Ohio State Football: Kirk Ferentz proved old school football still works
Old school football was the difference in Iowa’s win over Ohio State.
Offensive and defensive schemes in college football come and go but “old school” football is effective in any era. Coach Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes proved that to be the case with their decisive win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.
As simple as it sounds, the first key to playing old school is to play smash mouth football. Knock your opponent backwards more often than he does that to you.
The Hawkeyes certainly did that against the Buckeyes as they controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. If a team can do that, they always have a chance to win.
Also, Iowa established the running game which is also a key to old school football. Running backs Akrum Wadley, James Butler and Toren Young rushed for 239 yards on 35 carries.
Some may say the fact that Nathan Stanley threw 31 times for five touchdowns isn’t old school football, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi would have applauded coach Ferentz for calling on his quarterback to put up points.
The legendary Green Bay Packers head coach was known to play power football, but he said you scored with the passing game. He had NFL Hall of Famers, FB Jim Taylor and HB Paul Hornung to soften up the defense for sure. But that often allowed quarterback Bart Starr to hit wide receivers Max McGee and Boyd Dowler for TD passes when opposing defenses were gearing up to stop the run.
To be effective with coach Ferentz’ style of play you have to have a stout defense. The Hawkeyes D has been recognized as one of the best in the Big Ten every year since coach Ferentz took over the helm in 1999. They proved they were again on Saturday holding the high-powered Buckeye offense 22 points below their scoring average.
When you play close to the vest it’s important that players make the most of their opportunities. The Hawkeye tight ends certainly came through in that regard with 9 receptions for 125 yards and four touchdowns, and the wide receivers made crucial catches as well.
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Defensive backs Amani Hooker and Joshua Jackson were the real stars in that department. Hooker intercepted JT Barrett’s first pass of the game and returned it for a score. Jackson had three interceptions and a couple of them were highlight type of plays.
Other facets of old school football is to win the turnover battle and be solid on special teams. That was the case on Saturday as Iowa was solid in the kicking game and had a successful trick play on special teams which led to a touchdown. The Hawkeyes also led the turnover battle 4-0.
It was a bitter pill for me to swallow watching Ohio State get manhandled by Iowa Saturday. But I have to give credit to the Iowa Hawkeyes for the way they won.
I guess I just have an appreciation for “old school” football because I grew up with it. That was the style of play I watched a half-century ago when I first began following the Buckeyes. It may not be as exciting as watching teams with high-powered spread offenses for some, but it is for me. And it works.
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See, I watched smash mouth football when I began following the Buckeyes and Woody Hayes was the head coach. Saturday, Iowa played a similar style of football I grew up with and coach Kirk Ferentz proved once again that “old school” football can be just as effective in today’s college game as it was back then. I just would have rather he waited for another time to do so.