Football
Buckeyes Anticipating Rematch with Iowa
By John Porentas
"When I looked at the schedule there were several games that I highlighted in my mind, and this was one of them." ----Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Wide Receiver Anthony Gonzalez [/FONT]
Photo by Jim Davidson
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If you are looking for a low light of the 2004 season, or frankly for the current millennium, you need look no further than the Iowa game last year. The Hawkeyes knocked the stuffing out of the Buckeyes in Iowa City, something that has been fermenting in the collective craws of the Buckeyes since the final gun sounded last year.
"I've never been as embarrassed as an athlete as I was when I walked off that field. You want to do everything in your power to make sure that doesn't happen again," said Gonzalez.
"We felt horrible," agreed defensive end David Patterson of his feelings after last year's game.
"We knew we could play better. That's not Ohio State football. We didn't represent Ohio State the way we should have," Patterson added.
That game was the pits for the Buckeyes, but they rallied to salvage the season after suffering three consecutive losses to open the Big Ten season.
"That's probably the lowest it's probably been," said defensive end Mike Kudla.
"You think about all the great games that Ohio State has taken part of, then you witness something like that.
"That kind of struck home for a lot of us, made us think about what we're going to do and how we're going to respond, how we're going to get better.
"We took that as a big challenge and I think we grew from there," Kudla said.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Defensive End Mike Kudla
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Photo by [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jim Davidson [/FONT]
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The Buckeyes did just that, losing just once more in 2004, a tough loss on the road at Purdue in a competitive game. They ended the season on a high note, defeating Michigan and then dismantling Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.
The strong finish in 2004 was nice, but the Buckeyes won't feel right until they prove their worth against the Hawkeyes.
"It's not really revenge, but you have to know what happened last year. That's something that sits with you. It's never fun to go through something like that," said Kudla.
"It's such a sore spot. You go through a game like that and you feel bad. You go to a place like Ohio State and you never expect things to happen like that. It sat with me for a while."
"Last year I remember leaving very disappointed," said Gonzalez.
"That was the first game that I ever really got into, that was my first catch, and I've never been more embarrassed in my life.
"Despite the fact that I should have been feeling great about myself, we were so terrible. It certainly is a motivating factor for me, just to go out and show people across the country that 33-7 game is not us."
Ironically, the Hawkeyes are OSU's Big Ten opener this year, and it seems the Buckeyes are very happy about that.
"I think the schedule maker did us a favor," said Gonzalez.
"I'm glad that it's early, because if it weren't, I would be looking forward to it the whole time because that was such a poor loss last year."
The Buckeyes are aching to get on the field with the Hawkeyes, but insist revenge is not a factor. They describe is as more of a pride issue, but sometimes it seems like there is a little something more than pride involved.
"Last year they kind of had us on skates. It was probably the most embarrassing game I've ever been a part of," said defensive tackle Marcus Green.
"Practice is a little more intense. You can tell guys have that 33-7 in the back of their head. A lot of guys, we think we owe them for what they did to us last year," Green said.
"It's tough to put something like that behind you. I think a lot of us hold on to that. You can't really let go of something like that," said center Nick Mangold.
"There's a sense of fury with each practice (this week)," said Mangold.
"Being the Big Ten opener, you've got to come out and start things on the right foot. I think a lot of guys realize that," Mangold said.
