IOWA CITY, Iowa - Ohio State spent most of Saturday locked in the kind of grinder Iowa loves to drag teams into. For a while, the Buckeyes had to earn every inch at Kinnick Stadium. Then Jeremiah Smith took over.
Smith caught two touchdown passes, set another Ohio State record and powered the Buckeyes past Iowa 31-14 in a second-half pullaway that kept their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes moving in the right direction.
The game had the feel of a tight, physical conference fight early on, with Iowa hanging around and making Ohio State work for nearly everything. The Hawkeyes trailed 17-6 at halftime, but that gap was only created after Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin connected for a big sequence just before the break.
Ohio State got rolling right away after the opening kickoff. Kenyatta Jackson forced a strip sack, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the Iowa 14-yard line. Three plays later, Sayin hit Devin McCuin for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 13:18 left in the first quarter.
Iowa answered with Caden Buhr field goals around a Connor Hawkins field goal for Ohio State, trimming the game into a 10-6 Buckeyes lead heading to the second quarter.
Then came the moment that shifted the first half. Earlier in the quarter, Sayin and Smith connected on a 53-yard catch-and-run.
With 12 seconds left before halftime, they hooked up again on a 12-yard touchdown pass, pushing Ohio State ahead 17-6. The score tied Smith with Chris Olave’s program record of 35 career touchdown receptions.
Iowa did not go quietly after the break. The Hawkeyes stopped Ohio State on fourth-and-1 midway through the third quarter and briefly had the momentum. But that surge vanished in one snap.
With 6:11 left in the quarter, Sayin found Smith streaking downfield for a 57-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 24-6 and giving Smith sole possession of the school record with his 36th career touchdown catch.
Ohio State’s defense followed with another swing play. The pass rush forced Iowa quarterback Hank Brown into a bad throw, and the result was an interception at the Hawkeyes’ 30-yard line. Soon after, Sayin found Smith for an 8-yard completion, Smith’s 10th catch of the day and the 206th reception of his career, another program mark.
That set the stage for more breathing room. A 34-yard completion from Sayin to McCuin moved Ohio State deep into Iowa territory, and Ja’Kobi Jackson finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to make it 31-6 with 12:47 remaining.
Iowa added a late touchdown and two-point conversion on a 2-yard run by Braeden Jackson, but the outcome was already settled.
Sayin finished 20 of 27 for 324 yards and three touchdowns against one of the conference’s toughest defenses. Smith’s line was just as eye-catching: 11 catches, 206 yards and two touchdowns. He also walked away with the program’s all-time marks in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches.
The Buckeyes also got production on the ground. Bo and Ja’Kobi Jackson combined for 142 yards, giving Ohio State another layer behind the passing fireworks.
For long stretches, Iowa gave Ohio State the kind of physical, defensive game it wanted. But when the Buckeyes needed a difference-maker, Smith was it - and that was enough to leave Kinnick Stadium with a hard-earned road win.
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Ohio State Just Delivered The Kind Of Road Win Fans Needed
Ohio State went into Kinnick Stadium and delivered the sort of response win its fans had been waiting for, beating Iowa 31-14 and handing the Hawkeyes their first loss of the season. The Buckeyes controlled the game on both sides of the ball, piling up 484 total yards while keeping Iowa to 238 and a paltry 39 rushing yards, which made this feel less like a tense road test and more like a statement about the gap between the two teams.
Jeremiah Smith was at the center of it, turning the trip into one of those performances that travels well beyond the box score. He finished with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, giving Ohio State a dynamic edge whenever it needed one and helping offset a couple of turnovers forced by the defense. For a team that needed a clean, convincing road result, this was exactly the kind of night it was looking for. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Just Put Ohio State Fans On Notice Again
Jeremiah Smith kept the Buckeyes moving in Iowa City, turning a road test against the Hawkeyes into another showcase for Ohio States passing game. The freshman wideout tied the Ohio State touchdown record while finishing with 11 catches for 206 yards and two scores, a performance that helped push the Buckeyes to a 4-1 start and add another layer to what has already become a must-watch season in Columbus.
Smiths latest breakout only raises the stakes for what comes next, because Ohio State now heads back home to face Maryland with its young star drawing even more attention. For a team that has spent the early part of the season trying to establish its identity, his ability to create production anywhere on the field has become one of the biggest reasons the Buckeyes keep looking like a contender. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Earned The Big Ten Spot Fans Wanted Most
Week 5 brought a clearer picture of the Big Ten race, and Ohio State came out of it looking like the conference team fans expected to see at the top. The Buckeyes handled Iowa in a game that carried more weight than a typical early-season road test, adding a quality win to a rsum that is starting to separate from the pack as the league standings and the national picture begin to take shape.
The rankings around them still have plenty of movement left, with Indiana continuing to push forward, Oregon and UCLA drawing attention for different reasons, and Michigan still trying to sort out its own path. But Ohio States recent momentum is the kind that can hold up as October approaches, especially if the Buckeyes keep matching style points with results in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]