The Buckeyes went on the road and handled their business against the Spartans, winning 38-7. They now come home, still as the 3rd ranked team in the country, with a few of the teams above and below them shuffled around, and this will be their last game before the circled showdown against Oregon next week. Here are our top questions for the Iowa game.
1. Is this a trap game?
Before the season began, the October 12th showdown against the Ducks has been circled from all fans as the biggest early test for the Buckeyes, especially on the road in what is likely a night game on NBC. Iowa is a formidable opponent known for their defense, so will the Buckeyes overlook the Hawkeyes, or still keep their focus on one game at a time.
2. Will the defense show more aggression?
Statistically, the Silver Bullets are one of the best defenses in the country, and it is hard to argue that they have made some key stops, and only allowing 3 touchdown in 4 games, however what we saw in the first half against Michigan State, and against Marshall, the defensive backs gave the receivers a lot of cushion, and allowed for chunk plays to gain steady drives. This defense was touted to be one of the best ever, and it is hard to live up to the hype, but with the talent and experience in Knowles’ third season, I think a lot of the fans were hoping to see this unit be more “shut down” in the beginning of the game.
3. Can the Buckeyes slow down Kaleb Johnson?
It’s not much of a secret that the best weapon for the Hawkeyes is running back Kaleb Johnson, who has rushed for nearly 700 yards and 9 touchdowns in 4 games. This Iowa team is built a lot like the Michigan teams the Buckeyes have struggled to defeat the last three seasons, so even though this won’t be as much in prepping for “Oregon light” inregards to the style of play, this will be a good game to test the physicality of the Buckeyes and help them for next week and the one on November 30th.
4. Can Ohio State limit turnovers?
For the second game in a row, Will Howard threw an interception and could have had a second one against a better defensive back, but this could be an issue against a better team. Howard had a lot of short yardage passes that turned into bigger gains against the Spartans, but the Hawkeyes are known for their defense, and I am sure we don’t want to see a 2017 repeat.
5. Will ESPNs College Game Day come to Columbus this season?
Not to knock the decision to go to Cal too much, which will host game day for the first time as the undefeated Hurricanes come to Berkley, but this could have been a good chance for College Game Day to visit Columbus as the marquee games this week are a bit lacking. There is a decent chance they head to Eugene next week as that should be a matchup between two top 6 teams, but I wonder if they will make a trip to Columbus at some point this season, especially if Big Noon won’t be on campus at the same time to keep their crowd interaction at its highest. They will have 4 more chances with Nebraska, Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan.
What are your top questions entering the game?
Photo Credit – Ohio State Football, and the Lantern