eFollett Sports NCAA Football, 2009-2009

Magic Still Missing for Iowa

Before their loss to Northwestern, they'd put together an impressive string of come-from-behind wins and amassed the second longest unbeaten streak in the country. But for the second week in a row, #10 Iowa could not come up with enough magic for another win, and fell to #11 Ohio State 27-24 in overtime. Coming into the game, the Hawkeyes were 17-point underdogs. But it was clear early that this one would likely come right down to the wire. The big question mark for Iowa before the game even began was freshman quarterback James Vandenberg. Starting in place of the injured Ricky Stanzi, Vandenberg turned in a solid showing, finishing 20-33 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Despite his age, the freshman QB showed good poise and the ability to find the open man-most often in the form of wide receiver Marvin McNutt. It was a defensive battle for most of the game, with Ohio State taking a 10-3 lead at the half on a 30-yard Devin Barclay field goal and 22-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon Saine. Saine and sophomore running back Daniel Herron provided the bulk of the Buckeye offense, rushing for 103 and 97 yards, respectively. With the game knotted at 10 after three quarters, the two backs traded touchdowns to give OSU a commanding 24-10 lead with 11:11 to play. But seemingly down and out has been Iowa's bread and butter this year, and they immediately served up a 99-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff to stay right in it. Vandenberg would orchestrate a 70-yard drive late in the quarter and find McNutt on a 10-yard TD pass to tie it up and send things to overtime. But the freshman QB finally showed his age in the extra period, failing to get rid of the football and taking a 3rd-down sack that pushed the Hawkeyes out of field goal range. His 4th-down pass was picked off in the end zone, and OSU played it safe to set up a 39-yard Barclay field goal for the win. The victory earned Ohio State a trip to the Rose Bowl and at least a share of the Big 10 Title....

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