[NU Sports] FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day 17

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Hump day and we keep rollin' along ...

FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL
######################

> DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota
09) Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
08) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
07) Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin
06) Randy Walker, Northwestern
05) Lloyd Carr, Michigan
04) Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
03) Joe Tiller, Purdue
02) Joe Paterno, Penn State
01) Jim Tressel, Ohio State

> DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade

10) 2000: Purdue 32, Michigan 31
09) 2001: Michigan State 26, Michigan 24
08) 2005: Michigan 27, Penn State 25
07) 2003: Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 34
06) 2004: Northwestern 33, Ohio State 27 (OT)
05) 2008: Penn State 13, Ohio State 6

> DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade
> DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

And a quick reminder of the "rules" for this list ...
- No bowl games (counted down those before the Outback Bowl)
- Only conference games (they mean more!)
- No "repeats" (i.e. only one Michigan vs. OSU game)

And now we get to the most recent game on our list, and it was a treat ...

TOP GAMES
#########

04) 2009: Ohio State 27, Iowa 24 (OT)

When the Big Ten's "next new era" begins with Nebraska's addition in 2011, the league will finally have that championship game at the end of the season. But football fans got a sneak peek at what that would look like last November when 9-1 Iowa traveled to Columbus to meet 8-2 Ohio State with everything on the line. The winner gets to walk around the field after the game with a Rose in his mouth. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Not only did you have the ultimate stakes, but the backstory was equally compelling. A week before the game, Iowa was unbeaten and in the top 5 with national title dreams. But a loss to Northwestern and the loss of their starting quarterback made them a heavy underdog as they traveled to the Shoe for a late start on ABC.

But Iowa had leaders on its team who had won in Happy Valley earlier in the season and Kirk Ferentz is a heck of a coach. Redshirt freshman James Vandenberg stepped in at quarterback and after a rocky start, nearly pulled off what would have been a win for the ages.

The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes were tied at 10 as darkness fell on Columbus for the final quarter. Two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the fourth had OSU fans celebrating and calling their travel agent for a trip to sunny California. The newbie had a nice run, but no freshman in his first start was going to overcome a two-score deficit in the fourth ... right?

But just like their earlier 2009 game at Penn State, Iowa used a special teams play to swing momentum. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (definitely on the all-name team of the decade) ran the ensuing kickoff back 99 yards and what had been a defensive game for three quarters was suddenly exploding in offense.

After a missed field goal, Iowa marched down to tie the game with 2 minutes remaining with an impressive 70-yard drive that only needed one third down conversion. A defensive stand later and the 100,000+ in Ohio Stadium were rubbing their eyes in disbelief along with the rest of us at home. The Hawkeyes had made a game of it despite two turnovers (in regulation) and suddenly we were headed into overtime with Pasadena on the line.

The extra session, however, proved unkind to the black and gold, as OSU's defense blitzed the freshman quarterback and ultimately forced an interception. Three plays later, Ohio State offered their own fairy tale ending as a walk-on kicker and former MLS soccer player kicked a 39-yard field goal and sent Ohio State to the Rose Bowl for the first time in more than a decade.

We can only hope that the title tilts in the new HoosierDome live up to this game. 

Coming Thursday: Fourth down, championship to go.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
==========================