Iowa Quotebook: Tanner McCalister is “Like A Son” To Jim Knowles, Ryan Day Didn’t Think OSU Would Land Zach Harrison And The Buckeye Offense Had to Get “The Rust Off” After the Bye Week

Rinse and repeat: Ohio State dominates again.

Even on a day that saw the Buckeye score just one touchdown on its first 10 possessions, the scarlet and gray still scored more points on a Kirk Ferentz-led Iowa team than any before them. While red-zone struggles were a theme early on, the Buckeye defense never let Iowa into the game and the Ohio State offense got rolling in the second half.

C.J. Stroud, who finished with 286 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, said it took a little bit of time for his unit to start clicking upon returning to the field after a bye week.

“Especially coming off a bye week, it's hard to go against a veteran defense straight off of a bye, just getting that rest off from the rest that you get. And then not playing in a week-and-a-half is kind of tough. So it felt good to be back out there again. And we got a lot of good looks from them on playing physical. And I think up front they did a really good job. Of course, we got to clean some things up.”

Jaxon Smith-Njigba made his first appearance since Week 3, but the star wideout wasn’t much of a factor on a day in which he grabbed just one pass for seven yards. Smith-Njigba appeared to tweak his hamstring injury on a downfield route in the second quarter, and never returned to the game thereafter.

But Ryan Day said Smith-Njigba had simply exhausted his “pitch count” at that point, and was never going to play more than 20 snaps against the Hawkeyes.

“He was on a pitch count today. And then once he got to a certain number there, we decided to shut him down. … I think we'll be able to evaluate it. We'll watch the film and see. But we had about 20 plays. I think he was right in that range. And once he got to that number on that drive, that was it.”

The real story of the day, though, was the Buckeye defense, which forced six turnovers (most since 2016), racked up a season-high five sacks and held Iowa to just 158 yards. While the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown on defense in the first quarter, their offense mustered just three points all game.

Tanner McCalister was a big part of that at the nickel safety position, intercepting a pass on Iowa’s first offensive snap of the day and another in the third quarter. Jim Knowles, who has coached McCalister for his entire career between Oklahoma State and Ohio State, raved about the veteran defensive back after the game.

“Tanner's like a son to me. These guys, you become very close to these guys. So to see him take the challenge – there's nothing easy about coming to the Ohio State and him earning and proving himself all over again. It's always good to see someone succeed who you care about, and who's put himself on the line. And he's invested a lot in me by coming here.”

McCalister, who now leads the Buckeyes with three picks on the year, said there was some luck involved with his success on Saturday. Still, he said there was a reason he was in position to create two takeaways against the Hawkeyes.

“Most definitely, that had some luck to do with it. I mean, I had vision on the quarterback so I was able to see the ball out and kind of broke on the man. I didn't really expect the tip, but I feel like being around the ball, being in the right spot at the right time kind of goes to tell you how good of a football player that person is. But yeah, (the second interception) was definitely luck I'd say.”

McCalister wasn’t the only Buckeye to record an interception on Saturday. Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg continued his stellar season with seven total tackles and a pick of his own in the second quarter, returning it for a 15-yard touchdown that helped the Buckeyes turn the corner amid their offensive struggles.

Eichenberg, who also had a tackle for loss and a pass breakup, said it’s been a while since he’s gotten in the end zone. It was the first of his Buckeye career, but perhaps the first since elementary school as well.

“Somewhere around (fifth grade). I don't even remember the last time I scored a touchdown. But yeah, it's been a long time. … No, nah not really. Just, ball comes to me, I try to make a play.”

Senior defensive end Zach Harrison also had a big day for the Buckeyes, forcing a turnover on a strip sack, batting down a third-down pass at the line of scrimmage and finishing with two tackles for loss.

Harrison’s performance had Day reminiscing about the five-star high school prospect’s recruitment after the game, and the Buckeye head coach said he didn’t even think Harrison would land at Ohio State at one point.

“Zach was one of the first recruits for me. And Larry (Johnson), we went into the home and I'll tell a quick funny story about that. Wasn't sure how it was gonna go in recruiting, I'd just been named the head coach and Larry and I went into the home. Tracy and the (Harrison) family were there and (we) went through the home visit and I gave him a Buckeye at the end. And I said, 'This is a Buckeye, I want you to have this.' And he looks at me, looks at it, he says, 'You know, Buckeyes are poisonous coach.' I walked out, I said to Larry, 'We ain't getting Zach.'"

Of course, Harrison ended up signing with Ohio State, and the rest is history. He might not have lived up to the sky-high expectations that followed him from high school right away, but Day said he’s playing his best ball in year four.

“He's had to grow into the position and grow into his body. And that doesn't just happen. It takes time. And I know everybody wants him to come in and be an All-American as a freshman, but everybody has their own journey. And he's been on that journey. And I think he's made a lot of sacrifices. He's worked through some tough times. And you're seeing the best version of him right now.”

Ohio State’s defensive showcase came against one of the worst offenses in the nation on paper, but Knowles said that doesn’t come into consideration when evaluating the performance of his unit.

“We don’t discriminate. It’s whoever you’re going up against, that’s who you have to stop,” Knowles said. “It’s definitely a mentality that I’ve been preaching to the guys and they’re buying in. It doesn’t matter what the score is, who we’re playing. Are we going to operate with a mentality of going out there and stopping them every time? If we’re playing with that kind of mentality and their offense is struggling, you see us rise up. The time’s gonna come when we’re gonna need that mentality when the game is close.”