Jeremiah Smith went into this past weekend’s game with two records set to be broken. The Ohio State single-season reception and touchdown records. Smith went ahead and broke both against a good Iowa Hawkeye team. Smith broke free from a historically good Iowa defense as he totaled 206 receiving yards, 11 catches, and 2 touchdowns. Going into the year, Smith was one of, if not the best player in all of college football. However, the odds for his Heisman candidacy were not very high for his standards.
Now, he is the heavy favorite. He has only elevated his play in Big Ten play. He has every NFL scout wondering if he is the guy to take at number one. Ryan Day and his Buckeyes were prepared for this rowdy environment at Kinnick Stadium. College GameDay was in town for the first time in 20 years. Iowa was coming off an unbelievable win against the Michigan Wolverines. He had fans hoping for a huge upset against Ohio State.
This was absolutely not the case. At one point, the Buckeyes were up 31-6, flexing their dominance on Iowa. The question mark for Ohio State was their defense due to their struggles in the run game last weekend against Illinois. They shut those questions down, holding Iowa to just 39 total rushing yards in the game. If you are able to hold the Hawkeyes to 39 rushing yards, you will win the game. Julian Sayin was efficient as he threw for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns. More importantly, he got the ball in Jeremiah Smith’s hands.
Photo Cred: ESPN
What went wrong for Iowa?
The Hawkeyes rode huge momentum into this past weekend’s game, but they weren’t able to execute the way a Kirk Ferentz-coached team usually does. On just the first drive, Hank Brown recorded his first turnover of the season while getting sacked and fumbling. This led to Ohio State having tremendous field position early while also receiving the ball to start the second half. The early lead for the Buckeyes was demoralizing for the crowd as this was one of the most anticipated Hawkeye football games in years.
Brown struggled as he went 12-27 for just 132 yards and an interception that really shut the door on any possibility of a comeback in the third quarter. Iowa has to be able to clean up the turnovers and continue to work on a consistent running game. The defense was on and off throughout the game. This is due to the positions they were put in because of turnovers or just quick three-and-outs. The defense held strong for much of the first half.
Photo Cred: The Columbus Dispatch
But the big takeaway is that they need to figure out how to defend a top-level receiver like Jeremiah Smith. One person having 200 yards receiving against an Iowa defense is almost unheard of. They also need to get healthy as Zach Lutmer and Deshaun Lee went down with what looks like cramping issues. Though you can find little errors throughout the defense, it’s only a third of the game. The offense was lackluster, and Iowa was unable to spark anything on special teams, which is part of their MO.
What’s next for these teams?
The Ohio State Buckeyes have a long road ahead of them. They have ranked team after ranked team. They have to play in Indiana and at USC. And still have home games against Oregon and Michigan. If the defense can continue to suffocate teams as they did this weekend, Ohio State will look like one of the premier teams in the country. Jeremiah Smith, in all likelihood, will win the Heisman.
Photo Cred: Hawk Central
When looking at the Iowa Hawkeyes, the road isn’t too bad. As of now, they don’t play any more ranked teams. They still have tough games against Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Nebraska. These games will all be barn burners. They will require Iowa to fix all the little things that created a big problem against Ohio State. We are in for an absolutely amazing second half of the regular season.
