Iowa put on one of its best performances against Ohio State in the Kirk Ferentz era.
By Courtney Baumann
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The game against Ohio State is one that I, along with many, many others, will not soon forget.
Though my departure from Kinnick is a bit premature this season, I couldn’t be more grateful for the way the last game I’ll cover in Iowa City as Daily Iowan football editor went.
Being the skeptic this season has turned me into, I kept waiting for Iowa to fall off during the game. I assumed the offensive attack wasn’t sustainable and that the defense would eventually give way to J.T. Barrett and J.K. Dobbins.
I really thought that Iowa would lose by three scores and wouldn’t make it past the Ohio State defensive line. It was fair to think that, because the offense had only put up 56 points combined against Penn State, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Minnesota.
It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that I actually began to believe Iowa could win the game. Even though Iowa was up 31-17 at the end of the first half, that deficit seemed like nothing for an Ohio State team that came into the game averaging 46.1 points per game.
However, when the Hawkeyes forced three punts from the Buckeye offense in the third quarter while putting up 7 points of its own along with another touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, my skepticism faded away.
The Iowa football team just thoroughly outplayed No. 3 Ohio State, which is totally what everyone expected, right? By the way, if anyone says they called that, I don’t believe them. I am convinced they’re liars.
Everything about the game seemed special. There were so many special moments.
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It started with the first play of the game when Amani Hooker recorded his first Pick-6 of his career. It was just Barrett’s second interception of the season, and immediately made it seem like the Heisman candidate was off his game.
Then came the Hawkeye Wave, and Iowa players and coaches finally turned to the east and put their hands up to say hello to the kids in the Children’s Hospital. Watching both teams, the officials, the staff on the field, and nearly 68,000 fans come together for a minute and forget about the football division is something that will never, ever get old. I almost raised my hand and waved up in the press box, too.
There were a whole lot of memorable things that happened in between the start of the second quarter and the end of the fourth, but absolutely nothing can top being on the field as it got stormed.
We walked down with about four minutes left, and I stood behind the team as Toren Young carried the ball on every play to rack up 47 yards and the first touchdown of his career. People were already lining up, getting ready to rush the field before Iowa hung 55 on the Buckeyes.
I tried to get near the tunnel before students hurled themselves over the barriers, but I didn’t make it all the way. It was like playing real life Frogger, but it was awesome.
It didn’t hit me until Kirk Ferentz’s press conference that I was covering my last game in Kinnick as a DI reporter. I just kind of forgot that I wouldn’t be there for Purdue. When that realization hit, though, it took all I had to remain poised in the corner of the room.
Walking back down through the tunnel onto the field and seeing Kinnick completely empty after thousands were on the turf less than an hour before was shocking. The evidence still remained, as things littered the field, left behind by the hordes of people.
Everything about the Ohio State game was surreal. I guess what I’m trying to say is, thank you, Kinnick, for an incredible past two years, and an unforgettable game to leave on. It’s something I’ll never forget.