By Jim Naveau
Kirk Ferentz is in his 26th season as Iowa’s football coach. He has won 199 games with the Hawkeyes and got his 200th career win, including three years at the University of Maine, last season.
He’s had a Hall of Fame type career, but among the few boxes left unchecked in his career is winning a game in Ohio Stadium.
Before the Big Ten added USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, Ferentz had won in 13 of the conference’s 14 stadiums.
The Hawkeyes have had one-sided victories over the Buckeyes in the friendly confines of Kinnick Stadium, like a stunning 55-24 blowout in 2017 and a 33-7 win in 2004. But they are 0-6 in Columbus since Ferentz followed Hayden Fry as Iowa’s coach in 1999.
The closest Ferentz has gotten to a win at Ohio State was in 2009 when Devin Barclay’s field goal in overtime gave OSU a 27-24 win.
So how does No. 3 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) keep Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) from giving their coach his first win in The Horseshoe?
• If Ohio State scores 30 points or more you have to like its chances.
After scoring 15.4 points a game last season, which ranked No. 129 nationally, Iowa is up to 32 points a game this season. But the Hawkeyes probably will struggle to get their average against an Ohio State defense which has given up only three touchdowns this season.
• Avoid turnovers. Iowa does not give opponents a lot of extra opportunities because of turnovers. It has only two turnovers in four games, both interceptions. Also, it has been penalized only once in its last two games. And that was a special teams penalty.
• Run the ball effectively. The offensive line needs to play its best game of the season against an Iowa defense that has eight starters back from a team that allowed more than two touchdowns in only one regular season game in 2023.
• Slow down Iowa’s running game. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten behind Penn State in rushing yards per game (250.2), led by Kaleb Johnson, who has rushed for 685 yards and 9 touchdowns.
• Affect Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara and take away some of his confidence. McNamara was Michigan’s starting quarterback when it beat OSU in 2021 so he knows it can be done even when everyone is saying it can’t be done.
•Don’t let the Ohio guys beat you. Johnson is from Hamilton and Iowa tight end Luke Lachey is from Grandview Heights. The recruiting trail between Ohio and Iowa runs only one way, though. The last time an Iowa-born player competed for Ohio State reportedly was in 1960.
The prediction: Ohio State 31, Iowa 14.
