IOWA CITY - For the second week in a row, Ohio State dug itself an early first-half hole. This time, though, the Buckeyes couldn't recover.
Ohio State fell to Iowa on Saturday, 55-24, effectively ending its College Football Playoff hopes after the Hawkeyes accumulated 487 yards of total offense.
The Buckeyes played from behind from the opening snap after J.T. Barrett threw a pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage, as Iowa's Amani Hooker took the errant pass 30 yards for a score.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 OHIO STATE | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| IOWA | 10 | 21 | 7 | 17 | 55 |
Ohio State never caught up.
After trailing 31-17 at halftime, Ohio State traded two punts with the Hawkeyes before Iowa went up by three scores. Facing a 4th-and-3 from the Ohio State 20-yard line, the Hawkeyes completed an 18-yard pass from punter Colten Rastetter to long snapper Tyler Cluver. Iowa scored on the next play, a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nate Stanley to tight end T.J. Hockenson.
After an Ohio State three-and-out, Iowa scored yet again on another short passing score from Stanley to fullback Drake Kulick, extending the Hawkeye lead to 45-17. Iowa tacked on 10 more points, including an exclamation point from Toren Young, who scored on a 6-yard rushing touchdown with just 1:43 to play in the game.
The Buckeyes’ final touchdown followed an Iowa turnover on downs, as Barrett found Johnnie Dixon over the middle for a 22-yard touchdown with 4:37 to play in the contest.
Following perhaps the best game of his career against Penn State, Barrett threw a career-high four interceptions, three of which went to cornerback Josh Jackson.
| OHIO STATE | IOWA | |
|---|---|---|
| 371 | NET TOTAL YARDS | 487 |
| 163 | RUSHING YARDS | 243 |
| 30 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 38 |
| 5.4 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 6.4 |
| 0 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 1 |
| 208 | PASSING YARDS | 244 |
| 18-34 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 21-32 |
| 11.6 | AVERAGE PER COMPLETION | 11.6 |
| 3 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 5 |
| 20 | 1st DOWNS | 24 |
| 10 | RUSHING 1st DOWNS | 8 |
| 9 | PASSING 1st DOWNS | 13 |
| 1 | PENALTY 1st DOWNS | 3 |
| 64 | TOTAL PLAYS | 70 |
| 5.8 | YARDS PER PLAY | 7.0 |
| 1-1 | RED ZONE | 7-7 |
| 4-10 | 3rd DOWNS | 5-12 |
| 1-1 | 4th DOWNS | 1-2 |
| 9-95 | PENALTIES | 5-34 |
| 25:09 | POSSESSION | 34:51 |
Following the pick-6 on the opening drive, Barrett led a six play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 29-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, who got behind the Hawkeye secondary.
After Iowa and Ohio State traded field goals, the Hawkeyes found the end zone again as Stanley connected with Hockenson from 10 yards out to regain a touchdown lead at 17-10.
Again, Ohio State responded with a scoring drive as Barrett connected with Dixon on a deep post route, resulting in a 44-yard touchdown, tying the game at 17.
But after yet another Iowa score – this time on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Stanley to Fant – Barrett threw his second interception of the game, which set up a fourth Hawkeye touchdown as Stanley found Fant again from three yards out to give Iowa a 31-17 halftime lead.
Game Notes
- Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa was ejected in the first half for a targeting call on Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley.
- Iowa's 31 first-half points were the most points allowed by an Ohio State team since Florida hung 34 on the Buckeyes in the first half of the 2007 BCS title game.
- The 55 Iowa points are the most allowed by an Urban Meyer coached Ohio State team, breaking the record of 49 which was set by Indiana in 2012.
- J.T. Barrett passed Tim Tebow into 23rd place for career rushing yards among quarterbacks. He has 2,982 yards in his 45-game career.
- Johnnie Dixon’s 44-yard TD reception in the second quarter was his fifth touchdown catch this season of 30 yards or more. He also had his second straight game with multiple touchdown receptions.
- Tyquan Lewis moved into eighth place on Ohio State’s all-time sack list with 21. The senior defensive end has 4.5 this season.
- The 10 tackles by sophomore safety Jordan Fuller were a career high. He has 19 stops in the last two games.
