IOWA CITY - Iowa’s best rehearsal this week comes from a wide receiver trying to play defense’s version of a nightmare.
Apollo Payne, a second-year Hawkeye wideout, has been asked to imitate Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith in practice so Iowa’s defense can get a better feel for the challenge ahead. Payne, listed at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, is standing in for Smith, who is 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds. It isn’t a perfect match, but Iowa wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr says Payne has handled the assignment the right way.
“He’s the same guy every day,” Iowa wideouts coach Jon Budmayr said. “He’s going to show up.
He’s going to go to work. He knows what his role is right now and he’s doing it to the best of his ability.
He respects his role and he goes out there and practices hard every day, and he’s going to earn the right to continue to get reps as his career progresses.”
That work matters because Smith is not the kind of receiver you can sneak up on. The junior has piled up 3,175 yards and 34 touchdowns in his college career, and his latest explosion was impossible to miss: 12 catches, 217 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s 42-19 win over Illinois.
Iowa linebacker Jayden Montgomery said the Buckeyes have plenty of vertical threats, but Smith is the one who changes the whole picture.
“They obviously have a lot of deep threats,” linebacker Jayden Montgomery said. “Jeremiah Smith, I mean, sometimes it seems like they just throw it up to him and it’s like, ‘Hey, he’s down there somewhere.’”
The Hawkeyes know the assignment won’t be about one snap or one matchup. It’s about limiting the damage after the catch and getting Smith to the ground before a routine completion turns into something bigger. That became a point of emphasis after Iowa’s issues with explosive plays against Michigan last week.
Against the Wolverines, Iowa allowed Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan to combine for 12 receptions, 236 yards and two touchdowns. The Hawkeyes can’t afford that kind of day again if they want to hang with No. 5 Ohio State.
“They did a lot of tricky stuff against us, which we kind of expected, but being out there you’ve got to be ready for it,” third-year cornerback Jaylen Watson said. “We kind of had our eyes in the wrong spot at times, and then little things like footwork, being able to make tackles because we missed a lot of tackles also.”
Watson said he found his footing after what he viewed as a slow start, finishing with three pass breakups. Deshaun Lee also made a timely play, intercepting Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood to stop a promising opening second-half drive.
For Iowa, though, stopping Smith is only part of the job. The Hawkeyes also have to help themselves by playing cleaner complementary football than they did against Michigan.
When the defense handed the offense a chance after Lee’s interception, Iowa turned it into a punt from its own 7-yard line. And after the Hawkeyes took a 14-13 lead, the defense gave it right back on a six-play drive that ended with Buchanan’s 49-yard touchdown.
That’s where offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s message comes in. Iowa can help its own chances - and help its defense - by staying on schedule, winning the little battles and keeping Ohio State’s offense on the sideline.
“One thing that Tim often hits our group on, especially in these types of games, is it’s a 10-yard fight, and you’ve got to fight and strain and claw for each and every yard,” Budmayr said. “That’s catching the ball and that’s transitioning, becoming a runner and getting those extra yards. Those two, three, four yards, they add up, and if you can get those few yards, now all of a sudden you get a few more kicks at the can.”
So while Payne works as a stand-in for Smith in practice, Iowa’s bigger task is much more demanding: keep the Buckeyes’ No. 4 from wrecking the game, and give the Hawkeyes enough balance on both sides of the ball to make an upset possible.
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