The Ohio State defense has been seeking a shutout all season. It may not get a better chance than this weekend to check that off its list.
After allowing just 22 points over the first two weeks, Buckeye linebacker Cody Simon stated his displeasure in the fact that Ohio State had given up any at all.
“We want to shut people out,” Simon said after a 33-point win over Arkansas State on Sept. 10. “We want to be the best defense in the country, and that's the goal.”
The Buckeyes have either reached or neared most of their defensive goals through the first six games, ranking fifth in the nation in total defense, seventh in pass defense, ninth in rushing defense and 10th in scoring defense. A shutout, however, has eluded Ohio State, despite giving up an average of just 15.7 points per game. In fact, Ohio State has yet to hold an opponent to single digits in any game this season.
In Iowa, the Buckeyes face an opponent that’s averaging just 14.7 points per game – fourth-worst in the FBS – and the Hawkeyes have flirted with a goose egg in the scoring department all season. Iowa has scored seven or less on three occasions and 14 points or less in all but two of its six contests.
"They're not looking at or interested in scoring a million points or getting a ton of yards, they want to just win the game.”– Ryan Day on Iowa
Despite Iowa’s offensive ineptitudes, which go far past its struggles to put points on the board, Ohio State’s coaching staff and personnel have been rather respectful of the Hawkeye offense in the leadup to Saturday. From the Buckeyes’ statements this week, one might not even realize just how deficient Iowa has been through the first half of the regular season.
“Well, I think their style is similar to some of the teams we played where they want to control the game. They're not looking at or interested in scoring a million points or getting a ton of yards, they want to just win the game,” Ryan Day said at Tuesday’s press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “And that's their focus, and you could tell that they're complementary, and they've done that for a long time and it's a winning recipe. So we're not gonna look too far into that and just make sure that we're identifying how to go win the game.”
Notre Dame and Wisconsin brought a run-heavy control-the-clock game plan into Columbus, and the Buckeyes largely shut both teams down. The Irish managed just 10 points and 253 total yards against Jim Knowles’ defense, and Wisconsin finished with 21 points and 296 yards – totals that were bolstered by a late score with the backups in for the Buckeyes.
But while neither the Notre Dame nor Wisconsin offenses are all that impressive relative to the top units in the country, they still have significantly better attacks than the Hawkeyes in nearly every category. The Badger offense ranks 57th in the nation in scoring offense (31.3 points per game), and even with the Irish sitting at No. 99 in the country, their 23.7 points per game are still two scores more than what Iowa is averaging.
In fact, Iowa is the lowest-ranked offense Ohio State has faced in every major statistical category. Beyond scoring, the Hawkeyes are dead last in the country in total offense (238.8 yards per game), fifth-worst in rushing offense (82.2) and 120th in passing yards per game (156.7).
| Team | Games | Scoring | Total | Pass | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 6 | 99th (23.7) | 80th (379.0) | 102nd (208.3) | 50th (170.7) |
| Arkansas State | 7 | 63rd (33.3) | 92nd (360.4) | 60th (250.4) | 112th (110.0) |
| Toledo | 7 | 22nd (38.4) | 68th (402.4) | 100th (209.1) | 31st (193.3) |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 57th (31.3) | 77th (391.1) | 88th (220.6) | 51st (170.6) |
| Rutgers | 6 | 104th (22.8) | 111th (334.0) | 115th (173.2) | 61st (160.8) |
| Michigan State | 7 | 80th (27.0) | 103rd (349.0) | 66th (242.9) | 116th (106.1) |
| Iowa | 6 | 127th (14.7) | 131st (238.8) | 120th (156.7) | 127th (82.2) |
If the Hawkeyes try to control the game with the run, they may find it difficult to do so. Only three teams in the country average fewer than Iowa’s 2.6 yards per carry, and Ohio State’s run defense has held collectively better rushing attacks to just 2.97 yards per pop this season. No Iowa rusher has more than 236 yards on the ground through six games, and quarterback Spencer Petras is sitting on -94 for the year.
Petras’ play in the passing game leaves even less hope for Iowa to have much offensive success. The veteran signal-caller has thrown just two passing touchdowns this season, is completing just 54% of his passes and has a passer rating of 108.8. All of the marks are the worst in the Big Ten. Massachusetts is the only team in the FBS with fewer passing touchdowns than the Hawkeyes.
Given the success of the Ohio State defensive line and linebacker play and the inconsistency of the Buckeye cornerbacks, one would think testing the scarlet and gray downfield might be the best course of action. But even teams that have completed long passes against the Buckeyes haven’t been able to sustain success through the air for very long. Arkansas State is the only team to put up more than 200 passing yards against Ohio State, and Big Ten teams are averaging just 126.3 yards in the air against the Buckeyes.
Still, Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau said Wednesday that Ohio State can’t prepare for Iowa like it possesses a lower-caliber offense than any opponent the Buckeyes have faced thus far.
“We have to approach every game like it's our last game. Iowa's a great team, big, physical, and I know they're gonna bring it,” Tuimoloau said. “So we just got to make sure we're on our P's and Q's and make sure we play Buckeye ball.”
Ohio State may actually be better equipped for a standout defensive showing than it was in several of its past few games based on health alone. Buckeye starters have been banged up at defensive tackle, safety and cornerback for much of the first half of the year, but Day said Thursday that Ohio State expects to be closer to full strength after the bye week.
A healthy Mike Hall might be the scariest proposition of all for the Iowa offense. With 4.5 sacks in five games this season, Hall had 2.5 against Michigan State in just seven snaps. Hall’s dealt with a shoulder injury since Week 2, but Day indicated there won’t be any restrictions on the second-year star defensive tackle this weekend.
Not to mention, Iowa’s average allowance of three sacks per game ranks 106th in America.
Iowa’s poor offensive numbers haven’t stopped Knowles and company from identifying some things that might give the Buckeyes some trouble, though. Knowles structured his defense to slow high-flying Big 12 offenses at Oklahoma State, and Iowa’s slower pace and use of the quarterback under center hardly mirrors such a scheme.
“You have some different schemes that result from a quarterback under center. The combination of wide zone schemes, along with pull plays and plays that get you running and cut back on you. So it's different,” Knowles said. “We've seen a little bit of it already this year, but it's different than the way that we're trained. And you know I always talk about going back to your training. It's different because it's a huddle. It breaks the huddle and all those things that we've seen some of and we're going to continue to see more of.
“So I think it is a matter of understanding how these type of offenses operate and being able to react and fit. And even though it's not zone read and all those things that you kind of start out training these days, it is something that, obviously, you see more of in the Big Ten and our guys need to understand that.”
The Ohio State defense hasn’t struggled much against any style of offense it's seen thus far, though, and it’ll take on the worst unit it's faced all year, statistically, when it lines up against Iowa at noon on Saturday.
