Ohio State left Kinnick Stadium with a 31-14 win over Iowa, and for a Buckeyes team that had plenty of questions coming in, the afternoon mostly brought answers.
The defense cleaned up the explosive-play issues it had shown the week before against Illinois, giving up just one gain of 20 or more yards. The run game also held its own, helping Ohio State pile up 160 yards on the ground and keep the offense on schedule. The Buckeyes went three-and-out only once all game.
Just as important, a few players who had been waiting to make a real impact finally did it on a big stage.
The clearest answer on offense came at wide receiver, where the search for a true WR2 had been hanging over Ohio State behind Jeremiah Smith. Smith remains the centerpiece - he leads the nation in receptions, yards and touchdowns - but Saturday gave Devin McCuin a chance to separate himself from the pack.
McCuin had already shown a glimpse of what he could do in the opener against Ball State, when he caught 6 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. But over the next three games, he disappeared a bit, failing to score and totaling just 68 yards combined.
Against Iowa, he looked like the second option Ohio State has been waiting for. McCuin finished with 4 catches for 80 yards and scored the Buckeyes’ first touchdown, using a sharp move in space to get open for Julian Sayin as the quarterback moved in the pocket. He also flashed his downfield ability with a catch along the sideline to open the fourth quarter.
His speed and work in the middle of the field give defenses a problem when they try to match up with him one-on-one. If this becomes the norm, the WR2 conversation may be over.
Ohio State also got a much-needed response from Isaiah Russaw. Up to this point, his season had been hard to call anything but disappointing: 5 tackles in three games, with no sacks and no tackles for loss.
That changed in Iowa City. Russaw turned in 5 tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, and he looked like the player Buckeye fans expected when he arrived in Columbus. His sack came with power, as he drove Iowa right tackle Jack Doltzer back into Hank Brown’s lap.
For a pass rush that has been quiet to start the season, that kind of production matters. If Russaw can stack more games like this, Ohio State’s defense gets a higher ceiling in a hurry.
The least surprising name on the list was Kenyatta Jackson Jr., though even he had been underwhelming statistically before Saturday. He had only two sacks on the season, and his pressure numbers hadn’t matched the size and reputation that come with a 6-foot-6, more than 260-pound captain.
He wasted no time making a play against Iowa. On the Buckeyes’ first defensive series, Jackson Jr. came off the blind side, strip-sacked Brown and set Ohio State’s offense up in the red zone right away. It was the team’s second first-drive turnover of the season.
The rest of his day was quieter, and he finished with just the one sack and the forced fumble. Still, the takeaway was clear: Ohio State wants more disruption from its edge rushers, and Jackson Jr. showed he can create game-changing moments when he gets his chance.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Gave Ohio State Fans A New Indiana Debate
Indiana has become one of the more interesting talking points around Ohio States schedule, not just because Curt Cignettis team is off to a 5-0 start and sitting No. 7, but because of how quickly it has climbed into the national conversation. The Hoosiers have clearly made real progress over two seasons, and their rise has forced people around the sport to decide how much credit to give a program that has beaten the teams in front of it while still waiting for the kind of week-to-week grind that defines the Big Ten.
Urban Meyer helped stir that debate by casting doubt on how fully Indianas record should be judged, arguing that games against weaker opponents should not carry the same weight in the evaluation. For Ohio State fans, it is the kind of conversation that always circles back to the same place: whether Indiana is a legitimate threat in the league race, or simply a team whose rsum still needs a bigger test to prove it against the Buckeyes and the rest of the conference elite. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Proved Its National Pull Is Still Different
Ohio States 31-14 win over Iowa was the kind of showcase the program still seems to command without much effort. Even with multiple top-25 games filling the same weekend slate, the Buckeyes trip to CBS pulled the largest audience in college football, a reminder that when Ohio State is in a prominent window, people still tune in.
Jeremiah Smith helped make the afternoon feel even bigger, turning in a huge receiving performance with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns. It was the latest sign that Ohio States national draw is about more than brand recognition alone, with a receiver already giving the offense the kind of weekly spotlight that tends to travel well beyond Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Homecoming Could Shape A Huge Recruiting Battle
Ohio States homecoming week is bringing more than just the usual buzz around Saturdays game with Maryland. Fresh off a win over Iowa, the Buckeyes are also setting the stage for a major recruiting weekend, with several top 2028 prospects expected on campus as the program keeps pushing to build out a class that already has five verbal commits.
The headliners in the group are five-star defensive linemen Jamarcus Johnson and Kellan Hall, both among the nations most coveted young players and already drawing multiple scholarship offers. For Ohio State, the chance to host that kind of talent during a home game weekend is a reminder that the battle for future recruiting classes starts well before Signing Day, and this one could become a significant early test of how strong the Buckeyes pull really is. [Read more 🡒]