Ohio State Dominates Iowa In Record-Breaking Fashion
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Ohio State returned to Kinnick Stadium for the first time since the 2017 beatdown, and it went significantly better this time around. For as frustrating as all three phases were for the Buckeyes, Ohio State was in control from the jump, only allowing a late touchdown when the game was well in hand.
In the process, the program officially crowned the best to do it in scarlet and gray with his Triple Crown.
Also, did you know Ohio State’s 30+ points was the first time an opponent scored as many at Kinnick Stadium since Northwestern did so in 2016?
Ohio State Dominates Iowa In Record-Breaking Fashion
Jeremiah Smith. One of One.
We already knew that Jeremiah Smith was the best player in college football. Now, whether or not the Heisman Trophy voters are aware is its own story.
Just for fun, let’s compare Smith’s first five games against DeVonta Smith’s first five games in 2020:
DeVonta Smith: 45 receptions, 445 yards, four touchdowns.
Jeremiah Smith: 44 receptions, 823 yards, nine touchdowns.
In the third quarter, Smith hauled in his second touchdown pass of the day, breaking the record. Then, on the next drive, he hauled in his 10th pass, breaking the record. Now, in just his fifth game of his third season, Smith is alone atop the leaderboard for all three stats. It was another classic game from the talented junior. He was able to mix in simple catches with “how in the world did he catch that!?” catches.
In total, he finished with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, his second consecutive 200+ yard day.
Another Solid Sayin Day
Nobody was perfect in the win; even Smith had a few drops. Julian Sayin was good once again, finishing 20/27 passing for 324 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He did put the ball on the turf once, but a Buckeye offensive lineman was there to pounce on it.
All in all, it was a good day. Sayin didn’t have many bad misses, but there is a trend developing. For as many insane plays by Smith, there are as many underthrows from Sayin. Last week, on Smith’s big touchdown where he made the safety look completely lost, Sayin underthrew the ball, forcing Smith to adjust. If he had put more air under it, it would have been less exciting.
Back to the positives, Sayin is starting to look more comfortable running the ball. Of course, that did result in a few abandoned pockets, but all in all, he finished with nine carries and negative yards, mostly due to the four sacks. On actual carries, he ran the ball five times for 28 yards.
Of course, the offensive line didn’t help him out as much. The run game wasn’t there. The running backs ran the ball 37 times for 163 yards and one touchdown. That’s just 4.4 yards per carry. Add in the four sacks, and the offensive line is a bit suspect.
Bent But Not Broken
There were legitimate concerns with the Ohio State defense heading into this week. Last week, Illinois torched the Buckeye defense both on the ground and through the air. This week, things were a bit better. In total, the Hawkeyes amassed 238 yards of offense. Take away the 75-yard touchdown drive in which the Ohio State defense sort of took the foot off the gas, and the Buckeye defense held Iowa to two field goals and 163 yards.
Iowa converted 5/11 on third down, but it sure felt a lot worse.
The defensive line could have been better, but altogether, it finished with two sacks and three tackles for loss. TJ Alford added another tackle for loss.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. kicked off the game with a boom, hitting Hank Brown from the blindside, causing a fumble, and stealing a possession to kick off the game. To make it better, John Walker burst through the line, nailed Brown as he was throwing, and Jaylen McClain hauled in an easy interception.
There are things to work on, most notably the defensive line in run defense, but overall, Ohio State should feel better moving forward.
The Last Word
Ohio State was dominant at Iowa, but the Buckeyes have a few things to iron out. First off, just throw away the Wildcat package, please. Or, if you’re going to do it, throw in the former quarterback Legend Bey…who finished without a snap on offense. He must be so far in the doghouse that he’s knocking on the door to Narnia.
At the same time, Khary Wilder had no impact, if he was even out there at all. He’s more of a pass-rush specialist, but even when the game was well in hand, Wilder wasn’t out there rushing the quarterback. It was an interesting decision, to say the least.
Up next for the Buckeyes: Maryland at home.
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