No names, no blame, no worries.

That was the phrase Kurt Coleman and others used this past week to describe the mentality behind Ohio State’s defense, which entered yesterday’s showdown with Iowa ranked in the national top 10 in several categories.

After the No. 15 Buckeyes took down the No. 10 Hawkeyes 27-24 in overtime, it was clear that the defensive unit really does adhere to that policy.

After all, Ohio State appeared to be in control after Brandon Saine popped free for a 49-yard touchdown that put the home team up 24-10 and seemingly ready to punch a ticket to Pasadena. With 11:11 to go in the 11^th game of the season, the Buckeyes appeared to have a winning roll and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

But then the game changed – eerily.

Iowa’s Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who proved to be a playmaker, busted the kickoff coverage with a 99-yard return for a touchdown to trim the lead right back to seven. Iowa’s tying drive came despite a James Vandenberg pass that was intercepted by defensive end Thad Gibson for an apparent clinching touchdown only to be called back for defensive offsides on fellow end Nathan Williams. It also came after another ill-advised pass by Vandenberg that linebacker Brian Rolle was about to intercept until teammate Chimdi Chekwa banged into him and the ball squirted upward and was grabbed by Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki.

Playing at home and heavily favored since Vandenberg was logging his first career start in place of the injured Ricky Stanzi, the Buckeyes had reason to believe the football gods were not on their side. But in overtime, the defense opted not to grumble about what had just happened. shut down the garage door with key plays by several defenders and displayed a belief that victory was still at hand.

No names, no blame, no worries.

“The Rose Bowl was on the line, the championship was on the line and we never ever, gave up hope,” a very proud Austin Spitler said. “We were relentless, and that’s what we preached all week – relentless. We never gave in and it’s a tribute to this team.

“I can’t say enough about the seniors and this team, how we handled the adverse situations. I haven’t been around a team that’s more tight-knit than this group.”

That closeness paid off as the Hawkeyes rallied.

“With these guys we felt like we were playing into their hands the way they’ve been playing all year, coming back from being down and everything,” safety Anderson Russell said. “We knew even when we went up 24-10 and we were kicking off to them, we were talking because there was still 11 minutes left in the fourth, and we were saying, ‘This game is far from over.’ This is where they feel comfortable and they’ve been doing this all year. We were just fortunate enough to come out with a win.”

The Buckeyes still played acceptable defense. The Hawkeyes gained 300 total yards but were just 3 of 10 on third-down conversions and were held to just 2.8 yards per rush. For the most part the Buckeyes put the Iowa offense in tough situations and playing from behind. But, to Iowa’s credit, the visitors made some very key plays and never went away.

“We felt like we did some good things,” longtime OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said. “We dropped Thaddeus over the middle and got the interception and then we’re offsides. We seemed to shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit. Then we brought pressure upfield and hit the boot and they kind of throw it up and then we miss the interception. We just couldn’t make the plays that we needed to make at times.

“I don’t know that we played our best game, but it’s nice to play the way we did and still find a way to win. At the end it was nice to see those guys go out there and compete in that overtime and take the fight to them.”

Iowa, in fact, moved backwards in the OT.

“Even when it was 24-24 going into overtime, we felt good about ourselves,” Coleman said. “We felt confident about what we wanted to do, and it was just about executing our game plan. I think our defensive line did a great job of getting pressure and sacking (Vandenberg). We were ready to be able to make a play at the end.”

Throughout regulation, the Buckeyes weren’t quite able to avalanche young Vandenberg, a redshirt freshman, as they hoped. But in the extra session, senior defensive lineman Doug Worthington tore into the backfield and took down the 6-3, 205-pound QB for a 10-yard loss on third-and-16, sending the Ohio Stadium crowd of 105,455 into a frenzy. Of course, the defense put Iowa in an obvious passing situation to set up the play. On first down, Vandenberg tried to hit backup tight end Allen Reisner on a short sideline pass but the coverage was ideal and the attempt was incomplete. On second down, tailback Adam Robinson tried to find yardage over the right side but the OSU defensive front made an impressive push and Spitler cleaned up the play, nailing Robinson for a 6-yard loss.

Spitler exalted the team effort with raised arms after the play.

“Obviously it was a big play,” said Spitler, a team co-captain along with Coleman and Worthington and one of 19 seniors who was honored before the game, their last in the Horseshoe. “My emotions were running high. I was fired up. The feeling after that play, I can’t even explain it. Senior Day in the ’Shoe, overtime for the Big Ten championship, for all the marbles, and we did it, we pulled it off.”

The Hawkeyes began the first possession of OT at the 25 and were supposed to be traveling toward the north end zone. Instead, the drive went south in a hurry. Faced with a fourth-and-26 from the 41, Vandenberg had no choice but to heave one deep. But the gods ran out of ammunition and his lob to the end zone was intercepted by Russell, the senior’s second pick of the evening and the biggest of his career.

“It kind of hasn’t really sunk in to me yet,” Russell said. “I was just going out making plays trying to help our defense. We all did an especially good job tonight. They have a really good offensive line. They were giving the quarterback time to throw the ball tonight, so their offensive line was keeping their offense moving for them. It was by far our toughest challenge all season.”

After the interception in the end zone, Russell took a few steps forward, hesitated and then wisely decided to kneel down for the touchback.

“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,” he admitted. “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.”

Heacock said the defensive stand in the overtime was primarily out of basic formation and the result of terrific recognition and effort of the defense.

“We tried to mix it up like crazy,” he said. “I think in the overtime probably the first defense we called was basic. We wanted to play a base and they were sprinting out a lot and moving the pocket an awful lot. But the second one was actually a three-man rush and we got pressure. Doug Worthington came around on a little twist and got pressure on the quarterback. To be honest with you, we tried a lot of stuff.

“It’s nice to get a win and go back to the Rose Bowl. I think Iowa is a good football team. They’ve found a way to win every game this year except Northwestern and they’re tough down the stretch. They know how to win.”

Coleman agreed, pointing out that Vandenberg and the Iowa offense turned out to be plenty enough of a challenge.

“He did a great job of controlling the game and maintaining what they wanted him to do and Iowa is very resilient,” Coleman said. “They fought and they fought back. And in the fourth quarter when we were up 14 I felt like if we were able to go out on defense and get a stop we’d be able to put the pedal to the metal but they were able to come back. They’re a very good team and their record is just where it should be, I think. They’re a good team but I felt like we played a little bit better.”

There was still work to do, of course, after the defense kept the Hawkeyes off the board. Head coach Jim Tressel decided to avoid any real risk ad Daniel “Boom” Herron’s three rushes netted just 3 yards. However, placekicker Devin Barclay, backup to the injured Aaron Pettrey, nailed a 39-yard field goal to provide the victory.

The Ohio State bench immediately exploded in celebration after a hardfought and hugely important victory.

“That was one of the greatest feelings I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Herron said. “It was a great opportunity to win big games like this. Iowa is a great team. They fought 60 minutes-plus. We just got the job done.”

The Buckeyes can win the Big Ten championship outright with a win over Michigan next weekend. But in the home finale, the team secured at least a share of league championship, making it five in a row.

“It’s something that you dream about coming into Ohio State,” said Coleman, a Dayton-area product. “I’ve been fortunate enough to win every year. This game is something that you never want to take for granted. I’ve been trying to savor all the moments and this overtime game has definitely been just icing on the cake.”

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Like Coleman, several of the Ohio State defenders came away very impressed with talent and maturity of Vandenberg, who finished 20 of 33 for 233 yards and surprised the Buckeyes with several of his throws.

“That was unbelievable for a young quarterback coming here with great composure all night,” said outside linebacker Ross Homan, who led OSU with eight tackles and added one for loss and an interception. “That’s the best line that we’ve faced so far and they have skill players who were making plays all night.”

With OSU’s front four not draped on him, Vandenberg made accurate tosses and would have had better numbers if not for several drops, including three by wideout Trey Stross, a senior from Avon Lake, Ohio. In fact, Stross dropped a touchdown in the first half after Vandenberg moved left and threw a strike to him near the pylon. In the third quarter, Iowa tied the game at 10 when Vandenberg threw a bullet to Marvin McNutt, threading the ball between Chekwa and Coleman on the slant for a 9-yard TD.

“That guy had an arm on him,” Spitler said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming into the game. We didn’t know much about him. But he exceeded my expectations and played a heck of a game.”

“They had a great game plan and I take my hat off to that kid,” Gibson added. “He went out there and had a great game, as well as their offensive line, and they put up a great fight. But somehow, some way we found a way to get it done.”

Vandenberg surprised the defense early in the third quarter when he fired deep to Johnson-Koulianos for a 55-yard completion down to the OSU 7. Cornerback Devon Torrence got burned on the play, but made the touchdown-saving tackle without safety help and the Buckeyes held firm from there. In fact, Daniel Murray, Iowa’s outstanding kicker inexplicably missed a 22-yard field goal.

Torrence began to hang his head after the bomb play but Russell reminded him of the defensive credo.

“They got a good play on our corner but I was telling Devon, I was like, ‘We’ll talk about it when we get back to the sideline and we’ve still got to play,’ and he did a good job of making the tackle to make them have to snap the ball again and we were fortunate enough to stop them and force them to a field goal (attempt),” Russell said.

However, Russell also came away impressed with Vandenberg.

“He’s unbelievable, really,” he said. “He put the ball on the money all game. The one interception he threw to Ross that was a good play by Ross. Other than that he was putting the ball on the money all game and he’s got a very bright future.”

Iowa also held up very well up front against OSU’s vaunted defensive line with two seniors, two juniors and a redshirt freshman for an offensive line. Especially tough to penetrate was right guard Julian Vandervelde, a 6-3, 300-pound junior who could be setting up an All-Big Ten senior season.

“I thought they did a great job,” Heacock said. “We probably thought we could pressure him a little bit but they were throwing the ball quick. They were going to the slants and they did a good job. They used the quick-throw game and the boots. They got outside on the edge, so they were moving the pocket and I think they did a good job. You still have to find a way to lock them down at the receiver spot and get pressure on them.”

Run To The Roses

While the OSU defense found a way to hang in and make the plays when necessary, the offense did the same.

The Buckeyes averaged 4.7 yards per play to Iowa’s 5.3 but moved the chains to the tune of 20 first downs and were a very respectable 8 of 17 on third-down conversions. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw for just 93 yards but was a very efficient 14 of 17 and kept the ball moving without completing a pass of more than 17 yards, and that was to tight end Jake Ballard on a dump off in the flat.

Yet another senior, Ballard had three catches for 24 yards and Saine also caught three short ones out of the backfield for 15 yards.

Starting wide receivers DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher each had just two catches but they helped pave the way for Saine, Herron and Pryor, who combined to rush for 229 yards and three touchdowns.

Herron was the plow horse with 108 yards on 32 rugged carries. Saine provided the Zoom to Herron’s Boom with 103 yards in just 11 carries, including, of course, the 49-yard TD scamper and a nifty 22-yard scoring run in the second period.

“That’s fine with me,” Sanzenbacher said. “If they’re going to run like that, I’m fine blocking all day. Both of those guys they deserve all of the success they get. They’re running hard, so we have no problem blocking for them.”

Sanzenbacher put his money where his mouth is as he sealed off a defender on Herron’s touchdown – an 11-yard scamper around right end out of a direct snap in the fourth quarter.

“I just had the mind-set that I didn’t want my guy to be the guy to make the tackle,” the junior wideout said.

The blocking also was solid up front. Senior Jim Cordle had the unenviable task of trying to slow down Iowa end Adrian Clayborn and made moments of success. Marcus Hall earned the start at right tackle and held up well. The interior of left guard Justin Boren, center Michael Brewster and right guard Bryant Browning struggled at times keeping tackle Karl Klug out of the gaps but also opened holes on some of the most effective run plays.

“The offensive line got it going early and they kept going throughout the whole game,” Saine said. “Without that it would have been a completely different game. Boom and I just did what we were taught to do and it worked out for us.”

“It’s a good feeling,” Herron said. “We try to get the job done no matter who is in there and today we did that.”

Notes

* Iowa possessed the ball 26:08 of regulation to OSU’s 33:52 and ran 57 plays compared to OSU’s 68 but don’t tell Homan he had it easy out there.

“It’s exhausting, but it’s worth it,” he said. “We got the win so it doesn’t feel as bad.”

Homan not only played a starring role once again, he overtook Rolle for the team lead in tackles for the season, upping his total to 84. Rolle had four stops and now sits at 82.

Still, the only thing he felt like celebrating afterward was the win.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “The Rose Bowl is all about the Big Ten. Getting back there is great. It’s been since the 90’s. It’s a great feeling.”

* Sanzenbacher agreed that the Buckeyes have done a model job of staying together, especially after a heartbreaking loss to USC way back in the second week of the season and the 26-18 setback at Purdue in October.

“I think both of those losses kind of brought us together as a team,” he said. “Obviously they’re tough and you never want to have games like that, but I think those two games make this win even sweeter.”

* The Ohio State offense did not commit a turnover for the second straight game while the defense came up with three interceptions. Ohio State entered the game a Big Ten-best plus-nine in turnover margin and improved it to plus-12.

Russell’s first pick came late in the second quarter with the Buckeyes protecting a 10-3 lead as Vandenberg threw a bit high and Moeaki tipped the ball, allowing it to land softly in Russell’s arms at the OSU 33. His second, of course, came on the last defensive play of the season at home.

Homan, meanwhile, victimized Vandenberg after OSU took a 17-10 lead. He picked off a pass at the OSU 45 and returned it 21 yards along the OSU sideline, although a penalty negated some of that yardage.

“It was a great call by the defensive coaches and there was great pressure by our D-line and I was just in the right place at the right time,” Homan said.

Gibson’s play would have accounted another takeaway but was called back because of the penalty on Williams. Gibson also has had several fumble recoveries wiped away this season.

“Things happen,” he said with a shrug. “You can’t change the past. What happened, happened. You’ve got to move on. I’m just happy we got the W.”

* Barclay missed a 47-yarder earlier in the fourth period but Tressel believed he was within range with the 39-yarder in OT that won the game. So did the OSU players.

“I have all the confidence in the world with him,” Coleman said of Barclay, OSU’s 26-year-old second-stringer. “He played for the Crew. I have class with him and I talk to him every day. I knew he was able to step into the role and make the play, even though he missed the first field goal. He had the leg and the thing about kicking is just being consistent. I think he was fine.”

“I just talked to him downstairs,” Sanzenbacher said in the interview room. “It’s unbelievable to me still. I used to be the backup holder. Me and him would be in there with the second string and he just made himself a little legend sending us to the Rose Bowl.”

* Robinson missed two games this season with a leg injury and original reports said he might be out for the rest of the regular season. He was not even listed in the two-deep in Iowa’s press release for the OSU game and word late in the week was that he would try to go and play “a series or two” in relief of freshman Brandon Wegher.

Instead, the veteran opened at tailback, took all 20 handoffs and gained 88 yards rushing. He also caught a couple swing passes for 13 yards.

Was Heacock surprised to see so much of Robinson?

“Not really,” he said. “I thought he might be back.”

* The Buckeyes often are knocked for not winning the big game but they downed a top-10 team to go to the Rose Bowl, which counts in the minds of the coaches and players.

“We’ve always had the mind-set that we can compete with everybody in the country,” Sanzenbacher said. “There’s all the talk about big games and stuff like that, but I think what matters is the mind-set of all those guys in the locker room and I think we’ve never had any doubt in ourselves.”