Jeremiah Smith’s monster afternoon against Illinois already made one thing clear: Ohio State’s star receiver is a matchup nightmare. Now Iowa has handed him another opening.
The Hawkeyes ruled out defensive back Tyler Brown for Saturday’s game against the Buckeyes, removing the player they were most likely to lean on in trying to slow Smith. Brown was Iowa’s best defensive back heading into the matchup, and his absence is a significant hit for a defense that lives on making opponents earn everything.
Brown’s value was obvious last season, when he finished with 80 tackles, a sack, six passes knocked down and an interception. Iowa has built its identity around defense, and that side of the ball is again carrying the load this year.
The Hawkeyes are allowing only about eight points per game, the best scoring defense in the country. But taking Brown out of the equation makes the challenge against Ohio State a lot harder.
Smith comes in after the biggest performance of his college career: four touchdown catches and more than 200 receiving yards in Ohio State’s blowout win over Illinois. That outing only strengthened the case that no one can really cover him, and it pushed him into Heisman conversation. With the Buckeyes still leaning heavily on the pass and still searching for more explosive production from the running backs, Smith remains their most dependable weapon.
Iowa’s depth in the secondary is also taking a hit. The Hawkeyes will be without DB Kyler Gerady, and freshman Darion Jones is listed as questionable. That leaves even less margin for error against an Ohio State passing game built around Smith.
The Buckeyes have their own injury questions to sort through. Freshman corner Jay Timmons is questionable, and his potential absence would matter after he’s emerged as one of Ohio State’s better playmakers this season. Phillip Daniels is also questionable after missing time since getting hurt against Texas, and his status affects the right side of the offensive line, where Gabe VanSickle has been at right guard and Austin Siereveld at right tackle.
There is some good news for Ohio State, though. Zion Grady is not on the availability report, which points to the starting defensive end returning after missing the last two games. He was hurt in the Texas game, and getting him back would reduce Qua Russaw’s workload.
The availability report is still something to watch as the week moves on, but for now the biggest takeaway is simple: Iowa’s secondary is shorthanded, and Jeremiah Smith already looked like a receiver no one could handle.
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Ohio State Just Got New Life With A Key 2028 Line Target
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Among the visitors was 2028 offensive tackle Amaree Joshua, a highly regarded prospect with multiple offers, and Ohio State also appears to have reopened a door with Ohio lineman Anthony Blalock Jr. The in-state connection matters, especially for a program that keeps working to lock down its front lines early, and the Buckeyes now have a fresh chance to make that pitch while the recruiting race is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]