It has been four years since Ohio State and Iowa have met head-to-head on the football field. The Buckeyes won a 34-24 contest in Columbus in 2013, but a lot has changed since then.
Iowa has been to a Big Ten title game more recently than Ohio State, and in order to guarantee a return trip to Indianapolis for the first time in three years, the Buckeyes will need to return home from Iowa City with a win.
Ahead of Ohio State's first trip to Kinnick Stadium since 2010, we take a look at Iowa's personnel, starting with the offense.
Offense (Pro-style)
Quarterback: Nathan Stanley (No. 4) 6-foot-5, 212 pounds, sophomore
Strengths:
- Strong arm. Has the ability to fit the ball into tight windows.
- Protects the football. Stanley has thrown 17 touchdown passes to just four interceptions this season.
Weaknesses:
- Not mobile. In Iowa's pro-style offense, Stanley is not fleet of foot. He struggles to extend plays with his feet.
Running back: Akrum Wadley (No. 25) 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, senior
Strengths:
- Experienced back with more than 2,000 career rushing yards to his name.
- A threat in the passing game, Wadley has 19 receptions this season and three touchdowns.
Weaknesses:
- Wadley has suffered a number of injuries in his Iowa career and has already missed time this season.
- Slightly undersized, will split time with younger running backs if necessary.
Wide receivers: Nick Easley (No. 84) 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, junior / Matt Vandeberg (No. 89) 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, redshirt senior
Strengths:
- Both Easley and Vandeberg are excellent route runners and crisp out of their cuts. Easley is especially quick with the ball in his hands.
- A fifth-year senior, Vandeberg is one of the most experienced receivers in the Big Ten. He has been around since 2013 and earned a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending injury in 2016.
Weaknesses:
- There isn't a lot of breakaway speed in Iowa's receiver unit. While Easley and Vandeberg are good route runners, neither is a threat to win many one-on-one battles downfield.
- Iowa's receiver group isn't very deep. Only three wide receivers have caught 10 passes or more this season.
Tight ends: Noah Fant (No. 87) 6-foot-5, 232 pounds, sophomore / T.J. Hockenson (No. 38) 6-foot-5, 243 pounds, redshirt freshman
Strengths:
- Fant is extremely athletic and leads the team in touchdown receptions with five. He is Stanley's favorite weapon in the red zone.
- Hockenson has 14 receptions this season but is more of a blocking tight end than a receiving threat. He is very physical at the point of attack.
Weaknesses:
- Outside of Fant, this tight end group isn't likely to win many one-on-one battles in the passing game with Ohio State linebackers.
Offensive line: LT Alaric Jackson (No. 77) 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, redshirt freshman / LG Keegan Render (No. 69) 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, junior / C James Daniels (No. 78) 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, junior / RG Sean Welsh (No. 79) 6-foot-3, 295 pounds, senior / RT Tristan Wirfs (No. 74) 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, freshman
Strengths:
- With the help of some max protection from tight ends, this group is solid in pass protection. The Hawkeyes have allowed just 11 sacks this season, tied for fourth in the Big Ten.
Weaknesses:
- For a team that is predicated on running the football, Iowa has struggled to create room up front this year. The Hawkeyes rank 10th in Big Ten in rushing offense and are averaging just 3.57 yards per carry.
Overall analysis: This is an unusual Iowa offense in that its passing game might be better than its rushing attack this season. Stanley has proven to be a solid Big Ten quarterback and has already proven he can play well in big games (Iowa State, Penn State). The concern for Iowa comes in its rushing attack and whether that can help Stanley set up play action passes. If the Hawkeyes have to drop back without Ohio State having to honor its running game, it could be a long day for Stanley and the Iowa offense.
That said, Iowa has some weapons offensively that are capable of giving Ohio State's defense some problems. At receiver, Easley has some (former Northwestern receiver) Austin Carr in him. He is a good route runner who has reliable hands and is good for at least five receptions per game. He isn't going to beat anyone deep, but his route-running ability can free him up for gains underneath coverage. Tight end Noah Fant is also a matchup nightmare for defenses. I would expect him to possibly draw double teams in certain situations, especially in the red zone.
Defense (4-3)
Defensive line: DE Anthony Nelson (No. 98) 6-foot-7, 260 pounds, sophomore / DT Matt Nelson (No. 96) 6-foot-8, 285 pounds, junior / DT Nathan Bazata (No. 99) 6-foot-2, 287 pounds, senior / DE Parker Hesse (No. 40) 6-foot-3, 257 pounds, junior
Strengths:
- Anthony Nelson leads this group in sacks, and it is easy to see why. His length makes him a tough matchup for any opposing tackle.
- While he isn't a starter, reserve defensive end A.J. Epenesa is a player to watch for. Epenesa, whose father played for the Hawkeyes, was a five-star recruit out of high school in 2017 and rotates in frequently with the Hawkeye defensive front.
Weaknesses:
- Matt Nelson is extremely tall for an interior lineman, and that can sometimes hinder him. It is harder for him to get underneath blocks. However, his length plays to his strength on passing downs.
- This group takes up a lot of blocks to make way for the linebackers, who clean up the trash. They rank in the middle of the pack in most Big Ten statistical categories, largely because they aren't asked to do as much.
Linebackers: SLB Ben Niemann (No. 44) 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, senior / MLB Josey Jewell (No. 43) 6-foot-2, 236 pounds, senior / WLB Bo Bower (No. 41) 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, senior
Strengths:
- This is the strength of the Iowa defense, largely because of Josey Jewell. Despite missing a game (loss to Northwestern), Jewell leads the conference in tackles with 81. His run stopping ability is perhaps the best in the Big Ten.
- This entire group doesn't miss many tackles. All three starting linebackers rank in the top-30 in the conference in tackles this season.
Weaknesses:
- Pass coverage. Iowa won't be able to play much man coverage against Ohio State because of its lack of speed at linebacker.
Defensive backs: CB Manny Rugamba (No. 5) 6-foot, 185 pounds, sophomore / FS Jake Gervase (No. 30) 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, junior / SS Armani Hooker (No. 27) 6-foot, 210 pounds, sophomore / CB Joshua Jackson (No. 15) 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, junior
Strengths:
- Good size and speed at corner. Iowa has the personnel to play press-man on the outside if they so choose.
- Hooker has been good in run support this season from his strong safety position, and will likely be covering Ohio State's slot receivers this week.
Weaknesses:
- Rugamba has missed time this season with an ankle injury.
- There aren't many weaknesses in Iowa's secondary if it is healthy. The Hawkeyes have not allowed a passing touchdown since Sept. 30 and have collected four interceptions in that span.
Overall analysis: Iowa's strength is its back seven, but don't discount the Hawkeye defensive line. Their stats up front don't jump off the page, mainly because they play to take up blocks, making way for the linebackers to clean up anything that gets to the second level.
Josey Jewell is the best run-stopping linebacker in the Big Ten, and blocking him will be no easy task. He has played in opponents' backfields all season and leads the Hawkeye defense with 9.5 tackles for loss, the most of any Big Ten linebacker this season.
The Iowa secondary has been solid all year. An early game against Iowa State in which the Hawkeyes allowed 347 yards through the air skews their stats a bit, but this group has started to jell since Manny Rugamba returned from injury. Overall, Iowa's defense provides a stiff challenge, one Ohio State's offense shouldn't take lightly.
Special Teams
Kicker: Miguel Recinos (No. 91) 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, junior
Punter: Colton Rastetter (No. 7) 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, sophomore
Analysis: Recinos has been accurate this season, hitting 7-of-9 field goal attempts already on the year. The Hawkeyes have also gotten tricky with Recinos this season, attempting an early onside kick against Illinois, which resulted in an Iowa recovery.
Rastetter has also gotten into the trickery this year, throwing and competing a fake punt pass for 15 yards. When he isn't doing that, however, Rastetter has struggled at times, averaging just 40.4 yards per punt, ranking him 10th in the Big Ten.
