Iowa (9-2, 5-2) made things interesting by erasing a 14-point deficit the final 10 minutes of play. Barclay had an opportunity to put Ohio State (9-2, 6-1) up two possessions with a 47-yard field goal with 7:11 remaining, but missed wide left.
 
“We let a lot of opportunities slip away, but we fought back and responded to the adversity we faced,” senior linebacker Austin Spitler said. “We never gave up and that says a lot about our team.”
 
The win capped off a season full of adversity that saw the Buckeyes lose to Southern California 18-15 on a late drive and get embarrassed by Purdue 26-18. Ohio State has won at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the fifth straight year and regardless of the result this week at Michigan heads to the Rose Bowl to face a Pac 10 opponent.

“They’ve handled adversity and worked hard to get better,” coach Jim Tressel said. “They’ve stayed together. A chance to go to the Rose Bowl for them, none of our kids have gone to the Rose Bowl. I haven’t been there for 25 years. I was an assistant coach in the 1985 Rose Bowl and this will be the 2010 Rose Bowl. So it’s been a long time and there’s nothing like it. It’s a great feeling.”
 
The game had the same feel as the USC game on Sept. 12. Ohio State was up 24-10 with just over 11 minutes remaining, but the Hawkeyes scored on two straight possessions to force overtime.
 
In the extra session, Ohio State won the toss and elected to go on defense first. Iowa red-shirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg threw an incomplete pass, a sack and was intercepted by Anderson Russell on fourth down. Adam Robinson lost six yards on a rush and the drive, which started on the OSU 25 lost 16 yards.
 
Dan Herron rushed three times for the Buckeyes for a short gain before Barclay hit the game-winning field goal.
 
“Iowa is a good football team and we knew it would go down to the wire,” senior tight end Jake Ballard said. “They gave everything they got and we gave everything we got. It just so happens that we came out on top. We’re really excited about this chance to go to the Rose Bowl.”
 
Brandon Sane rushed for 103 yards and Herron added 97. Terrelle Prior was 14-of-17 passing for 93 yards. He also rushed for 29 yards. Ray Small had 100 all-purpose yards, including 76 yards on kickoffs.
 
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a 32-yard field goal by Daniel Murray late in the first quarter. Barclay answered with a 30-yarder to tie the game early in the second.
 
Ohio State took the lead late in the first half when Sane ziged and zaged his way from 22-yards out to cap off an eight play, 74-yard drive.
 
Iowa started the second half and drove inside the Ohio State 5-yard line, but Murray missed a 22-yard field goal to end the threat.  The Hawkeyes didn’t fail two possessions later when Vandenberg found Marvin McNutt for a nine-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 10.
 
The Buckeyes responded with an 11-play, 79-yard drive capped off by an 11-yard run from Herron with 13 minutes left in the game.
 
On the ensuing drive, Ross Homan intercepted Vandenberg. On the next play, Sane broke through for 49 yards into the end zone putting the Buckeyes up 24-10.
 
Iowa’s Derrell Johnson-Koulianos ran the subsequent kickoff back 99 yards to get the Hawkeyes back to within a touchdown.
 
Vandenberg found McNutt once again for a 10-yard strike with 2:42 remaining to tie the game and force overtime.
 
“James played a heck of a game,” Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It wasn’t unexpected. We know what he is capable of. He was very impressive and has a good handle on our system. The thing is we couldn’t have walked him into a tougher environment. Ohio State is a great team and this is a tough place to play. But James played with mental and physical toughness.”
 
dave.seaman@columbuswired.tv
Twitter: @daveseaman94