In what can only be described as a ‘beatdown’ in Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes not only beat Ohio State 55-24, but controlled every aspect of play against the top ten opponent.
Iowa hadn’t beaten the Buckeyes since 2004, which was Kirk Ferentz’ only victory against the scarlet & grey. The meeting was the first time that Urban Meyer had coached in Iowa City.
From the first play after kickoff, the Hawkeyes showed they weren’t concerned who was the 21 point underdog, with a interception for a touchdown by sophomore safety Amani Hooker. Going into the game, senior QB JT Barrett had entered the Heisman conversation with his performance against Penn State, but the Hawkeyes presumably took Barrett out of that award talk with a four interception day.
Three of those interceptions went to junior CB Josh Jackson who should be among the finalists for the Jim Thorpe award for best cornerback in the country. Jackson tied an Iowa record with his trio of interceptions in one game, and has made his side of the field Josh Jackson ‘Island’ all season long for opposing wide outs.
The NFL could be beckoning for Jackson who along with Josey Jewell has been the heart of the Iowa defense this season. Both players could be taken somewhere in the first few rounds in May. It will be an interesting decision when the time comes for Josh Jackson. Jackson also made one of the best catches of the year in college football off Barrett:
Another player that is due to be announced for weekly conference honors is sophomore QB Nate Stanley who had the best game of his young career at Iowa throwing for 226 yards with 5 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Perhaps Stanley is ‘figuring it out’, and that is a scary theory for the rest of the Big Ten who could have to deal with the Wisconsin-native for another two years with a growing tight end and wide receiver group.
The win was among the best performances and certainly the most unexpected in recent Hawkeye memory. With Iowa’s rough history against the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes sluggish performances in games against Michigan State and Northwestern, this was the most welcomed win that could have been asked for.
With the presumed Big Ten West champions Wisconsin next on the docket for the Hawkeyes, they can jettison up the college rankings with another win against a top ten team coming up.