If This Were a Movie: Ohio State vs. Iowa? It’s the Hawk(eye) of the Tiger
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The better team won yesterday, but don’t count Iowa out just yet. They still have more to prove.

Each week, we’ll analyze the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games as well) through the lens of cinema. If this game were the next “Remember the Titans,” “Space Jam” or “The Notebook,” what storylines would keep us talking? What would make us laugh, reach for the box of tissues, or have us on the edge of our seats? Grab your popcorn and get ready for pop culture references, a hint of snark, and a trip back in time to the Blockbuster Video days.

When the Iowa Hawkeyes took the field against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday, there was more on the line than just wins and losses. This Iowa team started the season ranked in the Top 25 and moved up after Week One before falling to then-unranked Iowa State.

This is not a bad Hawkeye football team by any means, but since that first loss, they’ve had a lot to prove as far as their talent goes. Despite the offensive prowess of star running back Kaleb Johnson and an unnervingly good defense, the Hawkeyes haven’t really held their own against marquee opponents in some time. A victory over Ohio State would have done a lot to redeem them, potentially even skyrocketing them back into the rankings.

Similar to the Hawkeyes, when we first meet Rocky Balboa in the 1976 cinematic masterpiece “Rocky,” the small-time, third-rate boxer is collecting debts for a local loan shark (poorly, I might add, as he lacks the ruthlessness needed to do the job) when he stumbles into a marquee matchup to put him on the map in the form of heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed.

When Creed loses his scheduled opponent for a fight due to an injured hand, he decides to find a local contender to challenge him. Rocky is hesitant but ultimately agrees to take Creed on, though it’s not just money on the line for Balboa—it’s his own sense of accomplishment.

Rocky never really believes he has a chance, but he seizes the opportunity to prove himself, and he comes out of the gate with a bang, defeating Creed in the first round.

Similarly, though the Buckeyes are nationally recognized as a title contender, the Hawkeyes held their own against Ohio State in the first half. While the Buckeyes scored first, the Hawkeyes also held them to just that lone touchdown in the first half, sending OSU into halftime with just a 7-0 lead.

The pressure was on for the Buckeyes.

To be fair, it wasn’t a particularly pretty first half for either team. But nor was it pretty for Rocky and Creed. It’s boxing, for Pete’s sake. It’s a messy sport, what can I say?

While Iowa didn’t play its best half of football, it did enough to keep the Buckeyes in check. After the lone touchdown of the half, the Buckeyes turned the ball over on downs and turned the ball over in error twice—once on a fumble by freshman standout Jeremiah Smith, and once on an interception from quarterback Will Howard.

We had ourselves a football game. Until we didn’t anymore. While both the Hawkeyes and Rocky put up a good fight, in the end, neither did enough to secure the victory.

Now, I don’t want to spoil the ending, but Rocky came out in 1976. If you don’t know how it ends, I don’t know how to help you here. The statute of limitations on spoilers is up.

For Rocky, Creed had too much talent. He won in a split decision, with his superior skills giving him the edge.

For the Buckeyes? By the time the second half kicked off, Ohio State found its groove, going into the locker room for halftime on shaky ground and coming out looking like a championship team. Right away, Howard and Smith connected for some flashy plays that reminded everyone why they were heavily favored in this battle.

It was too big a mountain for Iowa to overcome this time, no matter how valiantly they tried to stay in it in the first half.

Now, before you get too upset about the underdog losing in the end, don’t lose heart. First of all, we are an Ohio State site—you didn’t really expect us to ROOT for Iowa to win, did you?

But as for our guy Rocky, he takes it on the chin, undeterred by the outcome. You can watch “Rocky II” if you want to see what happens next.

While the fight between Rocky and Creed was much closer than the final score between Ohio State and Iowa, the energy was the same—a team that seemingly had no business playing with their opponent somehow managed to dig deep and stay in it. A team with a lot to prove to themselves and the rest of the college football world tries their darndest to stay in the conversation but ultimately falls short when it counts.

At the end of the day, my loyalty is with Ohio State. That’s my alma mater, and I’m rooting for them. But I want to live in a world where there are multiple Big Ten powerhouses who give them a run for their money. Better fights are more entertaining—no one likes a blowout.

So a team like Iowa, who doesn’t have the same recruiting star-power as the Buckeyes and who have to get a little scrappier to get the job done, would make an incredible instigator. They’re not there this year but don’t count them out in the long run.

Rocky didn’t win the battle against Apollo Creed, but he wasn’t done for good. And while I’m relieved the Buckeyes pulled it together so well in the second half, I’m not ready to write off these Hawkeyes just yet. They have too much to prove for me to count them out in the long run.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Ohio State’s 35-7 win over Iowa
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes only mustered seven points in the first half, but a dominant third quarter opened up the floodgates.

Ohio State scored its fewest points of the season against a good Iowa defense, holding only a 7-0 lead at halftime, but put together a dominant 28-0 third quarter as the Buckeyes coasted to a 35-7 victory and moved to 5-0 on the year. It was a strong performance overall for Ryan Day’s group, who will take their talents to Eugene, Oregon for a battle with the Ducks next weekend.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from Ohio State’s victory over the Hawkeyes.

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The Good​

The Run Game

Everyone knew that Ohio State’s two-headed monster at running back combined with Chip Kelly’s play-calling was going to work out in the Buckeyes’ favor. Even still, the duo has looked about as dominant as anyone could have asked, aided by a much more diverse set of run plays and an improved offensive line. Ohio State had it all working on the ground against Iowa, and against a defense of that caliber it was a real treat to watch.

Nothing that Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson did really jumps off the page from a stat sheet perspective, but it was the consistency and ease with which they picked up yards that set the tone for the game. Both guys averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry, with Judkins totaling 78 yards on 13 carries and Henderson 61 yards on 11 carries. Judkins has been physically imposing his will on opposing defenders, seemingly never going down on the first tackle attempt, while Henderson has been great at finding the hole and turning on the jets.

What stands out perhaps the most for the Buckeyes as compared to the last few years is both their willingness and their success with running the ball on third-and-short. Ohio State showed that off twice on its first drive alone, with Henderson picking up 12 yards on a third-and-1 and Judkins getting five yards on a third-and-3 later on. Having two stud running backs certainly helps, but a more diverse scheme and great offensive line play has turned short yardage into a strength for this group.

Emeka Egbuka

So much of the shine early on this season has been on the five-star freshman Jeremiah Smith — and rightfully so, as the first-year phenom hauled in yet another ridiculous one-handed grab for a touchdown on Saturday. However, Ohio State’s wide receiver room has another former five-star and a veteran leader that is still among the country’s best pass-catchers, and that is of course Emeka Egbuka.

It was a huge game for the junior against Iowa, hauling in nine catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns. Each one of his trio of scoring plays came on pretty impressive grabs, and he continues to be one of Will Howard’s most reliable targets week in and week out. Egbuka might not put up all of the flashy highlight plays that Smith does, but he is still an incredibly talented receiver in his own right. When Ohio State needs to make a play, it knows Egbuka is as proven and trustworthy a player as they come.

The Silver Bullets

Ohio State’s defense nearly pitched its second shutout of the season on Saturday, and likely would have had the starters stayed in the game past the end of the third quarter. Even with the backups playing the entirety of the final frame, the Buckeyes held Iowa to 226 total yards and forced three turnovers — two forced fumbles and an interception. The Ohio State defense totaled nine tackles for loss and sacked Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara four times, who passed for less than 100 yards in the game.

The big story heading into the game was Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who had a lot to say about Ohio State after not receiving an offer from the program as an in-state recruit from Hamilton, OH in the 2022 class. Johnson, who had not rushed for less than 119 yards in a game this season, was held to 86 yards rushing, with 28 of those yards coming on Iowa’s lone touchdown against the second-string defense. Outside the touchdown run, Johnson carried the ball 14 times for 58 yards.

The Bad​

Third Down Cushion

While the defense was largely great, and for the second-straight week did a great job at taking the ball away, Ohio State did struggle a bit on third downs early on. Iowa started the afternoon converting on 3-of-4 third down opportunities, all of which came through the air, including a 22-yard gain on a third-and-8. The Buckeyes got better as things went along, with the Hawkeyes finishing the game just 5-of-12 on third down, but against a better offense those early conversions could prove problematic.

It has been a common theme for Jim Knowles’ defense this season to play the corners way off the receivers in the first half of games, and teams are starting to take advantage. Michigan State did a good job of it in the first half, and Iowa did well to attack it on third downs in the first half of this game. The Spartans and Hawkeyes did not quite have the firepower to do much with it, but Oregon definitely does. Ohio State has some really good cornerbacks out there, and there is no reason for them to be playing so far back.

Fourth Down QB Draw

Ohio State’s play-calling with Chip Kelly at the helm has been mostly stellar. The Buckeyes look far more dynamic than they have in the past and are way less predictable. That being said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be one or two head-scratchers in any given contest, and that was exactly what the failed fourth down quarterback draw early in the second quarter could be considered.

The Buckeyes picked up four yards on a third-and-6 play on a short catch from Egbuka, setting up a fourth-and-2 at Iowa’s 42-yard line. Ohio State had been running the ball incredibly effectively with both Henderson and Judkins, but elected to come out on fourth down in a shotgun look with an empty backfield. Howard caught the snap and attempted to run straight up the middle, but was denied as the team turned it over on downs while leading just 7-0 at the time.

It seemed like the Buckeyes tried to get a bit too cute there, and should have just handed the ball off or ran one of their now-signature RPOs — like they did on fourth-and-2 later in the game for a 21-yard gain.

The Ugly​

Will Howard’s Interception

For the third-straight game, Will Howard threw an interception. Unlike last week, where Howard was picked off attempting to throw into double-coverage, this time it was an under-thrown ball to Egbuka with the cornerback draped all over him. Howard has been great for Ohio State overall, but some of his passes downfield have lacked the necessary zip to make it to its intended receiver. This was another example of that on a ball that likely shouldn’t have been thrown in the first place.

Even with a few bad passes, Howard finished the game with excellent numbers against a highly-touted defense. Howard completed 21 of his 25 pass attempts for 209 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding 28 yards and a score on the ground. Any time you can score more total touchdowns than you have incomplete passes is a pretty good day at the office, especially against a defense of this caliber. The three-straight weeks with an interception is a little concerning, but it would be tough not to like what Howard has done with the Buckeyes thus far.

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