|
College Football Preview: Week 4 |  |
Sept. 20, 2005
Associated Press
Iowa's Drew Tate helped bury Ohio State's Rose Bowl hopes a year ago. Jim Tressel and the eighth-ranked Buckeyes would like avoid a repeat performance.
Ohio State (2-1) hopes to keep Tate contained as they open their conference slate against the 21st-ranked Hawkeyes (2-1) in Columbus on Saturday.
Iowa went 10-2 a year ago, including a 33-7 whipping of the Buckeyes, part of an 0-3 conference start for Ohio State. Tate passed for three touchdowns and ran for another against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State's defense features two of the nation's top linebackers - A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter - who will try to disrupt Tate's passing rhythm
"You've got to affect the quarterback's job because no one has a harder job than the quarterback," Tressel said Tuesday. "If you make it even harder, I think you have a chance to stop an offense."
Tate returned from a concussion to throw two touchdown passes and Albert Young ran for two more scores, leading Iowa to a 45-21 victory over Northern Iowa last Saturday.
Iowa looked much sharper than the team that lost to Iowa State 23-3 the previous week. The Hawkeyes knew they had to improve before Saturday's game at Ohio State.
"I thought we were better, though I might put an asterisk in there that it would be hard not to be better," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We at least looked a little more like a cohesive offensive team."
Tate showed no problems from the concussion that knocked him out of the Iowa State game, completing 15 of 18 passes for 247 yards and no interceptions before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Young carried 13 times for 97 yards and capped two 80-yard drives with first-quarter touchdowns, one from the 10 and the other from 1-yard out.
That offensive efficiency was a sharp contrast to the Hawkeyes' sloppy play the week before, when they turned the ball over five times and never got closer to the end zone than the Iowa State 26.
|
|
 |
"Obviously they've lost a game, but it was a game that they didn't have their quarterback, their leader, their playmaker," said Tressel. "We have to have great execution, great precision, give ourselves a good chance to take advantage of opportunities when they're there."
Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith threw two touchdown passes and the defense controlled the game from the second play on as the Buckeyes rolled over San Diego State 27-6 last Saturday.
"After the first play of the game, our defense dominated," said Tressel, whose team was coming off a 25-22 loss to No. 2 Texas.
After getting 80 yards on their first play, the Aztecs mustered just 99 on their last 40.
Smith, making his first start this season, completed 14-of-26 passes for 149 yards with one interception, and also led the Buckeyes in rushing with 87 yards on 14 carries.
Smith was suspended for taking $500 from a booster and missed the Buckeyes' bowl game and the opener against Miami (Ohio), then came off the bench in the loss to Texas.
Justin Zwick, the starter against the Longhorns, played only the final series and hit on 9-of-10 passes for 47 yards.
Ohio State leads the overall series with Iowa with a 42-13-3 record, including a 26-8-1 edge in games played in Columbus. The Buckeyes have eight of nine overall and four straight in Columbus.
 Drew Tate passed for three touchdowns against the Buckeyes last season. |
