For the second week in a row Ohio State could not have gotten off to a worse start. This time there was no epic escape, just an epic disaster.
The Buckeyes played the worst game in Urban Meyer’s 203 games as a head coach and with their energy tank registering zero most of the day, it was simply too much to overcome as Iowa authored a crushing 55-24 upset on Saturday.
“They controlled the line of scrimmage and we couldn’t stop them,” Meyer said. “They are a good team. This is a tough environment. They played really well.”
It was the most points the Hawkeyes have ever scored against the Buckeyes. It was the most points a Meyer team has ever surrendered.
It was inexplicable in every way, and will go down in Ohio State history among the school’s most shocking losses.
Meyer’s team was a 19-point favorite, but never came close to playing like one. It conjured memories of the 1998 loss to 24-point underdog Michigan State. At least the 63-14 loss at Penn State in 1994 was to a No. 1-ranked team.
This wasn’t. It came to an unranked foe and it was only Meyer’s second Big Ten road loss in six years. The reverberation was immediately felt throughout college football.
Sixth-ranked Ohio State (7-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten) is all but eliminated from the national championship chase, although it curiously still controls its destiny in the Big Ten. That’s because Michigan State beat Penn State on Saturday. After last week’s emotional struggle in Columbus, both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions fell to underdogs on the road — it’s not a coincidence.
For the Buckeyes, the worst-case scenario started from the very first snap. Senior quarterback J.T. Barrett, who was a certain Heisman candidate before Saturday, threw a pick-6 on his initial pass and Iowa took a 7-0 lead eight seconds into the game. It would never trail.
Barrett tossed three more picks before the day was done. His career-worst four interceptions were four times more than he had thrown all season.
Full moon anyone?
Ohio State sophomore defensive end Nick Bosa was thrown out of the game in the second quarter for spearing on a play that gave Iowa the ball back when it would’ve been forced to punt. The Hawkeyes immediately cashed in for another TD.
Then, just before the half, Barrett tossed yet another interception that led directly to touchdown and put Ohio State in a 31-17 hole. The dizzying blizzard came via a foe that struggled all year in the red zone before the Buckeyes blew into town.
Iowa punted just once in the first half, scored on four of its five possessions, and tacked on that defensive score.
The mess continued into the second half, as panic clearly set in for the Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes forced a three-and-out on Ohio State’s first three possessions after intermission, and Barrett’s third and fourth interceptions in the fourth quarter kept a fired-up crowd engaged throughout.
Iowa (6-3, 3-3) showed few signs it was capable of such a performance, losing to Northwestern just last week and entering the game with a losing record in the conference. Yet Kirk Ferentz’s team was in complete control from the opening kick.
Ohio State’s decorated defensive line failed to record a sack until just five minutes remained in the third quarter, despite facing Iowa’s two freshmen tackles. By then it was far too late as the secondary yielded explosive plays consistently.
Quarterback Nathan Stanley riddled OSU with an incredible five TD passes while comfortably surveying the field and connecting frequently with his tight ends for chunk yardage pays.
It was a perfect storm and convincingly swept Ohio State away from the College Football Playoff.