Recap

If you are a fan of defensive football, the first half of this game must have made you feel like it was Jim Tressell on the sidelines for the Buckeyes and not Ryan Day. Give credit to Iowa where it is due because they came into this game not afraid and for the most part kept Ohio State in check, forcing the Buckeyes to make Howard beat them, and forced two turnovers in the first half to keep Ohio State with a 7-0 lead going into halftime.

The second half though was when the Buckeyes woke up and score three touchdowns in the 3rd quarter, and their final touchdown with the starters in the 4th quarter to make it 35-0. Iowa’s star running back Kaleb Johnson did finally score after being held to under 100 yards for the first time this season, but it was against the second team defense and the game was already over at that point. The Buckeyes can now enjoy the win, and next weeks showdown against Oregon is finally here. Will Howard was nearly perfect for the day, throwing 1 interception on a pass where he only looked at one receiver, but still had 4 passing touchdowns for 209 yards, and only 4 incompletions. He also rushed for a score on 10 carries for 28 yards. Devin Brown entered the game in the 4th quarter, and rushed for a final first down to keep the Ohio State rushing total yards above 200 for the game. The running duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were kept out of the endzone this game, but still ran for 139 yards on 24 carries, and over 5.8 yards a carry. James Peoples got into the game with 3 touches for 12 yards. Jeremiah Smith led the team in yardage with 4 catches for 89 yards, and had a beautiful 1 handed grab for his touchdown. Emeka Egbuka, who is working on his own Ohio State records, had 9 catches for 71 yards and 3 touchdowns. Carnell Tate was sidelined his game, which gave opportunities for Brandon Inniss who had 3 catches for 29 yards. The Ohio State defense held the Hawkeyes to 226 yards total, and forced 3 turnovers.

Turning Point

The first half of the game was tough to watch if you were a Buckeye fan, as they turned the ball over twice, and had a turnover on downs on three of their 4 possessions in the first half, which was the type of game Iowa likes to play. Something turned though in the second half, and the Buckeyes forced their own turnovers to start stacking touchdowns, and the second Emeka touchdown in the third quarter to make the lead 28-0 was the final nail in the coffin for any kind of attempt of a comeback for the Hawkeyes.

Stars of the Game

As always, we rank the top stars of the game, with each Buckeye leaf representing a reward (3 leaves it the 1st place earner)

Jack Sawyer. This game was personal for the Pickerington native, who last played against Cade McNamara in 2021 when Cade was the starting quarterback for Michigan when their streak against the Buckeyes started. Sawyer played with an edge and made sure every hit count, including his second sack of the season.

Will Howard. The quarterback continues to impress with the first drives of the game, going a perfect 10 for 10 to start, and finished the game with 5 total touchdowns, and only 4 incompletions. The one interception was a forced pass, but he bounced back and help lead the Buckeyes in the second half.

Emeka Egbuka. The senior receiver had himself a day with three touchdowns and under 100 yards for the game. He has proven that he is as much of a threat as Jeremiah Smith, and showed a bounce back from lasts weeks dropped passes, catching two perfect darts from Howard for his second and third touchdown.

Playoff Picture

The Buckeyes took on their toughest opponent of the season, and although they had a slow first half due to some execution errors on offense, it is clear that this is one of the best teams in the country. Couple that with the fact that Vanderbilt just upset Alabama who was above the Buckeyes due to their win last week over Georgia, Ohio State can see themselves as a top 2 team in the country as they head to Eugene for arguably the biggest game of their season. None of this matters though if they cant beat the Ducks next week. Iowa on the other hand does not have a ranked team left on their schedule at the moment, and could likely finish the season 10-2 and ranked in the top 25.

Looking Ahead

Ohio State (5-0) travels out west to their biggest game of the season against top 10 Oregon (5-0) on NBC at 7:30pm. College Game Day has announced it will be their game of the week as well.

Iowa (3-2) will head back home to host Washington (3-2) at 12pm.

Photo Credit: Kyle Robertson | Columbus Dispatch