Before each Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get their perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
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| IOWA HAWKEYES |
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3-3 ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, OCT. 22 OHIO STADIUM COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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FOX FOX SPORTS |
Ahead of Ohio State’s first game in five years against Iowa, we’re joined by Chad Leistikow, the Hawkeyes columnist for the Des Moines Register, who breaks down why Iowa’s offense has struggled so badly this season and what the Hawkeyes have done well defensively to rank second in the nation in yards allowed per play.
We also asked Leistikow whether Kirk Ferentz’s seat could be getting hot, which Hawkeye players we should keep an eye on in Saturday’s game and how much Iowa’s 55-24 win over Ohio State in 2017 – the last time the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes met on the football field – still resonates with Iowa fans.
Let’s not avoid the elephant in the room: Iowa currently ranks dead last in the FBS in total offense. What are the biggest reasons why the offense has played so poorly?
Leistikow: Beyond coaching and scheme … which have become major talking points of late, as you might imagine … there’s no denying that three major factors have played a part in the poor on-field performance.
- A young offensive line hasn’t come together. The Hawkeyes have recruited well recently at this position but they started four sophomores and a freshman at Illinois, where they allowed five sacks and got very little push in the running game. As you know, when things constantly break down up front, it makes everybody look bad. This unit may be very good next season, but time’s running out this season.
- Injuries and transfers have decimated the wide receiver ranks. Most notably, the jarring late-May departure of Charlie Jones to Purdue underscores how Iowa mishandles the receiver position year after year. Jones’ career high in catches at Iowa was three. He’s obviously blown that away at Purdue while leading the Big Ten in receiving. Iowa’s expected No. 1 receiver, four-star recruit Keagan Johnson, has played in only one game due to various injuries. Iowa had just two scholarship receivers available in Weeks 1 and 2 and even now doesn’t have a game-breaking threat. It’s a very easy group to defend.
- Quarterback play has been insufficient. Spencer Petras ranks No. 118 out of 118 qualifying FBS quarterbacks in pass efficiency, a pretty telling mark for a fifth-year senior with 25 career starts. Petras is immobile and inaccurate and has been unable to deliver in clutch moments. Iowa is 3-7 in its last 10 games in which Petras starts and makes it into the second half, yet Kirk and Brian Ferentz are refusing to give backup Alex Padilla a chance (3-0 in his starting career, no snaps this season).
There’s a lot of heat on offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz because of Iowa’s offensive struggles. If those struggles continue, could they cost Kirk Ferentz his job too?
Leistikow: It’s not realistic that Kirk Ferentz’s job would be in immediate jeopardy. His buyout after this season would be $42 million, and he’s built up enough equity that there’s not a major, realistic push to move him out of power. However, the fan base is in as ugly a place as it’s been since the end of the 2014 season. Kirk Ferentz’s goodwill is rapidly going out the window with the offense struggling under his son’s direction, primarily because the head coach knew these issues existed after the 2021 season and did very little to make changes. Even now, Ferentz stands by the offense and Petras in what’s either an extreme exercise of patience … or insanity (trying the same thing over and over again while expecting different results).
On the other side of the ball, Iowa’s defense has been one of the best in the country. What have been the Hawkeyes’ keys to success defensively?
Leistikow: Under Phil Parker (an Ohio native), the Hawkeyes have historically been excellent at limiting big plays and forcing offenses to stay patient to work their way down the field. That, of course, will be highly challenged this Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Iowa has looked average at best the last two times it played a power from the East Division (losing 42-3 to Michigan in last year’s Big Ten Championship Game and 27-14 earlier this year at Kinnick Stadium, in which the Wolverines gained 300 yards on their first five possessions). The secondary is skilled in taking the football away, year after year.
A native of Lorain, Ohio, Phil Parker has been Iowa’s defensive coordinator since 2012 and on the Hawkeyes’ coaching staff since 1999.
Which Hawkeye players are most capable of causing problems for the Buckeyes?
Leistikow: Iowa is typically able to hang around in most games thanks to a turnover-creating defense, which this year has been led by linebacker Jack Campbell (preseason Big Ten defensive player of the year) and defensive back Cooper DeJean (three interceptions). Another defensive player who can wreak havoc is defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness. Reigning Big Ten defensive back of the year Riley Moss has yet to collect an interception or make a major impact.
On offense, two of the Hawkeyes’ best weapons are tight ends Sam LaPorta and Luke Lachey. Of course, Buckeye fans will recognize Lachey’s name, as he is the youngest son of Ohio State broadcaster and Super Bowl champion Jim Lachey. LaPorta was targeted 16 times in the 9-6 loss to Illinois, which goes to show how tight-end-dependent the Hawkeyes are. Lachey is a promising sophomore who will be the team’s No. 1 tight end next year and recently scored his first career touchdown (vs. Michigan).
One of Iowa’s best players is punter Tory Taylor, but that’ll just mean Ohio State has to march 85 yards for touchdowns instead of 75.
This is Ohio State’s first game against Iowa since the Hawkeyes’ 55-24 win over the Buckeyes in 2017. How much do Hawkeye fans still talk about that game?
Leistikow: It’s been a source of program pride for many years, but now it’s almost become a source of frustration. Iowa pulled off that 55-point outburst with first-year offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz pulling the strings. To think how promising the offense looked then and to see it struggle so painfully now has been quite the fall. A lot of Hawkeye fans are braced for the worst this weekend, expecting some kind of cruel payback for what happened at Kinnick in 2017.
How do you expect Saturday’s game to play out?
Leistikow: One of the most admirable qualities about this Hawkeye team is that it fights to the finish and believes it can win any game. Kirk Ferentz is usually good in these types of us-against-the-world situations. Though the teams have only met four times since 2005, none of those four games have been Ohio State dominations. In fact, all three Buckeye wins in that span came down to the fourth quarter (2009 in overtime in Columbus, 2010 in Iowa City, 2013 in Columbus). That said, the talent disparity will be so vast – especially when Iowa has the football – that it’s hard to imagine this game staying competitive beyond halftime.
