and after an Iowa

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BEREA, Ohio -- Mike Pettine knows he might not have been Clevelands first choice or even the Browns second pick. All that matters to the son of a high school coaching legend is that hes the one they selected. "Its been my life-long dream to be an NFL head coach," Pettine said Thursday, "and however that opportunity presents itself, its fine with me." After nearly a month of twists, turns and talk, the Browns found their man. Buffalos defensive co-ordinator, who didnt seem to be on Clevelands radar when the team began a coaching search last month, signed a five-year contract Thursday and was named the Browns seventh full-time coach since 1999. Pettine replaces Rob Chudzinski, fired on Dec. 29 after just one season. The Browns interviewed 10 candidates before deciding on the 47-year-old Pettine, who has built a solid reputation with a no-nonsense approach with his players. "I have been nicknamed BFT -- Blunt Force Trauma," he said. "The days are too short to dance around subjects some time and I think guys appreciate that." His straight-forward style attracted Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who set out to find a "strong winner" and feels the clean-shaven Pettine can lead Clevelands resurgence. "Hes very smart," Haslam said. "Hes aggressive. Hes innovative. You can see hes tough. Hes going to be very demanding. Hes going to set high standards for our organization." Pettine spent one year with the Bills after four as Rex Ryans defensive co-ordinator with the New York Jets. Before that, Pettine was an assistant coach in Baltimore, giving him some familiarity in Clevelands division. Pettine understands there are challenges in turning around the Browns, who have lost at least 11 games in each of the past six seasons and made the playoffs once in their expansion era. Pettine believes the Browns have talent -- as evidenced by their six Pro Bowlers -- and wants to be the one to return them to glory. "Theres only 32 of these jobs and they dont come along often," Pettine said. "People ask me, Why didnt you wait? There will be chances next year? I dont know if I believe in that. When you put all the factors together, this franchise is in position, given the right leadership, to win." Pettine emerged as the favourite to become Clevelands fourth coach in six years as the Browns eliminated candidates and Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase, considered the front-runner when the search started, told the team to move on without him. His hiring ends a 25-day odyssey for the Browns. It was a quest filled with rumours, denials, withdrawals and far too much drama for a franchise seeking stability. At the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, Browns tight end Jordan Cameron echoed the sentiments of most Cleveland fans. "Im just happy to have a coach," he said. The Browns flew to Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday to interview Pettine for the second time at the Senior Bowl. The four-hour meeting came shortly after Gase, the first candidate the team contacted, called Haslam and withdrew from consideration. The team had been expected to give Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn a second interview, but if he was their pick, the Browns would have had to wait until after the Super Bowl to finalize a deal. Banner said the decision to hire Pettine before speaking with Quinn a second time was "tough." As six other teams filled their head-coaching vacancies, the Browns kept looking. The lengthy delay led to a national perception the team didnt have a clear plan. Aware of the criticism, Haslam sent a letter to Cleveland fans last week explaining why the team was being "methodical" in finding Chudzinskis replacement. Haslam argued the view of the Browns was media driven. "Thats a perception that you all have generated," he said to reporters. "Thats not the perception among candidates or football people that Ive talked to around the country." Browns CEO Joe Banner took a playful jab at Clevelands front office, which was characterized locally as "The Three Stooges" when the search began. "I dont know if you had a chance to meet Mike, but since (GM) Mike Lombardi and I are Moe and Larry, we went and set out to find Curly and we succeeded," he said. "Thats why it took so long; there arent a lot of Curlys running around the country." Now that hes in place, Pettine is ready to roll up his sleeves and fix the Browns. Football is in his blood. He learned the game from his father, Mike Pettine Sr., who won four Pennsylvania state championships and retired as the winningest coach in state history. Not long after getting the job, Pettine phoned his dad. "It was special," he said. "It didnt last very long because he knew I had a lot of stuff to get done. My poor mom answered the phone and he said "Is that Michael?" He ripped it out of her hands. They were both excited and knew how much work it went into this." Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Braxton Miller threw a pair of touchdown passes and Carlos Hyde rushed for two scores as fourth-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten under Urban Meyer with a 34-24 win over Iowa in Big Ten action Saturday. Miller, who missed two games and most of a third with a knee injury, efficiently moved the Ohio State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) offense, completing 22- of-27 passes for 222 yards. He also carried 18 times for 102 yards, while Hyde rushed 24 times for 149. "I had a knee injury and set me back a little bit, but felt pretty good out there," said Miller. "And the O line did a bell of a job and coaching and it showed on the field." Devin Smith and Corey Brown both had touchdown receptions for the Buckeyes, who extended the nations longest winning streak to 19 games. Iowa (4-3, 1-2) dropped its fifth straight game to OSU as Jake Rudock passed for 245 yards and three scores. Jake Duzey, C.J. Fiedorowicz and Kevonte Martin-Manley caught touchdown passes. Damon Bullock and Mark Weisman both rushed 10 times for 56 and 52 yards, respectively. The Hawkeyes controlled clock in the first half and led 17-10 at intermission, but Ohio State came out of the locker room and dominated the final 30 minutes, picking up 22 first downs to Iowas six. "You dont get prizes for playing a good first half," said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. "You have to play the full 60 minutes. I think we realize its a matter of what do we have to do to be in a better situation the next time we get this chance." OSU scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to gain its first lead of the game. Hydes 1-yard touchdown plunge on the opening drive of the second half tied the score, and after an Iowa punt, Miller found Smith out of the backfield for a 14-yard score. Unfazed facing a 1st-and-20 from his own 15 moments later, Rudock connected with Duzey down the right sideline. The tight end reached out and made the catch before outrunning two defenders for an 85-yard score, Iowas longest this season. The Buckeyes went back in front, 31-24, early in the fourth quarter. On 3rd- and-7 from the Iowa 228, Miller kept the drive alive with his feet, sprinting for a 9-yard gain after the pocket collapsed and he reversed field back to his left.dddddddddddd Hyde broke a trio of tackles, stayed on his feet and scored a play later from 19 yards out. "When hes running, Im always expecting a big play," Hyde said about his dynamic quarterback. "He can make something out of nothing. He is a playmaker." Drew Basils 25-yard kick with 5:50 left in the game resulted in the final margin. Iowa struck first when Rudock faked a hand-off from the Ohio State 2 and flung a pass to the back of the end zone, where Fiedorowicz made a diving touchdown reception. Rudock was 5-for-5 for 50 yards on the 12-play scoring march. Basil kicked a 27-yard field goal with 4:00 minutes left in the first quarter to put OSU on the board. The Buckeyes were dealt a major blow late in the first when 2012 Thorpe Award semifinalist Bradley Roby, who led the nation with 19 passes defended a season ago, became the second player in the Big Ten this season to get ejected for targeting. Rudock found Fiedorowicz for an 11-yard pickup when Roby led with his helmet and brought down the defenseless receiver. Mike Meyer capped the drive with a short field goal with seven seconds left in the quarter to spot the Hawkeyes a 10-3 advantage. Ohio State tied the score minutes later, and the home crowd, which had been quiet since Robys ejection, came to life as Miller found a wide-open Brown down the field for a 58-yard touchdown. Iowa continued to burn clock with a 15-play scoring drive on its ensuing touch. Rudock methodically marched his offense down the field, picking up four third-down conversions which included a 6-yard touchdown to Martin-Manley in the back of the end zone. Game Notes Ohio State has won 12 of the last 13 tilts against Iowa ... The Buckeyes still have not allowed a rush of 20 or more yards this season ... Meyer improved to 35-2 as a head coach with more than a week to prepare ... Smith and Brown both had 72 yards receiving ... Rudock completed his first eight passes to tight ends ... Duzey had six catches for 138 yards. ' ' '