Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes Preview

The conference has come full circle and now comes down to one game for the conference title. The Hawkeyes will invade Columbus without starting QB Ricky Stanzi who injured his knee against Northwestern.

Ohio State had their biggest win of the season; a statement victory at Penn State. Terrelle Pryor played very well in the victory in front of his home state crowd. Pryor, a Pennsylvania native, threw for 125 yards and two scores and ran for 50 yards and a score in the 24-7 victory. Ohio State’s defense was dominant holding QB Darryll Clark to 125 yards and RB Evan Royster to 36 yards. The Buckeye defense may be the best in the entire nation.

Iowa has escaped the jaws of defeat throughout the 09 season but couldn’t pull out another miracle against Northwestern. The Hawkeye National Championship dream ended in front of their home crowd with the 17-10 defeat. Ricky Stanzi threw for 134 before the season ending injury. In his stead, James Vandenberg was 9 of 27 for 82 yards and an interception. Freshmen RB Brandon Wegher ran for 63 yards on 19 carries.

Prediction: The Iowa offense struggled mightily without Ricky Stanzi. The road gets no easier for Vandenberg when they travel to Columbus to face one of the best defenses in the nation in front of over 100,000 fans. To have any success Wegher will have to carry the load and control the clock. If not, the Buckeye pass rush led by Cameron Heyward will dominate the game. Terrelle Pryor will have a big game with the conference title on the line. Look for Pryor to have success through the air and especially with his scrambling ability. Coach Jim Tressel adds another Big Ten Title to his impressive resume. Ohio State 31 Iowa 13

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