Ohio State walked out of Iowa City with a 31-14 Big Ten win on Saturday, and while the result was solid, the details gave plenty of room for a grumpy review.
The Buckeyes did enough to control the game, and Julian Sayin kept the offense moving while Devin McCuin found the end zone. The running game also did its job, with both Jacksons topping 70 yards and Isaiah West adding some important carries. On defense, Ohio State got after Hank Brown at times when he held the ball, and the secondary was steady when it wasn’t drawing flags.
Still, this wasn’t the kind of clean performance that leaves everyone feeling great.
Pre-snap penalties kept showing up in spots that mattered. Gabe VanSickle was flagged twice for false starts, including one on the second offensive snap that turned a second-and-6 into a second-and-11.
Even after Sayin hit McCuin for a touchdown on the next play, the mistake stood out. VanSickle’s second false start came on Ohio State’s next drive after the Buckeyes had reached the Iowa 12, and that sequence ended with a field goal.
Austin Siereveld also had a false start on that same drive, moving the Buckeyes from first-and-10 to first-and-15 at the Iowa 29. Siereveld picked up another false start in the third quarter after Jaylen McClain’s interception, backing Ohio State from the 30 to the 25.
The officiating also left the game feeling uneven. Devin Sanchez was called for two pass interference penalties, giving him four over the last two games, but the contact on both sides was a constant issue.
On one of Sanchez’s penalties, Iowa receiver Reece Vander Zee was holding him off with a fistful of jersey. Brandon Inniss had his arm held down on the play after VanSickle’s second false start, and Jeremiah Smith was held down on a third-and-1 later in the third quarter.
Ohio State then tried a wide run on fourth-and-1 and turned it over on downs, a sequence that drew criticism both for the play call and for the lack of a consistent standard from the officials.
Special teams remains a problem area too. Connor Hawkins hit the upright on a field goal attempt, one of only two missed kicks seen across 11 college football games watched that day, even as plenty of other teams were drilling long attempts from beyond 50 yards.
Hawkins’ miss at Texas still hangs over the unit, and this one came in a game where Ohio State would have liked a bigger cushion. Punting wasn’t much better.
Joe McGuire had a chance to pin Iowa deep, but his 31-yard punt let the Hawkeyes field it outside the 20. Iowa’s punting game, by contrast, consistently flipped field position.
Ohio State was also offside on a kickoff.
The Buckeyes’ discipline issues didn’t stop there. After Ohio State stopped an Iowa two-point conversion late, the Hawkeyes got another shot because the Buckeyes had 12 men on the field.
Even with all of that, Ohio State left with a comfortable win, and there was enough good to keep the bigger picture intact. Sayin and Smith continue to deliver, the run game was efficient rather than explosive, and the defense had stretches where it pressured Brown and made Iowa work for everything. But for a team with championship ambitions, the penalty count, the special teams issues and the uneven execution are still impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Added Another Chapter To Ohio State History
Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned Ohio Stadium into a showcase on Saturday, piling up 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns as No. 5 Ohio State handled No. 14 Iowa, 31-14. It was the kind of afternoon that reminded everyone why the Buckeyes have long been a factory for elite receivers, with Smith-Njigba producing the kind of big-play outing that can change a game in a hurry.
By the time the dust settled, Smith-Njigba had moved into first place in Ohio State history in receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards, adding another line to a program record book already crowded with stars. Julian Sayin helped make it possible, completing 20 of 27 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, giving the Buckeyes a passing performance that kept Iowa chasing from start to finish. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Can Turn Homecoming Into A Bigger Big Ten Problem
Ohio State heads into homecoming weekend still carrying the momentum of its 31-14 win over Iowa, and Maryland is next on the schedule with the Buckeyes expected to keep rolling. The matchup gives Ohio State a chance to protect its place in the Big Ten race while also putting another conference opponent in a difficult spot on a festive weekend in Columbus.
Maryland arrives with a lot more pressure attached than the usual road trip, which is part of what makes this game worth watching beyond the spread. Mike Locksleys program has been struggling again this season, and another rough outing against Ohio State would only deepen the questions around where things are headed for the Terrapins. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Just Got A Harsh Reminder Of The Gap They Face
Ohio State left Iowa with more than another conference win after Saturdays 31-14 result. The Buckeyes latest showing was enough to push them to the top of ESPNs FPI rankings, another sign that the national machine in Columbus is rolling early and creating separation from the rest of the Big Ten pack.
Jeremiah Smith was at the center of it again, turning the trip into a showcase performance and further underscoring why the Buckeyes are built so differently right now. Iowa got a reminder of the gap it still has to close, while Ohio State kept adding to the sense that its ceiling is rising with each week. [Read more 🡒]