Ohio State once again started slow - this time on offense - to lead just 7-0 at intermission but the second half was all Buckeyes in what became a 35-7 blowout of Iowa yesterday afternoon in sun-splashed Ohio Stadium.
Will Howard matched his career-high with four touchdown tosses and ran for another score within a 21-for-25 day through the air for 209 yards. The 84% completion rate was Howard's second-best single-game mark (88.2%, 15-for-17 versus Houston in '23) as he carved up Iowa on short and intermediate throws most of the day. He also threw an interception for a third-straight game. While none of those have mattered to this point, it's fair to have some level of concern a poor/forced throw or poor read could eventually come with major consequences.
Ohio State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, the defense was lights out throughout, and the Buckeyes finished with just one accepted penalty for 10 yards in a final tuneup before heading to Eugene, Oregon to face the undefeated Ducks next Saturday.
Before we spend the week deep diving on Dan Lanning's program, here are Five Things from a 28-point thrashing of the Hawkeyes.
JUSTIN FRYE CACKLES WITH GLEE
The Hawkeyes invaded the Shoe sporting the nation's No. 4 rush defense giving up just 62 yards per game on the 5th-best yards per carry allowed (2.41) and had yet to give up a rushing touchdown.
Then Justin Frye's offensive line and Chip Kelly's masterful play calling combined to overwhelm Iowa's front seven. The Buckeyes tallied 203 rushing yards on 5.1 per attempt including a 4-yard trip to paydirt by Will Howard.
Those numbers are better when focusing on the first three quarters - the time the starting offensive line and running backs played before giving way to reserves with the game out of hand. The starters racked up 148 rushing yards on 5.7 per try.
Quinshon Judkins (13 for 78, 6.0 ypc) and TreVeyon Henderson (11-for-61, 5.5 ypc) combined to rack up 139 yards on 5.8 per carry. None of their 24 carries went for negative yardage.
The Hawkeyes produced just two tackles for loss across 65 total snaps. One of those was a gift as Howard muffed a snap and the other came when Howard rolled out wide and had forever to find a receiver or throw the ball away but still let Jay Higgins sack him for a 5-yard loss.
Oregon will present a much different task next week as it brings more speed in the trenches and off the edges but it was still a great confidence builder to see Frye's group meet the physical challenge in both road grading and pass pro against a respectable Iowa front seven.
I'll also be interested to see the snap counts report since it's easy to lose track of them during the game but I felt like first-year starter Tegra Tshabola turned in another strong effort to further solidify his status as RG1.
SILVER BULLIES
Iowa star tailback Kaleb Johnson came into the contest as the nation's second-leading rusher (171.3 ypg) on the strength of 8.4 yards per carry.
Against the Buckeyes, he had to grind for 86 yards on 5.7 per attempt and that's with feeling the benefit of some stat padding early in the fourth quarter versus Ohio State's reserves.
Across the first three quarters when Ohio State's starting unit was intact, Johnson tallied 12 carries for just 48 yards and two receptions for five yards. If you take away his long run of 28 yards, Johnson amassed 25 total yards on his other 13 touches versus the starters, or 1.9 yards per touch. Those unfolded as following: 4, 0, 2, 4, 0, 1, 1, 5, 4, 3, -2, -1 and 4 yards. But yeah, he was woofing at Caleb Downs after that 28 yarder - maybe expressing shock, not sure.
Beyond swarming Johnson, the defense also recorded three turnovers leading to 21 points for the offense. Jack Sawyer forced a fumble that Cody Simon pounced on to give OSU great field position at the Iowa 19. A short touchdown drive followed. Davison Igbinosun notched an interception on the first play of Iowa's next possession and returned it 45 yards to the Hawkeyes 40 to set up another touchdown. On Iowa's next possession, Kenyatta Jackson recovered a forced fumble by Ty Hamilton at the Hawkeyes' 27-yard line to set up another OSU touchdown.
The Silver Bullets allowed no points, 145 total yards on 3.7 yards per play and just two chunk plays through those three quarters played by the starters and held Kirk Ferentz's squad to 47 rushing yards on 2.5 per carry. Quarterback Cade McNamara completed 14-of-20 throws for 98 yards, good for 4.9 yards per attempt.
All the starters stepped up but interior defensive linemen Ty Hamilton (5 tackles, sack, FF) and Tyleik Williams (2 tackles) and defensive end Jack Sawyer (3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, FF) caused constant disruption and helped keep linebackers Sonny Styles and Cody Simon clean.
SONNY STYLIN'
Speaking of Sonny, his first four games at the Will linebacker spot exposed his inexperience there. He struggled to quickly read and react, had issues with pursuit angles and had some open receivers slide across his face, among other concerns.
That said, "inexperience" is the key word to think about when weighing the ups and downs of his early season play. He's obviously a physical freak and led the Buckeyes in stops entering yesterday's action. Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles had his back during multiple press conferences this week, saying he had performed well especially given his lack of reps at the Will along with all the other roles they've asked him to take on over the last year and a half.
Versus Johnson and the Hawkeyes, Styles looked significantly more instinctual and fluid, reading and reacting at a clip we hadn't yet seen. The result was a team-leading seven stops including two for loss. Six of his seven tackles held Iowa to four yards or less and he made two third down plays to trigger punts.
It does seem like the Hawkeyes were probably a great offense to bring out his strengths knowing they wanted to run the ball and largely do so in a phone booth. As noted, Ohio State's interior defensive line played so well that Styles had a lot of clean looks at ball carriers.
But Styles absolutely turned in an impactful performance and deserves a lot of credit. Simply banking reps should enable a continued upward trajectory and hey, no time like the present to make another leap with Oregon on the slate Saturday.
TWO GOOD
Supporting Howard in the aerial attack, elite receiving duo Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith combined for 13 catches on 15 targets for 160 yards and four touchdowns. Smith also added a 14-yard run.
Egbuka set a career-high with three touchdown grabs as part of a 9-for-71 day. Smith experienced some tough sledding early but still recorded four catches for 89 yards and a score.
Five of Egbuka's receptions either moved the chains or reached the end zone while two of Smith's did the same. He also recorded a 23-yard grab that would've moved the chains if not for his fumble that Donovan Jackson had a great shot at but somehow didn't recover or safely knock out of bounds.
Smith again turned in a highlight reel play with a one-handed touchdown grab giving the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Another week, another one-handed touchdown catch for Jeremiah Smith. pic.twitter.com/TaeVZo18nX
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 5, 2024
Through five games, Emeka's 30 catches lead the Buckeyes (Smith 23) while Smith has the edge in yards (453 to 423) and touchdown receptions (6 to 5).
It's still early but these two look capable of turning in the best ever single-season performance by an OSU receiving duo.
RED Z-OH-NE
Coming into yesterday, Iowa led the country allowing opponents just three red zone trips across four games. Meanwhile, Ohio State entered the contest leading the land in red zone scoring rate (100%) and slotted No. 2 in red zone touchdown rate at a stellar 93.8% (15-of-16). Something had to give and that something was the Hawkeyes.
Ohio State racked up five red zone visits and came away with touchdowns each time. Emeka Egbuka's 14-yard touchdown catch on the Buckeyes' opening possession sent an early message to cap a 14-play, 88-yard drive making it 7-0. Jeremiah Smith's one-handed 4-yard touchdown grab after his 53-yard reception on 3rd-and-6 put OSU in the red zone finished a drive to make it 14-0.
The OSU defense forced a turnover on the first play of Iowa's next possession giving the Buckeyes the ball at the Hawkeyes 19 and Will Howard found the end zone a few plays later via a 4-yard run to make it 21-0.
Egbuka struck again on the next OSU possession with a 15-yard touchdown catch after Howard and Brandon Inniss kept the drive alive two plays earlier on a 21-yard slant on 4th-and-2.
Finally, the last Egbuka touchdown, this one a 3-yard reception, took advantage of another short field after the defense forced a turnover giving OSU possession at the Iowa 27.
Ohio State is now 21-for-21 in scoring points on red zone trips and boasts 20 touchdowns on those visits.
