Ohio State vs. Iowa Preview: Hawkeyes Set to Test Buckeyes’ Ground Game on Both Sides of the Ball

Iowa

Hawkeyes

3 - 1 (1-0)

roster  |  schedule

Oct. 5, 2024 - 3:30 pm et

Ohio STADIUM

Columbus, OH

CBSOSU -18

Iowa, fresh off a 31-14 win over Minnesota to take back control of the Floyd of Rosedale and open Big Ten play with a win, enters Columbus eager to provide No. 3 Ohio State with its toughest test to date. The Hawkeyes, who improved to 3-1 with their win over Minnesota, will also have fresh legs coming off a bye last week.

As has been the custom under 26th-year head coach Kirk Ferentz, Iowa features high-end performers all over its defensive front seven. The Hawkeyes' rushing offense has returned to form after several down years, with a star running back setting college football on fire through four games – even if the team's passing game is lacking.

Ohio State may need to find success throwing the ball first against Iowa's 69th-ranked pass defense to soften things up on the ground. It's the final chance for the Buckeyes to tune and toughen up before they hit the road to No. 6 Oregon next week, arguably the most difficult regular-season game on their schedule.

The Headlines

Run Game Renovation

Iowa's offense has gone from next-to-last in scoring and dead-last in yards per game in Brian Ferentz's final year as offensive coordinator last year to 53rd and 65th in the same categories. It's all thanks to the strides made in the running game under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

The Hawkeyes are No. 10 in rushing yards per game (250.3) and No. 11 in yards per carry (5.96). They've picked up at least 200 yards on the ground in each of their four games to date, including 272 in their victory over the Gophers. Star running back Kaleb Johnson is second in the country with 685 rushing yards even though Iowa's already seen its first bye.

"They're just doing a great job of creating seams for him, and he's a fantastic back," Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. "(Runs) downhill, breaks tackles. I just see that they're creating formations and ways to make it hard on the defense to maintain your proper position, and then they get guys out of whack formationally and then he's able to crease it."

Ohio State gets star 3-technique defensive tackle Tyleik Williams back this week, a welcome boost after the Buckeyes saw issues at the spot in his absence against Marshall, though Tywone Malone had some flashes and played solid in his first career start against Michigan State.

With Williams back, the biggest area of the Buckeyes' defense that will get tested against Iowa is its linebacker corps. Sonny Styles was caught flat-footed on a few plays against the Spartans, and he'll need a quicker trigger to fill open gaps at the line of scrimmage as the Hawkeyes try to get downhill. Iowa also has a history of using its tight ends in the passing game, though its aerial attack generally hasn't done much in 2024, ranking 124th in passing yards per game.

RELATED Jim Knowles "Very Pleased" With Sonny Styles at Linebacker, Places Mistakes on Himself as His Coach

Ohio State is No. 3 in rush yards allowed per game (61.8) and also No. 3 in opposing yards per carry (1.8) through four games this season.

Stout Defensive Front

Iowa slots in right behind the Buckeyes at No. 4 in the nation for rush yards allowed per game, giving up just 62 on the ground to opponents per week. The Hawkeyes are No. 5 in opposing yards per carry (2.4).

Great run defense starts with great defensive tackle play, and Iowa has the beef on its defensive interior. Starters Aaron Graves and Yahya Black weigh in at 300 and 317 pounds. They've collected 20 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.

"It doesn't matter what year you watch them, it's the same guys inside," Day said. "They play with great technique. They're well-coached. They understand how they fit into the defense. Their pad level's low, their hands are low. They play physical, they run to the football."

Black and Graves set the table for a vaunted Iowa linebacker corps led by Jay Higgins, who paces the team with 34 tackles and two interceptions in 2024. Nick Jackson provides an experienced hand alongside him with 100 tackles in four consecutive seasons entering this campaign.

The Buckeyes have jumped from averaging 4.2 yards per carry in 2023 – their worst mark as a program since 2004 – to 6.6 yards per attempt in 2024. Their offensive line has taken clear strides through one month of the season and the receivers and tight ends have in their run-blocking games too. All those improvements will be put to the test on Saturday.

Familiar Faces on Offense

Iowa tight end Luke Lachey has Ohio State ties through his father, Jim. (Photo: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)

Iowa's offense features several players Ohio State fans should be familiar with including two stars from the Buckeye State, a former Buckeye wide receiver and a former rival signal-caller.

It starts at quarterback with Cade McNamara. The former Michigan quarterback led the Wolverines to the first of what is now three consecutive victories over the Buckeyes in 2021, though he wasn't the biggest reason UM won that day (insert obligatory Connor Stalions joke), going 13-of-19 for 159 yards and no touchdowns with an interception.

This season McNamara's completed 62.7% of his passes, but only for 588 yards, picking up 5.8 yards per attempt. Iowa's 5.7 yards per attempt as a team is 122nd out of 134 teams in college football. McNamara has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Johnson, a native of the Cincinnati suburb of Hamilton, is one of two players on the Hawkeyes' roster from Ohio. A three-star prospect in the class of 2022, Johnson drew some recruiting interest from Ohio State but never received an offer. He claims he wouldn't have chosen the Buckeyes over Iowa anyway.

Iowa's starting tight end, Luke Lachey, is the son of Jim Lachey, a former All-American offensive guard for Ohio State and the Buckeyes' current radio color commentator on 97.1 The Fan. Lachey, who grew up in Columbus, is second on the Hawkeyes with 97 receiving yards.

The Hawkeyes also have a former Buckeye in their roster in Kaleb Brown, who transferred from Columbus to Iowa City in 2023. He's appeared in three games in 2024 with one catch for 18 yards.

Watch Out For These Guys

Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson

Johnson's come up multiple times already in this preview but it's impossible to have a list of Iowa players to watch without his name at the top. He's averaged 8.4 yards per carry and picked up nine touchdowns on the ground, also second in the nation with his yardage total behind Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty.

Iowa LB Jay Higgins

Jay Higgins is one of the best linebackers in college football. (Photo: Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

For those who haven't seen the stat yet, Higgins amassed 171 tackles in 2023, the most in college football. He earned first-team All-America honors for his efforts. If unaccounted for, he could be a major suppressor to Ohio State's rushing efforts.

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith

With all the talent and ability of Iowa's front seven and its mediocre pass defense numbers, an aerial assault could be in order from the Buckeyes. The freshman phenom Smith is coming off a spectacular outing against Michigan State and already has 19 receptions for 364 yards and five touchdowns this year. Expect him, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate to get plenty of looks against the Hawkeyes' secondary.

Game Week Talk

“They play hard. They come off the ball. They strike you. And that's really what they're really good at, coming off the ball, putting two hands in you, and really forcing you to work on your technique.”– Seth McLaughlin on Aaron Graves and Yahya Black

Seth McLaughlin has been a major upgrade and given Ohio State a "pro," as Ryan Day put it, at center. Donovan Jackson's been a force since returning at left guard against Marshall. Tegra Tshabola and Austin Siereveld keep rolling at right guard, but the interior of the Buckeyes' offensive line has been a major overall strength for its offense one month in. The combination of Black, Graves, Higgins and Jackson will be the best interior group they’ve faced on the opposite side of the ball, however, putting the improvement of Ohio State’s interior offensive line to the test.

“They've got really good players in all three phases and are really deserving of their ranking, certainly. They've had great production in all three phases and are really well-coached.”– Kirk Ferentz on Ohio State

Count Iowa's head coach among the latest of opposing program leaders with lofty praise to throw Ohio State's way. Ferentz sees the Buckeyes among the best teams in the country by saying they deserve their standing as the No. 3 squad in the land.

“We know Iowa’s not just gonna come in and just step down. We know they’re gonna bring their best. They have high expectations for themselves.”– JT Tuimoloau

Ohio State's defenders are gearing up for a fight, as one should be before facing an offense so predicated on the run. The Hawkeyes' offensive linemen are going to be eager to come out and try to punch the Buckeyes' defensive front in the mouth, and the trenches are going to go a long way to determining how successful OSU is on Saturday.

Get Smart

• Ohio State has a 48-15-3 all-time record vs. Iowa.
• The Buckeyes have won eight straight home games against the Hawkeyes.
• Ohio State’s roster includes zero players from Iowa.
• Ohio State is wearing all-gray alternate uniforms in Saturday’s game. It’s the second straight year the Buckeyes will wear the uniforms, which they debuted last season against Michigan State.

[:infinity:] pic.twitter.com/kjp1x9plxN

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 1, 2024

• Ohio State will honor its 2024 Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame class at halftime. The 14-member class includes three former OSU football players – Braxton Miller, Jeff Logan and Matt Wilhelm –  along with OSU basketball great Greg Oden, wrestling legend Kyle Snyder and former athletic director Gene Smith, among others.
• Former Ohio State offensive tackle Chris Ward, who is set to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame later this year, will also be recognized during the game by Ohio State and the National Football Foundation.
• Ohio State will also honor the 1974 team for the 50th anniversary of its Big Ten championship and the 1979 team for the 45th anniversary of its Big Ten title.

How It Plays Out

Line: OSU -18, O/U 45.5

The last time Iowa came to the Horseshoe was in 2022, and it featured a similarly stout defense, though its rushing attack had far less bite. It was expected to be a grind-it-out slugfest Ohio State won by multiple scores, but the Buckeyes did much more than that in trouncing the Hawkeyes 54-10.

This time around doesn't seem slated for as lopsided a victory, though winning by 40-plus again would definitely be a massive statement by this year's Ohio State team. Not a single member of the Eleven Warriors staff has the Buckeyes reaching the 40-point plateau, but everyone employed here is picking OSU to win by a margin of at least 18.

Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction
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