Ohio State is walking into one of the biggest early-season tests on its schedule, and the setting only makes it sharper. The Buckeyes, now 3-1, head to Iowa City for a top-20 clash with an undefeated Iowa team at Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeyes are coming off a wild finish against Michigan, one of the most dramatic wins in college football this season. Iowa pulled out a 20-19 victory on a last-second touchdown from Hank Brown to Reece Vander Zee. The Hawkeyes were down 19-14 with less than two minutes left, then Brown engineered a 91-yard winning drive that ended with a fourth-down touchdown and two seconds on the clock.
Brown has quickly become one of Iowa’s biggest surprises this season. He has completed 68% of his passes and has not thrown an interception, giving the Hawkeyes a steady option through the air that Ohio State has to respect. Kamari Moulton has helped balance things on the ground, giving Iowa another path to manage the game and control the tempo.
That balance matters because the real edge for Iowa is on defense. The Hawkeyes are allowing just 8.0 points per game and lead the nation in scoring defense.
That sets up a serious challenge for an Ohio State offense that has looked strong early, even before factoring in the noise and difficulty of playing at Kinnick. It will also be the Buckeyes’ first trip back there since 2017.
For Ohio State, the matchup starts up front. Joey said the Buckeyes have to control the line of scrimmage, avoid letting Iowa set the pace, establish the run, win first and second down and make the Hawkeyes throw more often.
Cole pointed to another area that could decide the night: Ohio State needs more from its receivers beyond Jeremiah Smith. If the Buckeyes can keep winning those one-on-one matchups, it would take pressure off Julian Sayin and open the offense.
Cole picked Ohio State to win 31-14.
Ohio State and Iowa kick off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET from Kinnick Stadium. The game will air on CBS, and College GameDay will be in Iowa City for the matchup.
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