined Ohio State after wrapping up a Major League Soccer career that included stints with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the San Jose Earthquakes, DC United, and most recently, the Columbus Crew. He's made two of his four attempts.

Iowa kicker Daniel Murray's numbers are fine. He's made 15 of 21 (71.4 percent, tied for fifth in the Big Ten). Going into Indiana, Murray had a streak of six straight. After last week, he's missed 2 of his last 3 and is clearly starting to press. His reaction after a 46-yard miss in the third quarter spoke volumes.

Advantage: Ohio State

The Scoreboard

The Buckeyes are set up to win their fifth straight Big Ten title. Iowa's defense gives it a puncher's chance, but the Hawkeyes need a freshman quarterback making his first career start at Ohio State, where Iowa hasn't won in 18 years, to make some magic. And it's going to take some magic and more. Move away from that abstract and ask what the Hawkeyes have left in the emotional and physical gas tanks. Can they fire it up and find something after losing arguably their most important player last week?

Ohio State 24, Iowa 17

- Marc Morehouse