After 13 years, Ohio State is finally going back to the Rose Bowl. But Iowa certainly made the Buckeyes earn it.

Walk-on kicker Devin Barclay’s 39-yard field goal in overtime lifted No. 10 Ohio State to a 27-24 win over 15th-ranked Iowa before 105,455 Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The win gives OSU at least a share of the Big Ten title for the fifth straight year and its first Rose Bowl berth since 1996.

“This team has worked hard and stayed together,” said OSU coach Jim Tressel, who accepted the Rose Bowl bid after the game. “They have a chance to go to the Rose Bowl. None of our kids have gone to the Rose Bowl. I haven’t been there for 25 years. It’s a great feeling.”

Playing on senior day, Ohio State (9-2, 6-1) was a 17-point favorite to roll to the easy win. That was expected because Iowa (9-2, 5-2) was without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who was lost with an ankle injury in last week’s 17-10 loss to Northwestern. But the Hawkeyes had other ideas.

This game was tied 10-10 after three quarters. Then, after OSU exploded for a 24-10 lead with just over 11 minutes left, Iowa summoned another heroic comeback. The Hawkeyes got a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and then tied it at 24-24 as James Vandenberg, Stanzi’s replacement, hit Marvin McNutt with a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:42 left.

Neither team threatened at the end of regulation. Iowa had the ball to open the overtime, but the OSU defense slammed the door. OSU’s Doug Worthington sacked Vandenberg and knocked Iowa out of field goal range. Vandenberg threw a fourth-down interception to OSU’s Anderson Russell in the end zone.

OSU netted 3 yards on three plays before Barclay’s field goal split the uprights at the north end zone, touching off a massive celebration on the field at the Horseshoe.

“It was absolutely the best feeling of my life,” said the 27-year-old Barclay, who previously spent time with the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. “I knew when I hit it it was a good kick. I didn’t wait to see if it was going in. I knew it was staying straight and it had the distance. Nothing comes close to this. I just kind of took off after that point.”

Just four weeks ago, many left OSU’s Big Ten championship and BCS bowl hopes for dead after the team’s 26-18 upset loss at Purdue. But the Buckeyes stormed back with four wins in four weeks – including the last two over Big Ten front runners Penn State and Iowa – to seize the conference title.

Worthington, an OSU co-captain, reflected on the journey.

“It’s a blessing,” Worthington said. “It feels spectacular. Our hope was always to be at a BCS bowl. The underclassmen stuck with us and we had great preparation. It was a great battle and I’m glad we came out on top.”

“It means everything. It’s a storybook ending. We didn’t play the best game as a defensive line. But we got a chance to redeem ourselves. I had a chance to make the big play. The pressure was there. It was a team effort and I got the play.”

In the postgame, each of the captains reflected on the final result. Offensive lineman Jimmy Cordle, after listening to the captains’ quiet responses, stood, splashed a water bottle and shouted, “We did it, baby! We won! These guys up here, we’ve got five (Big Ten) rings now. We did it! We won!”

Calming down a moment later, Cordle said, “It was obviously an unbelievable game. I’m bruised. I’m battered, but we’re victorious. We got the job done. That’s all I can say.”

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor completed 14 of 17 passes for 93 yards for Ohio State, which outgained Iowa 322-300 in total yardage. Pryor improved to 17-3 as OSU’s starting quarterback and secured a second Big Ten title in as many seasons as the OSU starter.

“It’s huge, man,” Pryor said. “This was my first OT game and we fought it out. My hat’s off to Iowa and my hat’s off to us because we played a hell of a game.

“Coach Tressel had a meeting with us on Thursday after practice. All the seniors were gone. He said, ‘We can’t let these guys leave with a loss at our home.’ He just said, ‘Protect our house.’ We were motivated. It was a hard fought game.

“That’s why we come to Ohio State and they went to Iowa – to meet up and have these kind of games.”

Tailback Brandon Saine had 11 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns for the Buckeyes, while Boom Herron had 32 carries for 97 yards and a score.

“You’ve got two backs that rushed for 100 against Iowa,” Tressel said. “That’s extraordinary. They were breaking tackles and keeping their pads low and they were doing a great job. Those are two tough kids and the seniors mean a lot to those two. They were not going to let those seniors down.”

For Iowa, the redshirt freshman Vandenberg filled in admirably for the injured Stanzi. He was 20 of 33 passing for 233 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

“He was poised and he was confident,” Worthington said of Vandenberg. “He went out there and made the plays he needed to. He was lightning. He did a great job. Much credit to their offensive line and their quarterback. They did the best job any offense has done against us.”

Tailback Adam Robinson returned from an injury to log 74 yards rushing on 20 carries. McNutt had six catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson-Koulianos had three catches for 71 yards and also had his 99-yard kick return for a touchdown.

After nine wins to open the season, it was a second bitter loss in a row for the Hawkeyes. They were aiming for their first Big Ten title since 2004 and first Rose Bowl bid since the 1990 season.

“Both teams played a tremendous game,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “We competed back and forth all game. We had good preparation. It is a tough loss, but we are going to regroup.”

Ferentz was impressed with Vandenberg, who was making his first career start.

“James played a heck of a game for us,” Ferentz said. “It wasn’t unexpected. We know what he is capable of. He has a good handle on our system. We could not have walked into a tougher environment. James played with mental and physical toughness.”

As It Happened

Iowa got the game’s first points on its second possession. The Hawkeyes moved 42 yards in eight plays. Iowa was aided by a pass interference penalty on OSU corner Chimdi Chekwa. Robinson then ripped off a 14-yard gain down to the OSU 14. But an Iowa false start penalty and a dropped would-be touchdown pass by receiver Trey Stross left Iowa to settle for Daniel Murray’s 32-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

Ohio State answered with a 17-play, 73-yard march. OSU converted three third downs on the possession, including a 15-yard toss from Pryor to DeVier Posey to the Iowa 31. But Pryor’s pass on third-and-6 from 13 was incomplete to Posey in the end zone. Barclay’s 30-yard field goal tied it at 3-3 with 7:01 left in the first half.

OSU then forced an Iowa three-and-out and took over after a punt at its own 26-yard line. The Buckeyes moved 74 yards in eight plays. The drive was aided by a personal foul penalty on Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn for a horse collar tackle on Saine. That gave OSU a first down at the Iowa 34.

On first down there, Pryor rolled right and hit Dane Sanzenbacher for 12 yards and a first down at the 22. Saine then took a give and had, perhaps, the best run of his career. He went inside, cut outside and eluded Iowa’s Nick Nielsen at the 10 and finally weaved back inside and took Iowa’s Tyler Sash with him to the end zone for the 22-yard touchdown that made it 10-3 with 2:04 left in the half.

Vandenberg then threw a tipped pass interception to OSU’s Anderson Russell with 58 seconds left in the half, but the Buckeyes could not capitalize and went into the half up 10-3.

Iowa came out attacking immediately with Vandenberg throwing a 55-yard post pass to Johnson-Koulianos. But the drive stalled at the 5 and Murray’s 22-yard field goal was wide right.

Late in the third quarter, Iowa moved 56 yards in six plays to tie the game at 10-10. Vandenberg’s 33-yard post pass to McNutt moved it down to the 13. On third-and-6 from the 9, Vandenberg went to Iowa’s bread-and-butter play – the slant to McNutt. He hauled it in between OSU’s Chekwa and Kurt Coleman for the touchdown to tie it at 10-10 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

Ohio State answered with an 11-play, 79-yard touchdown march to regain the lead. Pryor hit tight end Jake Ballard for a 17-yard gain and a first down at the Iowa 48. He then converted a third down with a scramble and a 12-yard pass to Duron Carter. On third-and-10 at the 30, Pryor kept it for a 19-yard gain down to the 11.

On first down there, Herron took a direct snap in the Wildcat and went right. He eluded two Iowa defenders in the backfield, turned the corner, picked up a block from Sanzenbacher and took it in for the 11-yard touchdown and a 17-10 lead with 13:03 left in the game.

“I was kind of nervous,” Herron said. “I didn’t get the snap directly into my hands. I was like I’ve got to do something with this. I got around the edge and Dane had a good block for me. I got it into the end zone.”

Vandenberg then overthrew tight end Tony Moeaki down the middle and OSU’s Ross Homan made the interception with 11:19 left. OSU took possession at the Iowa 49.

On first down there, Saine went left around end and went untouched down the sideline for the 49-yard touchdown and a 24-10 lead with 11:11 left in the game.

"We were just having fun out there," Saine said. "We were stepping up and doing what we knew how to do. We weren't trying to overthink anything."

The good feeling was short-lived, though. Iowa’s Johnson-Koulianos fielded the ensuing kickoff at Iowa’s 1-yard line. He fumbled it, but recovered it and proceeded to break three tackles on his way down the right sideline on a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown that made it 24-17 with 10:56 left in the game.

Iowa’s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds. To compound matters, Iowa’s Christian Ballard was flagged for a personal foul for a blow to the head. OSU took the ball at the Iowa 45. The Buckeyes got a first down. But on third-and-8 from the 27, Herron was slammed for a 3-yard loss. Barclay’s 47-yard field goal then slid wide left. Iowa got the ball back at its own 30-yard line with 7:11 left in the game.

The Hawkeyes moved 70 yards in nine plays to tie the game at 24-24. Early in the drive, defensive end Thad Gibson intercepted a Vandenberg pass and returned it for an apparent touchdown. But OSU’s Nathan Williams was flagged for offsides, negating the pick and giving Iowa a first down at its 41. Vandenberg then threw a pass into triple coverage. OSU’s Chekwa couldn’t corral it. It went straight up in the air and Iowa’s Moeaki came down with it for a 16-yard gain down to the 30.

Finally on second-and-6 at the 9, Vandenberg stood in under blitz pressure and hit McNutt over Chekwa in the right corner of the end zone for the 10-yard touchdown to tie it at 24-24 with 2:42 left in the game.

OSU got a first down on its ensuing possession. But on third-and-5 from the 34, Pryor’s pass to Herron lost 3 yards and the Buckeyes had to punt with 58 seconds left. Iowa ran two plays and ran the remaining clock out to send the game to overtime.

Iowa had the ball first in the overtime. Robinson lost 6 yards on second down when OSU’s Austin Spitler made the tackle. Then, OSU’s Worthington sacked Vandenberg for a 10-yard loss back at the 41.

“It was an up-and-under by Nate Williams,” Worthington said. “I tried to hold my man. I came outside and I saw his eyes. He looked at me and he put the ball down and the rest was history. It was just something that was there. We practiced it all week and it worked.”

Vandenberg’s fourth-down heave to the end zone was intercepted by Russell.

“I was talking to my coach afterward, Coach Heacock, and he was like, ‘Man, you about gave me a heart attack’ because I was kind of standing there with the ball and I was really thinking about taking it out of the end zone,” Russell said. “But I decided to take a knee.

“I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and we did a good job of getting pressure.”

OSU then had the ball at the Iowa 25. Herron lost 2 yards on first down, got 2 yards on second and 3 more on third to set up the field goal.

Barclay, who replaced the injured Aaron Pettrey two weeks ago as OSU’s kicker, came on and hit a 39-yard field goal for the win, sending OSU to Pasadena.

“It was an unbelievable opportunity,” Barclay said. “I was thrust into it a couple of weeks ago. You always prepare. Aaron has been such a supportive guy.”

Fans stormed the field to celebrate OSU’s first Rose Bowl berth in 13 years.

“That was one of the greatest feelings I have had since I’ve been here,” Herron said. “It was a great opportunity to win a big game like this. Iowa was a great team.”

Also Notable

* Ohio State advances to its 14th appearance in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes are 6-7 all-time in the Rose Bowl. This will be just OSU’s third Rose Bowl berth in 30 years and its first since the 1997 Rose Bowl, which the Buckeyes won by upsetting No. 2 Arizona State 20-17 in dramatic fashion.

The Buckeyes will face the Pac-10 champion in the game set for Jan. 1, 2010 (5 p.m. Eastern, ABC). Going into Saturday, five Pac-10 teams – Oregon, Arizona, Stanford, Oregon State and USC – still had a chance to represent the conference in Pasadena.

The win extends OSU’s string of BCS bowl berths to five straight years. In 12 years of the BCS format, Ohio State becomes the first school to clinch eight BCS bowl bids. USC is still in position to match that record by clinching an eighth BCS bowl bid. Oklahoma entered the season with seven BCS bowl bids. But at 5-4 entering this weekend, the Sooners have no chance to get an eighth BCS bid this year.

* OSU clinched at least a share of its 34^th Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes trail only Michigan, which has a Big Ten-leading 42 conference titles.

The Buckeyes have won five consecutive Big Ten championships, one shy of the all-time record streak of six set by coach Woody Hayes’ OSU teams from 1972-77.

OSU can wrap up its 18th all-time outright Big Ten title with a win over Michigan next Saturday.

* This was the 62nd meeting all-time between the schools. Ohio State now leads the all-time series (since 1922) at 45-14-3. OSU now owns a 28-8-1 edge in Columbus, including six straight wins at Ohio Stadium.

OSU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings with Iowa. The lone loss in that stretch was at Iowa City in 2004 (a 33-7 Iowa win).

* OSU reached nine wins for the seventh time in nine years under Jim Tressel.

* Under Tressel, OSU improved to 36-13 against ranked teams, 56-7 in home games and 58-13 in Big Ten games.

* Tressel is 25-4 in November games at Ohio State.

* Under Tressel, OSU is 4-1 in overtime games. The last home overtime game was vs. No. 24 NC State Sept. 13, 2003, a 44-38 triple overtime win. The last away overtime game was at Northwestern, a 27-23 loss, Sept. 18, 2004.

* Freshman offensive lineman Marcus Hall made his first career start right tackle. However, J.B. Shugarts, the previous starter there, played most of the game in that spot.

* For the second consecutive game, Homan recorded an interception. It also was his fourth of the season and fifth of his career.

* Russell’s two interceptions give him three for the year and six in his career.

* Cordle was Ohio State's fourth captain for this game. He was among 19 seniors playing their final game at Ohio Stadium.

* Ohio State's honorary captain was former Ohio State All-American offensive tackle, No. 74, John Hicks (1970-72-73).

* The crowd figure is the eighth-largest in Ohio Stadium history.

* Ohio State wraps the regular season at rival Michigan (5-6, 1-6) next Saturday. The Wolverines lost their sixth Big Ten game in a row on Saturday, falling 45-24 at Wisconsin. The OSU-Michigan game will be televised nationally by ABC with a noon start.

* Click here for Jeff Rapp’s in-game blog. Click here for Dave Biddle’s What We Learned column. Click here for the box score from ESPN.com. Click here for video of Coach Tressel’s postgame press conference. Click here for video of Pryor’s postgame press conference.

Click here for details on the official Bucknuts Rose Bowl trip. (Don’t delay, space will be limited.)