Postgame Notes From No. 1/1 Ohio State vs. No. 13/13 Iowa – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 1, 2006
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Attendance: 70,585 With the win over Iowa Saturday, Ohio Stateextended the nation’s longest winning streak 12 games. Ohio Statenow is 56-8-1 when ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team. Overall, theBuckeyes are 288-68-9 when carrying a Top 10 ranking and 395-123-14as a Top 25 team Jim Tressel’s record with the Buckeyes now is55-13 and his career record is 190-70-2. He is 42-4 at Ohio Statewhen the Buckeyes score 24 or more points.
Tressel’s Buckeyes have a 24-7 record against teams ranked in the Top 25
Tressel is 32-10 vs. Big Ten opposition.
Under Tressel, the Buckeyes now are 40-3when leading at thehalf 43-3when ahead after three quarters.
Under Tressel, Ohio State is 22-2 in September.
The win Saturday marked Tressel’s first career win at Iowa. TheBuckeyes lost, 33-7, in Tressel’s first visit to Iowa as a headcoach in 2004. Ohio State lost, 20-14, in Iowa City in 1983m whenTressel was an assistant coach on Earle Bruce’s Ohio State staff.
Ohio State now is 780-300-53 in 117 seasons.
The Buckeyes have scored at least one touchdown in118-consecutive games.
Series and Big Ten Notes
The Buckeyes now have a 44-14-3 lead in the series with Iowaand have won 17 of the 25 games played in Iowa City (there havebeen two ties). Ohio State has won 10 of the last 11 games datingback to 1992.
Saturday marked the 61st meeting between Ohio State and Iowa.
Ohio State’s all-time Big Ten record stands at 429-187-28.
Offensive Notes
Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith connected with AnthonyGonzalez for a 12-yard touchdown on the Buckeyes first drive of thegame. This season, Ohio State has scored on its opening drive inthree of the five games played. The Buckeyes scored a touchdown ontheir opening drive in the season opener against Northern Illinoison a Smith pass to Ted Ginn Jr. The Buckeyes also converted a fieldgoal (Pettrey) on their opening drive vs. Cincinnati. Roy Hall’s6-yard touchdown in the second quarter ended a 12-play, 89-yardBuckeye scoring drive. The drive served as the longest for theBuckeyes this season. Ohio State’s previous long drive was 85 yardsagainst Cincinnati. The Buckeyes capped a 14-play, 68-yard drivewith an Aaron Pettrey 36-yard field goal. The drive took 7:43 offthe clock, marking the Buckeyes’ longest scoring drive (by time) ofthe season. Ohio State ran for a season-best 214 yards Saturday.The last time Ohio State rushed for 200 yards was a 275-yard totalin the 2006 Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. Ohio State went5-for-6 in the red zone Saturday, scoring four touchdowns andconverting one field goal. For the season, Ohio State is 17 of 21in the red zone. The Buckeyes converted a fourth-and-1 in the thirdquarter. For the season, Ohio State is 2-for-2 on fourth downconversions. Ohio State has scored at least 24 points in 12consecutive games.
Offensive Player Notes
Troy Smith threw for four TD passes Saturday, his first careergame with four TD throws. He has a least one TD pass in 11 of hislast 12 games and now has nine career games with multiple touchdownpasses. Smith has at least two TD passes in four of five games thisseason. He also had three TD throws against Northern Illinois.Smith passed former Buckeye QB Craig Krenzel for ninth all-time inOhio State career total offense. Smith now has 5, 236 yards intotal offense. With the win Saturday, Smith moved to 18-2 asstarting quarterback.
Ohio State also is 18-2 with T.J. Downing in the Ohio State starting lineup.
Antonio Pittman scored his fifth touchdown of the season in thesecond quarter. He has scored at least one touchdown in each ofOhio State’s five games this season and has had a TD run in10-consecutive games.
Pittman (25r-117) topped the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in four games this season. He has rushed for 100 yards or more in 10 of the last 14 games and 12 times in his career.
Ted Ginn Jr. has at least one reception in 24-consecutive gamesand has recorded two or more catches in 22-consecutive outings. Thegame Saturday marked the first this season Ginn failed to catch atouchdown pass.
Ginn had a season-high seven catches Saturday for 69 yards. Ginn also had eight catches against Michigan and Notre Dame last season.
Anthony Gonzalez hauled in his third and fourth touchdownreceptions of the season Saturday. The game Saturday served asGonzalez’s second-career two-touchdown game. His first was againstIowa last season at Ohio Stadium.
The 12-yard and 29-yard scores marked his 18th and 19th catches that have resulted in first downs or touchdowns. Gonzalez finished the game with five catches, all for a first down or touchdown, for 77 yards. For the season, Gonzalez has 22 catches for either first downs or touchdowns.
Senior split end Roy Hall pulled in his first touchdownreception of the season in the second quarter. He now has twoscoring grabs in his career. Hall’s first career touchdown was a20-yard catch from Justin Zwick against Marshall Sept. 11, 2004 inOhio Stadium. Freshman tailback Chris Wells gained 19 yards on asecond-quarter carry, marking the longest run of his Ohio Statecareer. Wells’ previous long run went for 12 yards.
Wells finished the day with a career-best total of 78 yards on a career-high 14 carries.
Sophomore split end Brian Robiskie caught a 12-yard touchdownpass in the fourth quarter, his second TD catch in as many games.Robiskie has two TD catches for his career.
Defensive Notes
Senior safety Brandon Mitchell recorded his first interceptionof the 2006 season in the second quarter and Marcus Freeman had hisfirst career pick in the fourth period. James Lauraniatis had hisfourth pick of the season. The Buckeyes had intercepted threeopponent passes in each of the last three games.
The Buckeyes now have 11 interceptions on the season and have had at least one interception in all five games this season.
The Buckeyes have forced 13 turnovers (11 interceptions and twofumble recoveries, one Saturday). Ohio State has turned those13turnovers into 52 points this season. Ohio State allowed itsfirst rushing touchdown of the season on a 15-yard scoring run byIowa’s Albert Young in the second quarter. Ohio State held Iowa to4-of-12 conversions on fourth down. For the season, Ohio State hasheld opponents to just 14-of-60 on third down conversions.
Defensive Player Notes
Senior safety Brandon Mitchell recorded his first interceptionof the 2006 season in the second quarter. Mitchell has fourinterceptions for his career. Mitchell had one interception in2003, ’04 and `05.
Mitchell recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter, his second career fumble recovery.
Marcus Freeman snared his first career interception in thefourth quarter Saturday. Laurinaitis had a sack in first quarter,his second of the season. He picked off his fourth interception ofhis career and the 2006 season Saturday in the fourth quarter. Hehas an interception in each of his last four games.
Special Teams
A.J. Trapasso had two of his punts downed inside the 20 yardline Saturday.
Miscellaneous
A crowd of 70,585 attended the game Saturday, Ohio State hasplayed to sellout crowds in each of its first five games thisseason.
