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LGHL A Gene Wilder themed recap of Ohio State’s 35-7 win over Iowa
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A Gene Wilder themed recap of Ohio State’s 35-7 win over Iowa
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes turned up the heat in the second half to bury the Hawkeyes in Columbus.
Ohio State continued their undefeated start to the 2024 season on Saturday, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes 35-7 in Columbus. The Buckeyes started off slow, only leading the Hawkeyes by a touchdown at halftime before putting some distance on Kirk Ferentz’s team in the second half. Now, Ohio State fully turns its attention to Saturday night’s massive showdown in Eugene with Oregon.
I’ve been using the works of some famous alumni from the opponents of Ohio State this year to hit on the key points of what we have seen in games this year. One of Iowa’s most famous alums is actor Gene Wilder. After growing up in Wisconsin, Wilder attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a degree in Communication and Theatre Arts in 1955. With his impressive resume, it wasn’t hard to find five of his works that describe what we saw on Saturday.
The combination of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson at running back is electric. Iowa entered the game not having allowed 100 yards rushing to any of their first four opponents this season. Their streak of holding opponents under triple digits on the ground this year came to an end against the Buckeyes, who rolled up 203 yards rushing. Judkins finished with 78 yards on 13 carries, while Henderson had 61 yards on 11 carries.
There’s no question the duo is the best running back combination in the country. Even though their stats haven’t jumped off the page in the last two games, they are perfect for Chip Kelly’s offense since they demand so much attention when they are on the field, which forces opposing defenses to make a decision on where they want to allocate their resources.
What’s even scarier for upcoming opponents on the schedule of Ohio State is Judkins and Henderson aren’t being used a ton, which will keep them fresher as the season goes along. In November as the weather becomes more suspect in Big Ten country, the running backs are going to become an even bigger part of the offense than they already are.
If you were to build a perfect wide receiver, it would be Jeremiah Smith. Through five games at the college level, Smith has scored at least one touchdown in each game. Along with the scores, Smith has had three highlight reel one-handed catches over the past two games. The latest was a touchdown reception where he had an Iowa defender blanketed on him in the end zone. Smith just stuck his free hand up and was able to corral the Will Howard pass.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25661181/2176082927.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 05 Iowa at Ohio State")
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Smith has a great compliment in the passing game, lining up with Emeka Egbuka at wide receiver. Egbuka brings veteran leadership and steady play, while Smith has the youth energy and big-play ability. Smith finished with four catches for 89 yards and a score against the Hawkeyes.
Speaking of wide receivers, Egbuka had what might have been his best performance in the scarlet and gray, hauling in nine passes and scoring three touchdowns. The senior now has five touchdowns this year, halfway to matching his career-high that he set in 2022. What made what we saw from Egbuka even more impressive is his touchdown were all contested catches, unlike some of the scores where he takes a screen pass and uses his outstanding speed to leave defenders in the dust.
When it is all said and done, Egbuka is going to have one of the quietest great careers in school history. Since arriving in Columbus, Egbuka has been surrounded by tremendous receivers. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr. we’re all first round draft picks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Egbuka taken in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Even this year, Smith has dominated the headlines where it comes to the receivers. In honesty though, Egbuka probably likes it that way. With less attention being given to him, it allows him to continue to put up big numbers and move his way up Ohio State’s receiving record books.
Wilder was only credited as “waiter” in one episode of the show from the 1960s, but it is on his filmography and still counts, so we’ll use it to give the Buckeye defense some shine.
The Ohio State defense continued to make like miserable for their opponents this year. Through five games, the Buckeyes have allowed just 34 points. Where Ohio State have been particularly strong this season is in the second half games. While Iowa did get a touchdown after halftime, it wasn’t anything that put the lead of the Buckeyes in danger.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25661182/usa_today_24421575.jpg "Syndication: The Des Moines Register")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson entered the game on a heater to start the season. Ohio State only allowed the Hamilton native 86 yards on the ground, with 28 yards coming on his touchdown run. Had it not been for the touchdown run by Johnson, the Hawkeyes wouldn’t have even cracked 100 yards rushing for the game.
Along with the rush defense, the secondary continued to cause problems for opponents. Davison Igbinosun grabbed his first career interception, Caleb Downs was everywhere on the field, and Lathan Ransom was laying the lumber from his safety position. The unit was helped by the constant pressure Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and the rest of the defensive line were creating. Sawyer had a sack and a half, while Tuimoloau was credited with the other half sack.
While we know Iowa’s defense isn’t going to light the world on fire, it was still a very workmanlike showing from the Buckeyes. They’ll head into Eugene with a lot of confidence as they prepare for the toughest test they’ll face during the regular season.
At least on Saturday there was no evil afoot in Columbus. The same can’t be said around the rest of the country, with a number of Top 10 teams being upset. The most shocking upset came in Nashville, where Alabama lost to Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide entered the week as the top team in the country after beating Georgia last Saturday night. Even though Alabama’s playoff hopes are still alive, they took a huge hit after falling to a team they were favored over by more than three touchdowns.
In the Big Ten, Michigan lost the rematch of January’s title game. Washington was able to gain a bit of revenge by beating the Wolverines 27-17. Sherrone Moore’s team has already lost two games this year, and still have to play Oregon and Ohio State. At this point, the only hope for the Wolverines to make the CFP looks like it will have to be winning the Big Ten.
Elsewhere in the conference, USC is still winless on the road in the Big Ten, losing at Minnesota last night. The Trojans will have to put the loss behind them quickly, as they’ll host Penn State this Saturday.
Moving back to the SEC, Tennessee and Missouri were big losers on Saturday. The Tigers had no shot against Texas A&M on Saturday, getting blown out by the Aggies in College Station. Later in the evening, the Volunteers were upset by Arkansas. The loss for Josh Heupel’s team was shocking considering how good they have looked prior to the game with the Razorbacks. It is going to be tougher for Missouri to rebound from the setback since they haven’t been nearly as impressive to start the season as Tennessee had been.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes turned up the heat in the second half to bury the Hawkeyes in Columbus.
Ohio State continued their undefeated start to the 2024 season on Saturday, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes 35-7 in Columbus. The Buckeyes started off slow, only leading the Hawkeyes by a touchdown at halftime before putting some distance on Kirk Ferentz’s team in the second half. Now, Ohio State fully turns its attention to Saturday night’s massive showdown in Eugene with Oregon.
I’ve been using the works of some famous alumni from the opponents of Ohio State this year to hit on the key points of what we have seen in games this year. One of Iowa’s most famous alums is actor Gene Wilder. After growing up in Wisconsin, Wilder attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a degree in Communication and Theatre Arts in 1955. With his impressive resume, it wasn’t hard to find five of his works that describe what we saw on Saturday.
Bonnie and Clyde
The combination of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson at running back is electric. Iowa entered the game not having allowed 100 yards rushing to any of their first four opponents this season. Their streak of holding opponents under triple digits on the ground this year came to an end against the Buckeyes, who rolled up 203 yards rushing. Judkins finished with 78 yards on 13 carries, while Henderson had 61 yards on 11 carries.
There’s no question the duo is the best running back combination in the country. Even though their stats haven’t jumped off the page in the last two games, they are perfect for Chip Kelly’s offense since they demand so much attention when they are on the field, which forces opposing defenses to make a decision on where they want to allocate their resources.
What’s even scarier for upcoming opponents on the schedule of Ohio State is Judkins and Henderson aren’t being used a ton, which will keep them fresher as the season goes along. In November as the weather becomes more suspect in Big Ten country, the running backs are going to become an even bigger part of the offense than they already are.
Young Frankenstein
If you were to build a perfect wide receiver, it would be Jeremiah Smith. Through five games at the college level, Smith has scored at least one touchdown in each game. Along with the scores, Smith has had three highlight reel one-handed catches over the past two games. The latest was a touchdown reception where he had an Iowa defender blanketed on him in the end zone. Smith just stuck his free hand up and was able to corral the Will Howard pass.
Smith has a great compliment in the passing game, lining up with Emeka Egbuka at wide receiver. Egbuka brings veteran leadership and steady play, while Smith has the youth energy and big-play ability. Smith finished with four catches for 89 yards and a score against the Hawkeyes.
Silver Streak
Speaking of wide receivers, Egbuka had what might have been his best performance in the scarlet and gray, hauling in nine passes and scoring three touchdowns. The senior now has five touchdowns this year, halfway to matching his career-high that he set in 2022. What made what we saw from Egbuka even more impressive is his touchdown were all contested catches, unlike some of the scores where he takes a screen pass and uses his outstanding speed to leave defenders in the dust.
When it is all said and done, Egbuka is going to have one of the quietest great careers in school history. Since arriving in Columbus, Egbuka has been surrounded by tremendous receivers. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr. we’re all first round draft picks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Egbuka taken in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Even this year, Smith has dominated the headlines where it comes to the receivers. In honesty though, Egbuka probably likes it that way. With less attention being given to him, it allows him to continue to put up big numbers and move his way up Ohio State’s receiving record books.
The Defenders
Wilder was only credited as “waiter” in one episode of the show from the 1960s, but it is on his filmography and still counts, so we’ll use it to give the Buckeye defense some shine.
The Ohio State defense continued to make like miserable for their opponents this year. Through five games, the Buckeyes have allowed just 34 points. Where Ohio State have been particularly strong this season is in the second half games. While Iowa did get a touchdown after halftime, it wasn’t anything that put the lead of the Buckeyes in danger.
Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson entered the game on a heater to start the season. Ohio State only allowed the Hamilton native 86 yards on the ground, with 28 yards coming on his touchdown run. Had it not been for the touchdown run by Johnson, the Hawkeyes wouldn’t have even cracked 100 yards rushing for the game.
Along with the rush defense, the secondary continued to cause problems for opponents. Davison Igbinosun grabbed his first career interception, Caleb Downs was everywhere on the field, and Lathan Ransom was laying the lumber from his safety position. The unit was helped by the constant pressure Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and the rest of the defensive line were creating. Sawyer had a sack and a half, while Tuimoloau was credited with the other half sack.
While we know Iowa’s defense isn’t going to light the world on fire, it was still a very workmanlike showing from the Buckeyes. They’ll head into Eugene with a lot of confidence as they prepare for the toughest test they’ll face during the regular season.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
At least on Saturday there was no evil afoot in Columbus. The same can’t be said around the rest of the country, with a number of Top 10 teams being upset. The most shocking upset came in Nashville, where Alabama lost to Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide entered the week as the top team in the country after beating Georgia last Saturday night. Even though Alabama’s playoff hopes are still alive, they took a huge hit after falling to a team they were favored over by more than three touchdowns.
In the Big Ten, Michigan lost the rematch of January’s title game. Washington was able to gain a bit of revenge by beating the Wolverines 27-17. Sherrone Moore’s team has already lost two games this year, and still have to play Oregon and Ohio State. At this point, the only hope for the Wolverines to make the CFP looks like it will have to be winning the Big Ten.
Elsewhere in the conference, USC is still winless on the road in the Big Ten, losing at Minnesota last night. The Trojans will have to put the loss behind them quickly, as they’ll host Penn State this Saturday.
Moving back to the SEC, Tennessee and Missouri were big losers on Saturday. The Tigers had no shot against Texas A&M on Saturday, getting blown out by the Aggies in College Station. Later in the evening, the Volunteers were upset by Arkansas. The loss for Josh Heupel’s team was shocking considering how good they have looked prior to the game with the Razorbacks. It is going to be tougher for Missouri to rebound from the setback since they haven’t been nearly as impressive to start the season as Tennessee had been.
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