No. 8 Ohio State Opens Big Ten Play with 31-6 Victory vs. No. 21 Iowa – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 24, 2005
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AP Recap Transcript of Ohio State Post Game PressConference
Highlights
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Tailback Antonio Pittman and quarterback Troy Smith combined to run for 298 yards and Smith completed 13-of-19 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 8 Ohio State past No. 21 Iowa 31-6 Saturday in front of a crowd of 105,225 at Ohio Stadium.
Pittman and Smith became the first running back and quarterback to each run for 100 yards in a game since Rod Gerald (104) and Jeff Logan (112) did so in a 49-21 victory over Michigan State in 1976. Smith ran for 127 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Pittman ran the ball 28 times for 171 yards.
Ohio State (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) totaled 530 yards on offense, rushing for 314 yards and throwing for 216 yards. Santonio Holmes had five catches for 95 yards and Anthony Gonzalez caught a career-best five passes for a career-high 90 yards. The defense came up big in the game limiting Iowa to 137 total yards, including 146 yards passing and minus-9 yards rushing. Linebacker A.J. Hawk had 11 tackles and 1½ of the Buckeyes’ five sacks. Mike Kudla also had 1 ½ sacks for the Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes had only 12 first downs, two in the first half.
“We obviously are proud with how physical we were on both sides of the ball,” coach Jim Tressel said. “You have to be physical in the Big Ten. Our defense came up with some big plays. I’m real proud of the way our coaches coached and the way our players played. It is a great way to start Big Ten play.”
Ohio State held Iowa to only one first down on the Hawkeyes’ game-opening drive and forced a punt. Ohio State took the ball at its 19-yard line and drove 81 yards to put the game’s first points on the scoreboard to take a 7-0 lead with 7:43 to play in the first qarter. Smith hit Gonzalez for an 8-yard touchdown to cap the 12-play drive. Josh Huston converted the point after try. Pittman carried seven times for 46 yards on the drive and Smith added a pair of carries for 11 yards. Holmes added a catch for 16 yards on the drive.
Iowa (2-2, 0-1) could not manage a first down on its next two possessions and punted to the Buckeyes, who took over at their 21-yard line. On second down, Smith found Holmes for a 46-yard pickup. From there Smith carried eight yards and Pittman added seven before Smith took it the remaining 16 yards for the score. Huston converted the PAT to give Ohio State a 14-0 lead with 14:30 to play in the second quarter.
Huston connected on a 47-yard field goal try to extend the Buckeye lead to 17-0 as time expired in the first half. It was the longest make of his career.
Two Buckeye first-half turnovers prevented Ohio State from taking an even larger lead at intermission. Tailback Brandon Schnittker fumbled at the OSU 2-yard line and on the next possession Smith fumbled at the 4-yard line. Yet the Buckeyes outgained the Hawkeyes 331 yards to 13. Ohio State carried 33 times for 208 yards and added 123 yards passing. Iowa had minus-4 yards rushing and completed five passes for only 17 yards and just two first downs. Pittman had 15 first-half carries for 99 yards and Smith carried 13 times for 96 yards. Smith was 7-for-12 and 123 yards and a score in the first half.
When the Buckeyes came out of the lockerroom, Pittman carried five times for 63 yards on a 10-play, 78-yard drive. Ohio State took a 24-0 lead with 9:59 to play in the third quarter when Smith carried the final four yards for his second rushing touchdown of the game. Pittman had a 29-yard gain on the second play of the drive and later added 20 yards on the statue of liberty play to advance the ball to the Iowa 26-yard line.
Iowa avoided the shutout when kicker Kyle Schlicher kicked a career-long 52-yard field goal with 2:48 to play in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes marched from their 30-yard line to the OSU 16 before Hawk sacked Drew Tate for a 13-yard loss. A delay-of-game penalty moved the ball to the 34-yard line before Schlicher made the score 24-3.
The Hawkeyes forced a punt on the next OSU possession, but A.J. Trapasso fumbled the ball on fourth down and gave Iowa the ball at the OSU 31-yard line. It moved the ball as close as the 8-yard line, but Mike Kudla sacked Tate for a 12-yard loss and Schlicher came on to kick a 37-yard field goal to make the score 24-6 with 11:48 to play in the game.
The Buckeyes scored with 6:36 to play in the game to take a 31-6 lead when Smith found Gonzalez open across the middle for a 29-yard touchdown. Ohio State began the play when Donte Whitner intercepted Tate at the Iowa 40-yard line. Four plays later, the Buckeyes found the end zone.
Anthony Schlegel and Donte Whitner each seven tackles in the game. Whitner added his second interception of the season.
Ohio State has a bye week next Saturday before returning Oct. 8 at Penn State. Kickoff will be at either 7 p.m. or 7:45 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPN, respectively. The next Ohio State home game is Oct. 15 when Michigan State visits Ohio Stadium at noon for homecoming.
