No. 5 Ohio State Heads Back to Kinnick With 2017 Upset Still Looming
Ohio State is heading back to Kinnick Stadium, and for Buckeye fans, it is difficult to make the trip without remembering what happened the last time.
No. 5 Ohio State travels to Iowa City on Saturday for a Top-15 Big Ten matchup against No. 14 Iowa. It will mark the Buckeyes’ first game at Kinnick Stadium since Nov. 4, 2017, when an unranked Iowa team stunned Ohio State 55-24 in one of the biggest upsets of that college football season. (The Daily Iowan)
Nine years later, the circumstances are different, but Kinnick once again presents a difficult road test for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes enter Saturday at 3-1 and 1-0 in Big Ten play. Their lone defeat came in a 24-23 road loss to Texas, while Ohio State’s offense is coming off an impressive performance against Illinois. Star receiver Jeremiah Smith caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns in the 42-19 victory, becoming the first Buckeye to surpass 3,000 career receiving yards. (Sports Illustrated)
Smith will now face one of the country’s stingiest defenses.
Iowa enters the weekend 4-0 for the first time since 2021 and leads the nation in scoring defense at just 8.0 points allowed per game. The Hawkeyes have already recorded two shutouts and have surrendered only three touchdowns through their first four games. (Ohio State)
The Hawkeyes are also coming off their biggest victory of the season.
Iowa went into Ann Arbor last weekend and defeated then-No. 18 Michigan 20-19 on the final play of the game. Quarterback Hank Brown led a late 91-yard drive before connecting with Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown as time expired. Brown has yet to turn the ball over through Iowa’s first four games. (Ohio State)
That victory pushed Iowa to No. 14 in the AP poll and set up one of the biggest games Kinnick Stadium has hosted in years.
ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Iowa City for the first time in 20 years, broadcasting from the Pentacrest Saturday morning. The Ohio State-Iowa matchup is also the first time since 2006 that both programs have been ranked inside the AP Top 15 when facing one another. (ESPN Press Room)
Then there is the history.
Ohio State entered Kinnick Stadium in 2017 ranked No. 6 in the AP poll and still firmly in the national championship picture. Iowa turned the afternoon into a rout, intercepting J.T. Barrett four times and handing the Buckeyes a stunning 31-point defeat. The loss ultimately played a major role in keeping Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff despite winning the Big Ten championship later that season. (The Daily Iowan)
Current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was the Buckeyes’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time. He has since described the defeat as a memory that has stuck with him. (Sports Illustrated)
Saturday isn’t 2017, and the names on both sidelines have largely changed. But the ingredients for another memorable afternoon in Iowa City are there.
An undefeated Iowa team is coming home after a dramatic road victory. The nation’s top scoring defense awaits one of college football’s most talented offenses. College GameDay is back in town, Kinnick is sold out, and Ohio State arrives carrying both playoff aspirations and the memory of what happened during its last visit.
Kickoff between No. 5 Ohio State and No. 14 Iowa is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS. (Hawkeyes Athletics)
