By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Oct. 16, 2004 is a day that Iowa fans will cherish forever.

And let me remind you why.

That was the day the Iowa football team took Ohio State to the woodshed at Kinnick Stadium, winning 33-7 and leaving no doubt who the better team was that day.

“Everything we did, we were just very successful at it,” said Iowa City native Tyler Luebke, who started at defensive tackle for Iowa’s 2004 squad. “We were in full control of that field that day.

“Specifics are hard to remember this many hits later and years later. But we were out there having fun because we were doing the best that we could (against Ohio State). That’s something you don’t do. It’s almost surreal because of the history. We were like there should be a little bit more competition going on, but there wasn’t.”

I still remember standing on the sideline near the Iowa bench and looking up at the scoreboard as the final seconds ticked away and thinking this might never happen again. so let it all soak in and savor the moment.

So far, it hasn’t happened again.

Iowa hasn’t defeated Ohio State since that day 13 years ago and has only defeated the Buckeyes four times since 1963 and just once since 1992.

On the other hand, Iowa has a 7-4 record against Michigan since 2002 and also defeated the Wolverines three out five times from 1981 to 1985.

Iowa won eight out of nine games against Penn State from 2000 to 2010 and is 7-6 against Wisconsin since 2002.

Ohio State stands alone as the one team that dominates Iowa.

Hayden Fry became a legend for rebuilding the Iowa football program in the early 1980s. He won three Big Ten titles and led Iowa to victories over Michigan in 1981, 1984 and 1985.

But Fry was just 3-12-1 against Ohio State and his 1995 team, which featured offensive stars Tim Dwight, Sedrick Shaw and Tavian Banks, trailed the Buckeyes 56-0 late in the second quarter in Columbus.

Kirk Ferentz hasn’t been able to solve the Buckeyes, either, and I asked him asked about Ohio State’s prolonged dominance at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Ferentz’s record is 1-9 against Ohio State.

“I'm guessing if you checked any coaches' record in the Big Ten that didn't coach at Ohio State, they might have the same concern,” Ferentz said. “Paul Brown, go right down the list, whoever has coached there. They have had really good teams. Some years better than others.

“I don't know why that's happened necessarily. But, 28 years in the league, to me, overall, they have had as good of talent as anybody. Six years in the NFL, looking at draft boards, if you go back and look at the drafts, they typically have guys high.”

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas believe Ohio State’s dominance will continue on Saturday when the teams meet for the first time since 2013 when the Buckeyes, ranked fourth at the time, held on to defeat Iowa 34-24 in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State began this week as a 16-point favorite, but the spread has since climbed to 18 points.

“That’s fine,” said Iowa senior linebacker Ben Niemann. “They can say what they want. We’re going to show up ready to play. Vegas can say what they want. It’s not going affect how we prepare. We’re going to be ready to go regardless, and we’re obviously not looking for a 16-point loss.”

Niemann didn’t know the extent of Ohio State’s dominance in the series until being told on Tuesday. He seemed surprised because Iowa has held its own against every other team in the Big Ten.

“We haven’t really been in, I guess, that situation as far as I’m aware of against other Big Ten teams,” Niemann said.

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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or even a football expert to understand why Ohio State has Iowa’s number.

“They have a lot of talented recruits every year, so it’s not really a surprise that they’re that consistent across the board,” Niemann said. .”Up front, they’re big and physical and they have a great offensive line, probably one of the better ones we’ve seen. It might be the best we’ve seen this year. They’re skill spots are very talented obviously, and Barrett at quarterback.”

Niemann was referring to Ohio State dual-threat quarterback J.T. Barrett, who enters Saturday’s game having completed 16 passes in a row.

“He's a winner,” Ferentz said of Barrett, a fifth-year senior. “When I watch film, the guy's a winner.”

Barrett causes problems for defenses as a dual-threat quarterback because he has the ability to improvise when the play breaks down.

“I've said this before, it's like you're playing 12 guys, because they have that extra guy, that extra dimension,” Ferentz said. “And it makes it a challenge, yeah, it certainly does, if a guy can pull it down and run a little bit and do those kinds of things. Especially when you have so many other players that are so good. You can't zero in on that one player.”

The Iowa players said the same thing about the Buckeyes in that they hardly ever have any weaknessess.

Combine the talent with the coaching of Urban Meyer and you have a recipe for dominance.

The Buckeyes overcame a 15-point deficit to topple previously undefeated Penn State 39-38 last Saturday in Columbus.

Ohio State has now won six games in a row by a combined score of 305 to 94 since losing to Oklahoma 31-16 in week 2.

Meyer, who took over in 2012, also has an astonishing 26-1 record in road games at Ohio State.

“They’re strong everywhere,’ said Iowa middle linebacker Josey Jewell. “A bunch of athletes, fast guys, big guys everywhere. So you’ve got to be ready for them.”

Luebke and his cohorts were ready for the Buckeyes in 2004 and it showed on the field as Iowa shredded Ohio State for 448 yards behind all-Big Ten quarterback Drew Tate, while allowing just 177 yards.

Ohio State scored its only touchdown with 2 minutes, 49 seconds left in the fourth after the outcome already was decided.

Iowa would go on to finish 10-2 that season, while Ohio State finished just 8-4 in what was a rare down year, at least by its lofty standards.

Iowa has come close to defeating the Buckeyes in each of the past three games, losing by a combined 16 points, including two games that were decided by just three points.

The teams have met just four times in the last 11 years.

“They’re always a very solid team,” Luebke said. “Even when they’re not, they are.”