Iowa Can’t Shake Its Ohio State Jinx and Loses, 27-26 : Big Ten: Touchdown pass with one second to play gives Buckeyes the upset. Hawkeye Coach Fry is 2-9-1 against them.

Sixth-ranked Iowa had the chance to go 6-0 in the Big Ten Conference for the first time in its history. But as usual, Ohio State was there to spoil it.

Greg Frey threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Olive with one second remaining Saturday, giving the Buckeyes a 27-26 victory.

The last time the Hawkeyes started 5-0 in league play was 1958, and it was Ohio State that stopped that streak with a 38-28 victory.

In 1985, the Hawkeyes won their first four Big Ten games and first seven overall, and carried the No. 1 ranking into Columbus. The Buckeyes upset the Hawkeyes, 22-13.

Said Iowa coach Hayden Fry, who is 2-9-1 against Ohio State: “I’ve always felt snakebit against them. It’s always been a weird ballgame.”

“We dropped four potential interceptions . . . we dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone, we got one bad snap in the whole game and they blocked the punt,” Fry said.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been associated with such an unusual ballgame where the team played so well. Even up to the last drive the defense had their number, and to lose the ballgame, it’s heartbreaking,” he said.

Ohio State Coach John Cooper said it was a matter of the Buckeyes plugging away.

“I don’t think I’ve been around a better comeback than we had today,” Cooper said. “I felt we had a chance at the end if we could hold them from getting a first down.”

Iowa (7-2, 5-1) needed a victory and losses by Illinois and Minnesota to clinch a tie for the conference title with two games remaining. Ohio State (6-2-1, 4-1-1) instead pulled within a half-game of the Hawkeyes.

Iowa seemed in command with a 26-14 lead after a one-yard touchdown plunge by Lew Montgomery, his second of the game, with 11 minutes remaining.

But with 7:22 left, the Buckeyes’ Foster Paulk blocked Jim Hujsak’s punt to give Ohio State the ball at the Iowa 24. Three plays later, Frey connected with Olive on a 21-yard touchdown pass play to cut Iowa’s lead to 26-21 with 6:34 remaining.

On Iowa’s next possession, Lance Price stepped in front of Alan Cross to pick off a Matt Rodgers pass, Rodgers’ first intercepted pass in his last 88 attempts. However, Jason Olejniczak intercepted a Frey pass in the end zone on a fourth-and-six play with 2:31 left.

Iowa failed to move the ball on its next possession and Ohio State downed a punt on the Iowa 48 with 59 seconds left. Frey completed a pass to Olive for 23 yards, then connected with Jeff Graham to put the ball at the 19. Two plays later, Frey passed to Graham to move the Buckeyes to the three.

After an incomplete pass, Frey passed to Olive, who had beaten Merton Hanks, in the back of the end zone.

Iowa appeared to be in charge in the first half, leading 17-7 with about two minutes left. Rodgers’ first-quarter touchdown run, a 34-yard field goal and Montgomery’s one-yard run produced the 10-point lead. The Buckeyes, who scored on Frey’s one-yard run two seconds into the second quarter, had the ball on their 24 with 43 seconds before halftime.

After moving to the Iowa 48, Frey threw a pass that appeared to be picked off by Hanks as the half ended. But the ball bounced out of Hanks’ arms and into the hands of Graham, who ran into the end zone to pull the Buckeyes to 17-14.