Open it up, Kirk

Iowa goes to Ohio State's Horseshoe this weekend with a redshirt freshman, James Vandenberg, making his first start at quarterback.

All Vandenberg is being asked to do is lead an offense that wasn't all that potent to begin with against the No. 1 defense in the Big Ten. All that's at stake is the Big Ten championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl.

No pressure, huh?

So, how about trying something a little different? Anyone who follows Iowa football knows that coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe are too conservative to try anything really crazy. But you're not going to beat the Buckeyes lining up in your base offense and running right at them. Ain't gonna fly.

You can't give Vandenberg too much because the kid's barely had time to grasp the basic offense. But you can at least give him a chance by throwing a few new wrinkles into the offense.

The two Iowa players most likely to break off a big play are receivers Marvin McNutt and DJK. Have McNutt take some direct snaps. He went to Iowa as a quarterback. He ought to be able to handle that. Run a reverse with DJK. Try a couple of bubble screens. Run McNutt on a reverse and have him throw it.

And while the offensive coaches are at it, maybe they could find a way to get a few balls to someone who's become invisible lately. You remember Tony Moeaki. He's the tight end who caught six passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Michigan. He's caught six balls total in the four games since, none against Northwestern last week.

He's being double covered, you say? Well, draw up something to make sure he isn't. That's why Kirk and Ken get the big bucks.

It's not all on the offense, though. The Iowa defense has to come up big time in this one. The Hawkeyes need to get some stops at Ohio State's end to keep the field position in their favor. They also have to come up with a couple of momentum-changing turnovers, something they couldn't do against Northwestern.

Even if the Hawkeyes get creative on offense and force some turnovers, there's still no guarantee they'll win. But without some creativity and turnovers, they have no chance.