All season long, experts have been arguing on whether Ohio State or Iowa is the best football team in the Big Ten Conference.
Since the two teams did not play each other in the regular season, the debate could not be settled on the field.
But what would happen if the Buckeyes faced the Hawkeyes on the field? Would OSU prove it deserved to be in the Fiesta Bowl or would Iowa show that it was truly tops in the Big Ten?
With the help of EA Sports’ NCAA College Football 2003, I decided to let the co-champions battle for supremacy on the playing field.
The first task was where to have the game. Holding that game at either OSU’s Ohio Stadium or Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium would give an unfair advantage to the home team.
The logical choice was to play the game at a truly neutral field and I decided on playing the game in Pasadena, Calif. at the Rose Bowl.
Next came game day. Weather in California was perfect, so neither the Buckeyes nor Hawkeyes could complain about the playing conditions.
Just before kickoff, the three-man announcing booth of Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso all weighed in on the matchup.
Both Herbstreit and Corso picked the Buckeyes to easily handle Iowa. Corso went as far as saying that OSU should have no problem beating the undermanned Hawkeyes.
Only time would tell.
The first quarter was mainly a feeling-out process for the two teams. Iowa did manage to put together a 15 play drive on their second offensive possession, but backup tailback Jermelle Lewis fumbled the ball at the OSU 26-yard line and Buckeye linebacker Matt Wilhelm picked up the loose ball.
The Buckeyes would get on the scoreboard first. After starting the drive on the Hawkeyes’ 43-yard line, OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel hooked up with receiver Chris Vance on a 13-yard strike. The very next play, Krenzel handed to tailback Maurice Clarett, who went 26 yards for the score. Kicker Mike Nugent added the extra point and the Buckeyes took an early 7-0 lead.
However, Iowa answered right back.
After picking off Krenzel, the Hawkeyes used its quick running game to drive down the field. After a 24-yard run by Lewis, Iowa had the ball at the OSU eight-yard line. This time, Lewis wouldn’t disappoint as he broke two tackles and fell into the end zone. Kicker Nate Kaeding added the extra point to tie the score at 7-all.
Kaeding gave the Hawkeyes a 10-7 lead when the Lou Groza Award finalist kicked a 45-yard field goal with just over a minute left in the half.
But the Buckeyes quickly retook the lead. Krenzel drove OSU down the field, setting up a four-yard touchdown pass to receiver Michael Jenkins with just 10 seconds left in the half. OSU went into the halftime break with a 14-10 lead.
The Buckeyes got the ball to start the second half, but fullback Brandon Joe coughed up the ball at his own 20-yard line and the Hawkeyes recovered.
Iowa took the lead on the very next play when tailback Fred Russell scored from 26 yards out. Kaeding’s extra point would make the score 17-10.
Krenzel and the Buckeye offense seemed unfazed by the early Iowa score. On the next possession, OSU put together a nine-play drive, capped off by a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ben Hartsock.
Nugent, another Groza Award finalist, would match Kaeding with a 27-yard field goal on OSU’s next drive, giving the Buckeyes a 20-17 edge.
Backup quarterback Scott McMullen came into the game on OSU’s next drive as Krenzel went out with turf toe. But McMullen didn’t miss a beat, completing his first pass to two-way starter Chris Gamble for seven yards.
But then McMullen went back to Clarett. A 23-yard run by the freshman brought the Buckeyes to the Iowa four-yard line and Joe would score on a second-down run, extending the lead to 27-17.
The advantage would grow to 34-17 when Clarett scored on a five-yard run just four minutes later. On its first four possessions of the second half, OSU scored 20 points.
Iowa would not quit. Led by quarterback Brad Banks, the Hawkeyes quickly marched down the field and cut the lead to 34-24 when Banks found fullback Edgar Cervantes on an eight-yard pass.
The Hawkeyes got the ball back with just under two minutes left in the ball game, but OSU cornerback Dustin Fox sealed the Buckeye victory when he picked off Banks for the second time in the game. For his efforts, Fox was named the Player of the Game.
Krenzel finished the game 17 of 30 for 200 yards, while Clarett ended with 119 yards on 25 carries.
Russell was held to just 46 yards on 20 carries and Iowa’s Heisman Trophey candidate Banks threw three interceptions to the OSU defense.
While I’m sure this experiment won’t silence Iowa supporters like Trev Alberts, hopefully it might just add a little fuel to the fire.
I mean, isn’t controversy what college football is all about.
Matt Duval is a junior in journalism. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
