OSU's dominating victory was nowhere near perfect

The lopsided score overshadowed a couple key mistakes by Ohio State.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- The scoring summary from Ohio State's 31-6 win over Iowa shows the Buckeyes outscored the Hawkeyes by 10 points in the second quarter.
It could have been so much more, but fumbles by tailback Brandon Schnittker and quarterback Troy Smith deep in Iowa territory kept the Hawkeyes' faint hopes alive longer than they should have.
"I don't think it was near perfect," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said of Saturday's lopsided win. "We'll be able to go to the film and find a lot that wasn't perfect."
Ahead 14-0, the Buckeyes were about to turn the game into a rout when Iowa linebacker Abdul Hodge smacked Schnittker, forcing a fumble at the Hawkeyes' 8 that was recovered by defensive back Marcus Paschal and returned 38 yards.
Fueling the Hawkeyes' emotional surge was a 15-yard personal foul penalty against left tackle Doug Datish during the return.
The Buckeyes' defenders responded, first when senior cornerback Tyler Everett sacked Iowa quarterback Drew Tate for a 9-yard loss on the next play.
After Albert Young's run for 3 yards, linebackers Mike Kudla and A.J. Hawk sacked Tate again, pushing the Hawkeyes back another 5 yards.
Good game plan
Senior lineman Marcus Green credited his coaches "for a great job with the different blitzes and stunts we ran at them. We plugged the middle and let the ends get after them."
Moments later, the Buckeyes were threatening after tailback Antonio Pittman broke free for a 26-yard gain.
But this drive ended when Iowa lineman Mitch King hit Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith, forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive back Jovon Johnson.
Senior safety Nate Salley preserved the 14-point lead when he popped Hawkeyes wide receiver Clinton Solomon, forcing a dropped pass on what could have been a scoring strike.
The Buckeyes thought they had a third touchdown when Ted Ginn returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown. But holding by Jamario O'Neal negated the score, forcing the Buckeyes to settle for Josh Huston's 47-yard field goal.
The Buckeyes' other mistake came in the fourth quarter when freshman punter A.J. Trapasso dropped the ball, setting up Iowa's second field goal.
Motivation
Motivating the Buckeyes was last year's humiliating loss to the Hawkeyes, 33-7, at Iowa City.
"Everybody remembered what it felt like to go up there and get beat that bad," Hawk said.
This time, it was Iowa's quarterback Drew Tate who felt the heat. The Buckeyes sacked Tate five times, prompting the Iowa leader to spike the ball in frustration in the third quarter.
"He's an emotional guy and that's what makes him good, but I think his emotions got the better of him today," Buckeyes linebacker Bobby Carpenter said.
Tate completed 22-of-39 passes for 146 yards and had one deflected pass intercepted by strong safety Donte Whitmer. He ran nine times for 7 yards.
"When Tate started scrambling, we caught him right away," Everett said.