Hawkeye History: Iowa Football Looking to Have Lightning Strike Twice vs Ohio State

Okay, Iowa, you have everyone's attention now. What are you going to do with it?

The Iowa Hawkeyes knocked off the Michigan Wolverines in the most stunning of fashions, with a final-second touchdown pass from Hank Brown to Reece Vander Zee that turned the Big House into a library.

What's the reward for that? Well, it's just a home game at Kinnick Stadium against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Oh, and ESPN College GameDay will be in attendance. No pressure, though, right?

I say that slightly in jest, but Iowa has set a precedent for how dangerous they can be against a highly ranked Ohio State team.

Shall we get into it and start rekindling some of the magic of 2017?

Iowa Hawkeyes vs Ohio State History

History in this matchup, which is surprisingly young, as the two teams first played each other only in 1989, hasn't been kind to the Iowa Hawkeyes. In fact, it is horribly lopsided.

Ohio State owns a 17-3 record all-time in the series between the two Big Ten staples. Digging in more, Ohio State is 9-1 at home against Iowa and 8-2 on the road.

The last two matchups have been unkind to Iowa, as each has been in Columbus. The 2022 meeting saw a 54-10 Buckeyes victory, while 2024 saw Ohio State cruise to a 35-7 win. What if we go back one more game, though? That's when it gets fun.

It was 2017, and the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes waltzed into Kinnick Stadium. To say that they limped out might be a generous understatement. Iowa waxed the Buckeyes 55-24, which has become one of the program's most legendary performances.

Everything went right for Iowa that day. Iowa picked off Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett four times, while the criminally underrated Nate Stanley threw five touchdowns. The Hawkeyes ran it up with 55 points en route to a game that has its own lore.

Riley Donald's Quick Thoughts

Would I love to see Iowa hang up 55 points on Ohio State? Who wouldn't?!

Is it likely we get that sort of scoring outburst? Not necessarily. The thing is, Iowa's offense is better than it has been for most of the 2020s, and the defense is playing at an elite level.

Still, everything would have to break Iowa's way with the Hawkeyes getting every good bounce. That's the path to another 55-point outburst against a highly ranked Ohio State.

The path to pulling off the upset, though, now that's more like finding a random $20 in your pocket versus lightning striking twice.

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