Women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff challenges Columbus, Buckeye fans
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State women’s basketball coach wants the Schottenstein Center to be a difficult stop for opponents

On Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team welcomed the Iowa Hawkeyes in a gridiron battle. Iowa versus Ohio State elicits imagery of big offensive lines, putting your head down and running, and fervent fanbases. A capacity crowd of 102,780 people watched a game that was anything but one for the history books, unless Iowa’s 2022 mediocrity makes the record books, losing 54-10.

It was a game where beforehand there were folks probably wondering if they should go in the first place, but they did.

People attend football games because of the competition, the pageantry of the band marching onto the field and supporting their alma mater, or the school that represents their state. Also, all the comradery that comes with celebrating it all with thousands of like-minded people. It’s hard to argue against going, and that’s not what this article is about.

This is about the Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball team and head coach Kevin McGuff, who’s, in a way, hoping some of that same support can make the short trip down the street to the Schottenstein Center.

On Nov. 8, the No. 14 Scarlet & Gray welcome the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers to the Schottenstein Center. It’s the biggest game played for the team, at home, since before the pandemic. It features an SEC side that went 23-8 last year, and made it to the Sweet Sixteen, before losing to the University of Louisville.

Tennessee and Ohio State each feature stars, many from Ohio across both teams, and the Volunteers are stronger than any test the Buckeyes faced in their 2021/22 non-conference schedule.

It’s a game that should sell the arena out, but it likely won’t.

Lately, the Buckeyes are in somewhat of an attendance issue. Last season, in Ohio State’s Big Ten regular season championship-winning season, the Buckeyes averaged 3,274 fans per game. That’s good enough for the lowest in McGuff’s nine seasons, minus the heavily-effected COVID-19 year, and in 29th place in NCAA’s Division I. The Buckeyes are behind six other Big Ten teams, and one spot below the University of Toledo. Yes, Ohio’s Toledo.

McGuff addressed attendance at Big Ten media day.

“We’ve got certainly passionate fans in Columbus who really support our program and all the Ohio State programs,” said McGuff. “We really struggled coming out of COVID initially because we’ve been historically among the top 10 usually in the country in attendance.”

So where is that fan base now? COVID is a valid argument, although the South Carolina Gamecocks, who lead the country in average attendance, increased their average attendance from the 2019-20 season to 2021-22. Behind them, the Iowa State Cyclones, lost only 123 people per game.

For the Buckeyes, they lost over 1,600 per game, a drop that put them down 12 places in college basketball. McGuff was hopeful with the media, sharing that he thinks that people are more comfortable coming out to games now.

Another argument could be their NCAA sanctions, missing the postseason in 2020-21 due to recruiting violations from an assistant coach who’s no longer in the program. Go back down the street at Ohio Stadium and there’s a strong history of NCAA sanctions, and off-field coaching drama, over the past 20 years and empty seats are hard to find.

This isn’t an article to condemn people who pick and choose their support of the Buckeyes. It’s easy to spend someone else’s money. This is to share McGuff’s challenge.

“I would challenge anybody in Columbus. If you enjoy basketball, I’m not going to make any predictions on the score of anything like that but you’ll enjoy the game,” said McGuff. “These are two really good teams with a lot of talent, trying to start their seasons off the right way. We owe it to the young women in our program and Tennessee to have a great environment here and put on a great show.”

An Ohio State game features those same things that are great about the football Bucks. There’s a band (not marching though), a stadium with fervent fans of Ohio State, and feel free to show up early and tailgate in the parking lot.

The good thing is, Tennessee is only the beginning. Ohio State starts the season with the SEC matchup and then adds home games against No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers, the No. 25 Michigan Wolverines at home on New Year’s Eve afternoon, and an actual big game against an actually good No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes, the team who owns the other side of last season’s co-championship.

“We’ve got certainly passionate fans in Columbus who really support our program and all the Ohio State programs,” said McGuff.

Now its time to see that support in the seats. If not, there’s always the Covelli Center.

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You’re Nuts: Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba return to an important role for Ohio State this season?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes’ preseason WR1 has just five catches on the year as he battles a hamstring injury.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

This week’s topic: Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba return to an important role for Ohio State this season?

Josh’s Take


Many Ohio State football fans were frothing at the mouth (figuratively, I hope) Saturday morning, hyped up for the much-anticipated return of star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The record-breaking wideout made brief cameos against Notre Dame and Toledo earlier this season, but had missed most of September and October with a lingering hamstring issue.

OSU seemingly took a cautious approach – holding him out through the Buckeyes’ bye week – for which they were supposed to be rewarded this past weekend. Unfortunately, the return lasted roughly 20 snaps, and ended with a concerning visual. JSN limped off the field after a deep route, ending his day and bringing into question the remainder of his season.

Now, before I rain on everybody’s parade, it must be pointed out that Ryan Day attributed JSN’s exit to reaching a snap count. Let’s say he was telling the truth. Or, better yet, let’s at least say he had very little information minutes after walking off the field, and is under no obligation to fill us in on the health and/or well-being of his players. But Gene and I discussed the whole snap count scenario on our recap podcast, and neither one of us came away from the conversation a true believer in Day’s statement.

We saw what we saw. And that was JSN walking gingerly on the sideline after nearly a half of unproductive (by his standards) football. So what does it mean going forward? I have a feeling Gene and I will differ slightly in our opinions.

I believe we have seen the last of JSN as a WR1 for the Buckeyes. Not because he has fallen off in skill, or fallen behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming on a hypothetical depth chart. I just think that hamstring and lower body injuries in general can be very tricky, and there is too much at stake for him to come back at anything less than 110 percent. That goes for JSN, as well as the Ohio State team. Furthermore, I do not think there is enough time in the 2022 season for him to both reach full health and also reintegrate himself back into the OSU offense. I wish that were not the case, and perhaps he will prove me wrong, but I think the Buckeyes need to prepare for Penn State and all future opponents as if they will not have JSN firmly in the fold.

Through seven games, Ohio State has not skipped a beat without their stud WR. This is not say his presence would not make them something beyond lethal on offense, but they have clearly figured out a new offense. One that is balanced and spreads the wealth. Harrison Jr., Egbuka, and Fleming have carved out new roles, and become stars in their own right. Add in the development of Cade Stover, and the Buckeyes have all the ingredients necessary for a wildly productive aerial attack. Another dynamic pass catcher would be a luxury at this point, not a need.

Even if JSN avoided a true re-aggravation of his hamstring, he had to have tweaked something against Iowa, right? A knee, an ankle, a quad? He was clearly hobbled. So this is where timing comes into play for me. OSU will be playing their eighth game of the season this weekend, and JSN does not appear to be 100 percent — due to some sort of malady. If he sits against Penn State, does that get him ready for Northwestern? If so, do the Buckeyes need him? I think they have proven otherwise. This could just keep going and going, and before you know it, TTUN will be visiting Columbus. So are you telling me the Buckeyes would risk on-field chemistry and a shot at the Big Ten/National Championship by trying to reintroduce JSN into the starting lineup then? I really don’t think so.

Gene, I want JSN to be involved this season. He is one of my top-5 players to watch from the last decade or so. And he is arguably the smoothest WR developed by Brian Hartline. I just think time is working against him and the Buckeyes, when it comes to the former making a large contribution to this year’s team. I just don’t see it. However, I think there is one perfect scenario left, and I will melt your brain with it real quick.

What if JSN comes back as a super-sub in College Park, Maryland? The week before The Rivalry, he makes a triumphant return, with no absolutely no intention of starting or being force fed the ball. Instead, he absorbs about 10 snaps each from Harrison Jr., Egbuka, and Fleming, keeping them as the focal point(s) of the passing game, and getting his own feet wet. Then, he plays the same role for the duration of the Buckeyes’ season. Imagine arguably the best WR in CFB taking on a sixth man or specialist reliever role for this team! I think that could be the best of both worlds for both JSN and this OSU team. He is able to come back and contribute as some secret weapon, but on-field chemistry is unaffected.

The 2022 season might be a lost one for JSN. Unfortunately, it happens. But he is a special player and by all accounts, one hell of a teammate, so I really hope he gets another shot — when fully healthy. If the timing never works out, his presence on the field might become more ceremonial than anything, but it won’t be as if he did not contribute as a mentor and leader.

Gene’s Take


Coming into the year we expected a huge year from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and rightfully so. In an offense that featured two first round NFL Draft picks at wide receiver in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Smith-Njigba still managed to lead the team with a whopping 1,606 yards on a team-high 95 catches — 25 more than the next highest player. With Olave and Wilson obviously now in the pros, everyone figured JSN would put together a massive campaign in 2022 en route to being the top wide receiver taken in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, an injury sustained early on in the season opener against Notre Dame have dashed any hopes of a big season for Smith-Njigba. Ohio State is now seven games into its regular season schedule, and JSN has played in only three of them, recording five catches for 43 yards across the few quarters he has appeared in thus far. The Buckeyes’ passing offense has remained excellent, led by C.J. Stroud and his new trio of stud wideouts in Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming, and while it would be tough to be much better than OSU has been through the air thus far, it’s hard to think the offense wouldn’t be even more impressive with a healthy JSN.

We thought that after the bye week Smith-Njigba would be healthy enough to return to his normal workload, but that was not the case. JSN played a total of 22 snaps in the game against Iowa, recording one catch for seven yards before exiting with what appeared to be a re-aggravation of the injury but was later called a “snap count” by Ryan Day. Either way, with just five games remaining in the regular season for Ohio State, we have still not seen even one full quarter of a 100% health Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

I am still holding out hope that JSN will return at some point this season and play a massive role for the Buckeyes in their offense. While it is certainly a possibility that he could choose to sit out the remainder of the year to prepare for the draft, where he would likely still be a first round selection based on his production last season, I just don’t think he’s that kind of guy. Smith-Njigba wants to help Ohio State accomplish the ultimate goal of winning a championship, and while he hasn’t been available much throughout the first half of the year, I think he could be the Buckeyes’ X-factor down the stretch.

It is going to take some time to work him back into the fold, as Stroud has gotten into a bit of a rhythm now with the usual trio of receivers plus a guy like Cade Stover, who has also made his fair share of plays in the passing game. I dont think Ohio State can afford to force the ball to JSN if/when he does finally return to 100%, but I think he provides a valuable asset to the team and a different skillset from that of the current receiver core. The one thing the Buckeyes are currently missing in the passing game is a true underneath-route sort of guy who can catch the ball on a short pass over the middle and pick up big yardage after the catch. Egbuka and Fleming have shown the ability to do a bit of that, but JSN is a bit faster and shiftier with the ball in his hands.

While nothing is wrong with the current Ohio State offense, it couldn’t possibly hurt to add one of the nation’s best pass-catchers to the depth chart. I wouldn’t rule out his return to being the team’s WR1 if he can get back to full strength, but I dont think he really needs to be that to provide value. I’m interested to see how big a factor he plays this weekend against Penn State, especially after looking hobbled on the sideline after his final snap against Iowa, but I dont think the Buckeyes need to rush things. After the Nittany Lions are games against Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland — three should-be easy victories — and so there is still time to ease him back into the rotation before maybe letting him loose in the season finale against Michigan.

We saw Chris Olave come out of nowhere and have a huge season finale against the Wolverines before he fully burst onto the scene, and while JSN is obviously a far more proven commodity than Olave was at that point, I wouldn’t put it past Ryan Day to catch Jim Harbaugh’s team off-guard with a fully-healthy Jaxon Smith-Njigba making a ton of big plays in The Game after taking things slowly against a few lesser opponents.

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Column: Did Stroud lose the Heisman on Saturday? (Spoiler Alert: No)
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Yes, Stroud threw an interception and a fumble that resulted in the lone Iowa touchdown. But he also threw four TDs in the second half...

Saturday confirmed that Iowa’s defense is legit. Yes, Ohio State still put up 54 points against them, but it truly took the Bucks a whole half to figure it out. Mainly, for C.J. Stroud to figure it out. Again, yes he threw four touchdowns, his stats were still great. However, he just seemed off. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker didn’t...

I hope you know I’m not being 100% serious. I mean, how off can Stroud be if he still threw four TDs? I think he definitely made some questionable decisions, but he still threw for 286 yards. It wasn’t 300+ though, that’s why I’m concerned (sarcasm). Ohio State fans are so unbelievably spoiled that if their QB throws for less than 300 yards and has a pick, they freak.

I am talking about myself. I am letting myself fall into the hype surrounding Hendon Hooker. He led the Vols to a win over Alabama for Pete’s sake! He should not be counted out. I believe over the past couple of weeks, the Heisman race is certainly a lot closer; I don’t think Stroud is the clear favorite anymore. There could be arguments made for either QB. However, I’m still going with the Buckeye.

Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Stroud’s QBR of 92.6 is the best in the nation, as is his 28 touchdowns. His completion percentage is 70%. I think I just expect perfection out of him, which is obviously impossible. Every time he makes a bad pass or throws an incompletion, I get nervous. It’s like I forget who I’m watching!

One quality that makes Stroud great and the Heisman front-runner is his ability to adjust. It was obviously a difficult first half for him. That fumble returned for a TD was not pretty, we know. Nor was that interception on the first play in the second half. But, Stroud got it together and went on to throw four touchdowns.

The latest odds from the DraftKings Sportsbook after this past week’s slate of games still has Stroud as the favorite. In my mind, there still isn’t any quarterback better than him. The only non-QB listed in the top seven odds is TTUN’s running back, Blake Corum, and while what he is doing is impressive, I still don’t think it overtops Stroud.

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Now, I’ve heard the argument that while Stroud is good, he is only great because of his receivers. Between Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and JSN last year, and then pretty much every receiver on the roster this year, he has been blessed with the best WR group in the nation the past two seasons.

However, it’s a two-way street. They better each other. Some quarterbacks cannot make the passes that Stroud makes, which does not result in a catch. Then again, some receivers cannot make the receptions these guys do, helping their QB out at times. Therefore, I declare this argument to be foolish.

Stroud has led this Buckeye offense to be the best in the nation. Yes, he is surrounded by unbelievable talent. But guess what? He is also unbelievably talented. He is not perfect, so he is going to make mistakes. However, the vast majority of the time, he is almost perfect. He rises to the occasion and is great when it counts. That’s why he’s still the Heisman front-runner in my eyes.

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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Ohio State vs. Iowa
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

These were the moments that made me consider anger management counseling.

Ohio State vs. Iowa was supposed to be a marquee match-up in the Big Ten this season, but with the Hawkeyes’ offensive struggles, few people doubted the outcome of this meeting in Columbus before kickoff.

Coming off a bye week, it was also supposed to be a game in which Ohio State could come out and set the tone for the second half of the season. But if that first half of the game was the tone, Ryan Day and company must be tone-deaf. Ohio State struggled through an unsatisfying first half full of odd play calls, a seeming confusion about what to call in key moments, and plays that were there to be made, not getting made.

Still, the Buckeyes ended up winning by 44 points in a 54-10 laugher, so you already know I’m nitpicking. It’s kind of my thing. Here are the items from Saturday’s win that had me seeking anger management counseling.

Be More Sportsmanlike!


Yet again, Ohio State turned a good thing into a dumb thing on the opening kickoff for no good reason. Good coverage seemed to make Kaleb Johnson pay for opting to return the kickoff from his end zone when he was tackled at the 17-yard line. But Jayden Ballard took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and that mistake moved the ball all the way out to the Iowa 32.

Sign of Things to Come


The foul on Ballard was quickly forgotten when Tanner McCalister intercepted Spencer Petras on the first play from scrimmage, setting Ohio State up with the ball at the Iowa 29-yard line. However, the first-half struggles were just starting. The Buckeyes embarked on a three-play, 2-yard drive that consisted of a short run by TreVeyon Henderson on first down, no one was open on a second-down pass play, forcing C.J. Stroud to throw it away, and then nearly an interception when Emeka Egbuka didn’t turn to locate the ball on a play that would have moved the chains at the very least. Noah Ruggles kicked a field goal and Iowa got off the hook for the first of multiple times in the opening half.

The Scoop-and-Score


The second Iowa possession was of the short, three-and-out variety and the Buckeyes quickly got the ball back. But that also didn’t last long. The left tackle and guard failed to deal with a simple line twist, with both blocking the inside man who looped outside. That left defensive end Joe Evans, who looped inside, a free run at Stroud. The quarterback quickly looked to dump it off but pulled it back in. Unfortunately, he lost control of it when Evans hit him, and he couldn’t gather it back in. Evans scooped it up and ran into the end zone to give Iowa an early 7-3 lead.

More Sudden Change Issues


After the Buckeyes went right down the field to take a 10-7 lead, Iowa not only went three and out, but fumbled on the third down when Zach Harrison stripped Petras and Lathan Ransom recovered at the Iowa 27-yard line. Day again opted to run on first down rather than taking a shot, and Miyan Williams gained no yardage. A pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave the Buckeyes a manageable third down and short but a toss play to Williams lost three yards and again Ruggles had to kick a field goal.

Calling Plays is Hard


The second field goal series following a turnover deep in Iowa territory was further exacerbated by the first of multiple issues Ohio State had getting plays called. The Buckeyes called a timeout after the second-down completion. It happened two more times in the game, including another instance before the first quarter ended. Getting plays called is a basic thing that should not be an issue given Day’s experience and Stroud being in his second season running the offense. Every team has a set of plays they like based on the opponent for every down and distance, so picking one shouldn’t require wasting valuable timeouts. Day said that they wanted to make sure they had the right call, and in one instance he felt the play clock started too early. The latter is definitely not an Ohio State issue but burning timeouts to make sure you get the right play is.

More Short-Field Follies


Caden Curry blew up an ill-advised Iowa fake punt gave Ohio State short field again, and again the short-field issues surfaced, but this time in a different way. The Buckeyes threw a pass after the sudden change in possession and picked up a good gain through Marvin Harrison, Jr. But then the drive bogged down for a variety of reasons. Cade Stover’s nice catch and run on a tight end screen for nine yards was called back because Dawand Jones lined up incorrectly and was called for illegal formation. Henderson gained nine on the next play but when his cleat slid across the turf on his cutback, he fell — likely costing him a touchdown — setting up a second-and-6. The Buckeyes ran wide again on second down and lost three yards, setting up third-and-long. Stroud threw into the end zone on third and there was a lot of contact that prevented Smith-Njigba from coming back to a back-shoulder throw but the referee didn’t call it. Ruggles came on yet again for an unsatisfying field goal (for us, if not for him).

What Is Pass Interference, Anyway?


The no-call in the end zone at the end of Ohio State’s drive was magnified when Iowa got a gift call on its next possession. Trailing 16-7, Iowa actually managed a first down, but then quickly fell into a third-and-9 situation. Petras threw right for tight end Nico Ragaini. The pass fell incomplete but a flag flew on McCalister for interference, despite there being much less contact than there had been in the end zone just moments earlier, and on a pass that didn’t seem catchable for even a tight end-sized human. The call extended Iowa’s drive and the Hawkeyes managed their only offensive points of the game with a 49-yard field goal to finish it.

Forcing It


Leading 26-10 at the break on Tommy Eichenberg’s pick-six, Ohio State got the ball to start the second half, looking to take full control. However, that lasted only one play. Stroud had good initial protection on a pass play to start the third quarter but couldn’t find a receiver. As the defense closed in, he did a thing that shouldn’t ever be done when he decided to throw late over the middle. By then, most of Iowa’s secondary was gathering around the only OSU receiver and the pass was intercepted by linebacker Jack Campbell. Thankfully, Iowa’s offense being what it is, the Hawkeyes fumbled the ensuing snap, giving the ball right back. Yep, the Buckeyes quickly wasted that field position by going three-and-out.


Those are the main things I had a beef with on Saturday. Clearly, the second-half adjustments worked well, Stroud found his post-bye-week rhythm, and the Buckeyes romped from there. It was just an irritating first half and start to the second half. Clearly, a 44-point win is something to celebrate, even if it could have gone much more smoothly.

What burned you up watching the game? Let me know in the comments below, and we’ll do this again after Ohio State visits Penn State next weekend.

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We’ll talk about this later: If coach woulda put me in the fourth quarter, we would’ve been state champions
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

Your dose of lighthearted takes from Saturday’s games.

Each week, we’ll break down something that happened during the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games) that we’ll be talking about for a while—you know, the silly sideline interactions, the awful announcing and the weird storylines that stick with us for years to come. We’ll also compare each of these happenings to memorable moments in pop culture, because who doesn’t love a good Office reference?

Ohio State had a slow start against the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday, but by the time the clock ticked to zero, everything looked like we expected: another monster win for a team that has a whole Monster Book of Monsters of such wins so far this season.


In some ways, it felt like kicking a team that was already down. Iowa has been truly bad this year on offense — so bad that even an elite defense couldn’t even keep things close by the second half.


That offense left Ohio State with short fields four times in the first half, all of which led to field goals, but those field goals turned into touchdowns and a 54-10 victory in the second half. One would have thought that, especially seeing Jaxon Smith-Njigba once again leave the game with an injury, the starters might see an earlier exit once it became clear the opposing offense was not capable of moving the ball.


Those 54 points were the most allowed by an Iowa defense since 1995, also in a loss to Ohio State. It was also reminiscent of the last time Ohio State and Iowa faced off on a rough night in 2017 when the Iowa Hawkeyes thrashed Ohio State 55-24 in Iowa City.

That game, like 2019’s loss to Purdue in West Lafayette, stings in the collective memory of Ohio State fans. In 2017, the Buckeyes had managed to bounce back after an early loss to Oklahoma and were ranked No. 6 when they traveled to Iowa City to face the unranked Hawkeyes. The whole game was shocking, indecent — and demanded revenge.

Well, revenge is a dish best served cold, which is convenient because it’s been five whole years since that game and since the teams have squared off.


Now frankly, Ryan Day has always been one to pile on the points. Of course he was going to keep his first-teamers on the field through much of the fourth quarter and of course he was going to go for more points. The fact it came against Iowa likely didn’t play into Day’s game plan much. Heck, he piled on against Rutgers until Greg Schiano had to physically come to Ohio State’s sideline upset about it.

For fans, however, we’ll be talking about this revenge game for years, just like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite’s memories of high school football.


While that 2017 game probably occupies a fond spot in the minds of Iowa fans, it’s been long forgotten by the rest of the world but for Ohio State fans.

It often feels like we take pride in hanging on to these bitter memories because it was so easy to point to that game as though this win in 2022 absolved the pain of bitter defeat. And I know that as Ohio State fans, we’re going to continue to harp on this win as though it is somehow more meaningful than the other 40+-point wins the Buckeyes have had so far this season.

It’s not, but maybe now is just the right time to let it go.

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Film Review: Ohio State offense struggles in red zone, defensive line dominates Iowa
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Iowa 54-10 in a game where the offense left points on the field and the defense bullied an overmatched offense.

The Ohio State Buckeyes won 54-10 over the Kirk Ferentz-led Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that could best be described as clunky, at least in the first half. Ohio State struggled offensively in the opening period, especially in converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns. Despite the offensive struggles, the game never felt in doubt because the Buckeye defense added more fuel to the national narrative that Iowa’s offense is the worst in the country.

For the Buckeyes on offense, they never really got a consistent running game established. The balance that Ohio State strives for was stifled by an Iowa defense that ranks with the best in the country in limiting touchdowns in the red zone. Despite failing to capitalize by scoring touchdowns, Ohio State maintained its 100% red zone scoring percentage, but the inability to score touchdowns gives us a look at how defenses can attempt to limit Ohio State in the shortest part of the field.

Defensively, the game started and ended up front. Ohio State’s defense was able to control the line of scrimmage and force Iowa’s offense into six total turnovers. The secondary was never challenged — outside of a few plays made by Iowa tight end Sam Laporta — but made plays every time the ball was thrown to them. In a game dominated by the defensive line and defensive backs, Iowa was never able to do anything productive.

Looking at the game, Ohio State’s red zone struggles are fixable and the defense did exactly what they were supposed to do against Iowa’s offense.

Offensive Red Zone Struggles


Ohio State came into the game 100% in converting points in the red zone, they also left the matchup against Iowa still converting points in the shortest part of the field at a 100 percent clip. Despite maintaining perfection from a point conversion standpoint, Ohio State’s red zone performance left a lot to be desired.

The Buckeyes had six drives starting in Iowa’s territory starting at the 29, 27, 34, 32, 15, and 40. Only two out of six of those drives resulted in touchdowns for the Buckeyes which is not good enough. Doing some simple math, Ohio State left 16 points on the board. They figured it out, scoring on the final two drives, but the play-calling as well as the execution left a lot to be desired.

To get started here, my film preview for the week discussed Iowa’s defensive flow to the football. After finding success running the ball between the tackles and passing downfield, the Buckeyes tried something different on offense the following drive. They ran two unsuccessful plays leading to a 3rd-and-short situation. The ball gets snapped and Iowa wins the battle on the line of scrimmage eating blocks.

The flow of the backers forced Dawand Jones (No. 79) to take the inside backer instead of the outside backer he initially tracked towards. The interior penetration forces Miyan Williams (No.3) to take a deeper route than the play intends. By the backers flowing the person Jones was supposed to block is able to meet Williams in the backfield, and this also allows a backside defender to get back into the play and help. The outside run against a defense that fills in the run better than most in the country is a questionable decision, and this set the tone for the first half.


On the next play, Ohio State ends up in a 3rd-and-long just inside the 20-yard line. In the post-game press conference, Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Iowa threw a lot more man-coverage at the Buckeyes than expected.

Now, in this case, the play was going to be a pass, but the man-coverage matches up really well against this Slot Fade concept. Against man-coverage the landmark and angles change for the receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba gets up field and Stroud leaves the ball inside.

Now the arguments about penalties can come into play, but this play concept tends to be a Cover-2 beater. Against the man-coverage this ball needs to be thrown deeper and further outside to give the receiver a chance. Now the play-call is not the problem here, but the execution could have been better.


The struggles continued in the first half for the Buckeyes. Iowa was bringing pressure from the second level at a much higher clip. This is something where relying on situational film can create advantages for an opponent. Ohio State had preconceived understandings of what the Hawkeyes liked to do in the red zone. Coming off the bye week, Iowa decided that it was going to throw the kitchen sink at Stroud instead of just playing their stiff red zone coverage.

Iowa showed it was going to bring seven, but they end up bringing six with one of the blitzers bailing into coverage bringing six in total. Stroud catches the snap and knows he only has six blockers for the six defenders.

Pressure slips through because Miyan Williams steps up into the middle to assist on the interior blitzer. This leaves the outside blitzing backer unaccounted for by the protection. Stroud is unable to step into his throw and the ball falls flat. Once again, this play could have worked, but the pressure was able to force a bad throw, which ends up just being a good play by the opposing defense.


In the last play — before Ryan Day decided running wasn’t the answer — Ohio State is in a 3rd-and-2 situation at the 5-yard line. Ohio State decides to go back to their inside run game, once again the play-call is a normal play-call; running the ball inside in a short-yardage situation. Despite the predictability, the offense should be able to gain two yards, but again the offensive line loses the initial push which allows Iowa’s backers to get into the backfield. Stroud being a running threat here could have opened up the inside run, but what he’s shown on film is a give all the way.

For the Buckeyes, despite the execution being at its lowest level of the season, they still never left the red zone without scoring points. In a way, these failures should aid the Buckeyes in the long run, giving them some tough film to look at for the first time since Week 1.

Ohio State was still effective, but the perfect execution we’ve become accustomed to was challenged. The Buckeyes didn’t execute and that was the biggest part of the issue.


Late Game Red Zone Success

When Ohio State did execute, it was a thing of beauty. Following the previous play, Ohio State was done settling for field goals and decided it was time to attack these man-coverage matchups.

The Buckeyes are in an 11 Wing-personnel with Stover as the lone tight end. Iowa loads the box up with 8 players in the area committing to stopping the run. After seeing the alignment the play before, Day puts Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 18) as a single receiver to the field side.

In this scenario, they trust Stroud to deliver and Harrison Jr. to create enough separation for an easy touchdown. Harrison Jr. wins his battle with all the space to work, the play is well-blocked, and Iowa gets out schemed on this fourth down play.


The Buckeyes have a 1st-and-10 in the next play, just inside the 15-yard line. Iowa is in a Cover 2- Man Under coverage meaning they have two high safeties and man underneath the half-field coverages. The routes to the trips side have Stover running a seam in the middle of the field, Egbuka running an out-and-up, and Harrison Jr.’s running an in-breaking route in the end zone.

Stover’s seam keeps the safety in the middle of the field, and Harrison Jr.’s takes the corner away from being able to help on the outside. This creates a one-on-one match-up for Egbuka who makes a great catch on a perfectly placed throw.

Once again, Day attacks the tendencies Iowa had shown throughout the game. This time using the additional receivers as decoys to create the same type of matchup to the outside. By making this adjustment Ohio State found success in three-state red zone trips converting touchdowns to close out the game.


The last play is just fun. Any time Mitch Rossi gets involved in the passing game, the world becomes a better place. Earlier in this article, we discussed Iowa’s defensive flow, and this play Ryan Day takes advantage of the tendency.

Iowa’s outside backer overcommits to the play-action fake, which gives Rossie the window to escape and Stroud floats the ball out to Rossi for a touchdown putting the exclamation on the second-half performance.

Defensive Line dominance


On the other side of the ball, Ohio State’s defense dominated Iowa’s completely overmatched offense. The success for the Buckeyes started up front, and mainly behind the best performance. From the first play of the game Ohio State’s defensive line was living in the backfield, so narrowing the performance down was tough.

The first play we’re going to look at is Zach Harrison’s strip-sack. Ohio State shows blitz on the inside with their backers, but once Iowa motions to empty they make a coverage check. This leads to the Buckeye defense only bringing four rushers. Zach Harrison beats the right tackler immediately and uses his strength to fight through the hands.

The coverage is good behind the rush forcing Iowa’s quarterback to hold the ball and this allows Harrison to force the fumble. This was a perfect example of the havoc the Ohio State defensive line was causing, and hopefully, the dominant performance from the defensive ends is the next evolution of Jim Knowles’ defense.


Continuing forward, the Buckeyes force a 3rd-and-3 for the Hawkeyes. This play is made during the week of preparation and here’s why. Iowa loved to use jet-sweep motions to get their “athletes” out in space.

Ohio State’s defenders know to key on this, as you can see by Tommy Eichenberg cheating pre-snap and how Zach Harrison explodes off the ball. Iowa hands the ball off, Harrison makes quick work of the tight end attempting to block him, and he engulfs the receiver in the backfield. This play shows the confidence in the preparation and you can see how fast, and aggressive the defense is playing.


All of the interceptions were passes altered by defensive line pressure, but the final play is special. The scenario is that Iowa has a 1st-and-10 inside their own territory. Ohio State keeps it simple, only rushing four and dropping into coverage. J.T. Tuimoloau is lined up over the right tackle and rushes upfield.

His initial move doesn’t win, but he is able to use his strength to fight past the offensive tackle. He gets his arm up matching the hand and is able to alter the throw by hitting Iowa’s quarterback’s arm. This forces the throw off-target right into the arms of Eichenberg for a touchdown.

The defensive line was making plays all game, and even when they weren’t sacking the quarterback, they had a significant impact in forcing turnovers. This performance — I know Iowa’s offense is bad — should still give Ohio State fans a lot of confidence moving forward.

Bonus Play


Alright, I’m not done yet and no I’m not apologizing. Cade Stover literally hurdles an Iowa defender and Stroud looks incredibly athletic. Enjoy this play, it is an all-timer for an Ohio State tight end.


Now Ohio State played far from perfect and if you gave Ryan Day some truth serum, he would definitely have some play calls he would like back. Despite that, the Buckeyes beat Iowa 54-10 and never lost any semblance of control. Scoring the most points on Iowa in the Kirk Ferentz era is no small feat, but even in a performance of that caliber, the Buckeyes left points on the board.

That shouldn’t be seen as good enough by fans because the expectation is a national championship or bust. Where I will say the Buckeyes improved was in-game adjustments, they found a way to take the game over. The issues for the Buckeyes in the red zone should be seen as a combination of play-calling and lack of execution. But once Ohio State was able to key into some of the tendencies Iowa’s defense showed, they attacked and executed some plays to perfection.

Combine the second-half offense with the full-game defensive performance and Ohio State fans should have a lot of confidence heading into Happy Valley to take on Penn State. This was a game that Ohio State won handedly, and if they clean up the red zone offense, the rest of the country is in trouble.

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Marion is rolling to another state title in 2022. They have outscored their opponents 381-30. They had a 3 shutout steak in a row and a 4 game shutout streak in a row. Every team on their schedule made the playoftfs. They handed 3 teams their only loss by a combined scored of 98-7. I would hate to be in their way. They are going to roll to the 2022 title. I'd be shocked if anyone came with 4 TDs of them.

Irrational Overreactions(?): The time has come for Iowa to give Kirk Ferentz an ultimatum
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

I also go on a potentially insane rant and then call myself out on it.

Ohio State fans live in the extremes, whether good or bad. As they say, we have no chill. So, I am going to give voice to those passionate opinions by running through my completely level-headed, not-at-all over-the-top, 100% unbiased takeaways from Saturday’s 54-10 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa needs to give Kirk Ferentz an ultimatum to make offense changes or lose his job


Call me an old sap, but watching Saturday’s game made me feel a little sad for the Iowa defensive players. Despite giving up 47 points (the other seven were on a pick-six), that is a legitimately top-line defense and it was continually put in difficult positions by a defense that is horrifyingly inept. It really is unbelievable that after all of the decades that Kirk Ferentz has been at the helm in Iowa City that he has not been able to establish a tradition of, at least, offensive competence to complement his traditionally stingy defense.

Now, I know that much of the problem stems from Kirk elevating his own son from a very good offensive line coach to a middling offensive coordinator and running back/tight ends coach to a completely ineffectual OC and quarterbacks coach. Our Meredith Hein wrote a phenomenal article about the scourge of nepotism at Iowa last week, and it is clear that everybody in Hawkeye Nation understands the issue as well.

Of course, I understand how difficult the situation must be for Kirk; knowing that you have pissed away a potentially historic season because you have continued to pretend that your son is not completely out of his depth and getting worse by the minute has to be hard, both as a coach and as a father.

Athletic Director Gary Barta clearly doesn’t want to fire Kirk Ferentz, and Kirk Ferentz clearly doesn’t want to fire his son, but it is incumbent on Barta to force Kirk’s hand. The Iowa administration needs to tell Kirk that if he does not completely overhaul his offensive staff during the offseason (preferably sooner, but at this point, I can’t see Brian getting canned midseason), it will be the end of the head coach’s tenure in Iowa City.

I realize that it is tough to get exceptional offensive talent to play for the Hawkeyes, but they don’t need a juggernaut-level output to keep Iowa competitive; they just need competence, and if Kirk refuses to do what is so painfully obviously necessary, then Barta needs to find someone who will.

This game was the perfect example of why Ryan Day needs to let someone else to call offensive plays


I know y’all hate it when I bring this up, so I’m going to try to not belabor this point for too long, but Saturday was the perfect example of why Ryan Day the head coach should give Ryan Day the play caller’s responsibilities to someone else.

The second half showed how dominant the Ohio State offense can be against high-quality defenses with exceptional play designs that took advantage of weaknesses in the Hawkeye scheme and allowed C.J. Stroud and his wide receivers to embarrass one of the best defenses in the country.

But the first half also showed how Day can struggle to diverge from his predetermined game plan and how he is seemingly incapable of making adjustments mid-game. He can obviously make them at halftime, but in the course of actual game action, Day has not shown the ability (or perhaps willingness) to deviate from his plan, at least not in the first half.

Obviously, it didn’t ultimately matter on Saturday against Iowa, but in the College Football Playoff against Georgia or Alabama or Tennessee, it could matter; it could also matter significantly against TTUN in The Game. And that’s what this is all about, being the best team possible when the games matter the most.

Because of how much better the Buckeyes are than nearly every team that they play, they don’t actually have that many opportunities to face off against teams that can truly stifle their offense. So, we get lulled into a false sense of security as OSU routinely puts up 60 points against overmatched teams. That is obviously what they should do against also-ran defenses, but — in my admittedly unexpert opinion — Ryan Day more often than not struggles to get into a play-calling rhythm against top-level defenses. I know, I know, the 2021 Sugar Bowl against Clemson.

But, beyond that, there often is nearly no flow in his play calling against great defenses and it seems like he comes in with one game plan and refuses to make substantive changes when the defense does something that he wasn’t expecting; again, at least until halftime. Gus Johnson even mentioned during Saturday’s broadcast how much he appreciates Day’s adjustments... in the second half. Gus wasn’t trolling, but it perfectly illustrated my point. These changes need to be made in real-time, not halfway through the game.

Iowa brought far more pressure on Saturday than it had the rest of the season and threw out different coverage looks than what OSU was expecting, but instead of adjusting and getting the ball out more quickly or taking advantage of the defensive aggression with slants or mesh routes, Day stuck to his preconceived game plan in the first half and it led to the No. 1 offense in the country coming up with three field goals and one touchdown in the first half.

Again, I am going to say this because people make assumptions when I don’t (and often even when I do), but I believe that Ryan Day is an absolutely elite play-caller, and if that was his only responsibility, I don’t think that there would be anyone better in the country. However, that’s not his only responsibility, he is also the head coach of the team, he can’t possibly be as focused on calling plays, making adjustments, and putting his offense in the best possible position to score with everything else that he has to do in-game and during the week.

One of the few truly inspired decisions that Urban Meyer made late in his Ohio State tenure was to bring in Day and turn the offense over to him. That move paid immense dividends almost immediately because it gave someone the ability to focus solely on making the most out of the offense. Whether it is Kevin Wilson (is he really the reason that substantive adjustments are made at halftime rather than in-game?) or someone else, I truly think it’s time for Day to try it as well.

I also fundamentally believe that whoever calls plays on both offense and defense needs to be up in the press box in order to be able to have the best view of what the opposing units are running; there’s a reason that the All-22 film is what’s used to break down film, and the same principle applies in-game as well.

We, as fans, all suck


After writing my third “Ryan Day should give up play calling” article in the past 10 months, I am going to acknowledge that, as a whole (and often as individuals), we Ohio State fans are an absolutely miserable collection of human beings — especially on game days.

In terms of college football, we have it about as good as anyone not rooting for Alabama. Our team is tied (with the Tide) for the second most wins all-time, they are tied for the most Heisman Trophies in history, they bring in one of the best recruiting classes every cycle, and are in the mix for a CFP berth practically every year; whatever issues we have with the team and the program are truly the most first-world problems of college football.

Heaven forbid that I admit that a Dr. Pepper Fansville commercial gets it right, but the new one where the guy tries to convince his horrified friends that it’s ok to not be devastated by not making the College Football Playoff is actually a really good lesson for anyone who gets overly invest in the Buckeyes, college football, or really anything.

Twitter is always a cesspool no matter the day or self-selected social media silo that you find yourself in, but it gets really ugly and really nasty on Saturdays on #BuckeyeTwitter — the number of people I mute from the LGHL account every week is staggering. We watch college football to be entertained, to enjoy the competition, to forget about the drama and stress of the outside world, we shouldn’t let our favorite team not being absolutely perfect on every play get in the way of that.

In the words of the hero that we neither knew that we needed or truly deserve, “Guys, it’s just a game; a bunch of kids with a ball ... Maybe there’s more to life.”


I’m going to be writing about Dr. Pepper, proximity, and perspective a bit more later this week, so crack open a cold one and get ready for that.

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I-70 Football Podcast: A weekend full of surprising Big Ten blowouts
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The best game of the weekend shockingly included Northwestern as the other games ended in blowouts.

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s I-70 podcast. On this show, we talk all things Big Ten football and basketball. After every week of action, we will get you caught up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players that you should be paying attention to in the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

A weekend full of potential turned into a snooze fest as multiple games became blowouts before the band could play. Under interim head coach Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin beat Purdue for the 16th straight time in a dominant showing. Wisconsin found their defense forcing future first-round pick, Aidan O’Connell into three interceptions.

Penn State bounced back after an embarrassing performance against Michigan and bullied the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota started the game with one hand behind its back as it was without starting quarterback Tanner Morgan. Losing Morgan is a huge issue, but he does not play defense as the Golden Gophers allowed Sean Clifford to throw for four touchdowns.

Ohio State covered a 29-point spread by demolishing Iowa 54-10. Iowa’s defense put up a great fight forcing Ohio State into four field goals after the buckeyes got the ball in Iowa territory four times and even scored a touchdown after sacking C.J. Stroud and forcing a fumble. Ohio State passed a tough test, offensively at least, and has another chance to prove itself with Penn State on the schedule in their next game.

Despite being 1-7 versus Ohio State, James Franklin has played the Buckeyes closer than any other team. Can the Nittany Lions finally win against the Buckeyes or will they suffer another defeat leading OSU on a crash course with Michigan?

After giving Mel Tucker a 10-year contract Michigan State has struggled mightily this season and is looking for a sign of hope. Despite their ups and downs, Tucker is 2-0 against his in-state rival and will head into Ann Arbor looking to leave 3-0 by upsetting the No. 4 team in the country.

Illinois is still not being respected and faces a unique challenge in the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska is not a good football team but they have been competent under interim head coach Mickey Joseph. Illinois brings their No. 1 defense against the Nebraska transfer trio of Casey Thompson, Anthony Grant, and Trey Palmer. Illinois has another chance to prove they are legit by beating Nebraska in a dominant fashion.

In their weekly pitstops, Jordan celebrates “Sugar” Sean O’Malley upsetting No. 1 contender Petr Yan in this weekend’s latest UFC PPV. Dante hates the inconsistency with how penalties are called under the guise of player safety. Offensive players should be called for targeting if the penalty is truly about protecting players instead it is only used to penalize defenses.


Connect with us on Twitter:
Jordan: @JordanW330
Dante: @DanteM10216

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Four-star athlete from Pennsylvania impressed as Buckeyes handle Iowa
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Quinton Martin | 247Sports

Ohio State made the most out of their opportunity to impress a top target from the state of Pennsylvania this weekend.

Ohio State took care of business yet again on Saturday when they took down Iowa, 54-10. The performance for the Buckeyes was one that came at a good time as a blue-chip prospect from Pennsylvania and more got a first-hand look at the contest. Plus, one of the two quarterbacks that have been offered in the 2025 recruiting class reveals that he will be in Columbus sooner rather than later.

Martin, others take in Buckeyes big win


Ohio State dialed up a well-timed blowout victory in conference play on Saturday and one of the biggest targets that got a first-hand look at the action was 2024 four-star athlete Quinton Martin of Belle Vernon (PA). Martin certainly didn’t hide his thoughts on the Buckeyes' visit and one thing is for certain, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder enjoyed his stay in Columbus.


Martin, a Pennsylvania standout, has yet to give any leads about where his recruitment currently stands but he’s seen an impressive cast of programs that are hoping to reel in his services. Among the programs that are pursuing Martin include Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and more.

While the Buckeyes seemingly made the most of Martin’s trip to Columbus, there still is plenty of work to be done if they look to welcome him to the fold. Martin currently ranks as the No. 25 overall prospect in the class and is inside the top five prospects at both his position and in Pennsylvania where he ranks as the top player in the state.

Also inside of Ohio Stadium with Martin on Saturday include 2024 three-star tight end Ryner Swanson of Laguna Beach (CA) and 2024 four-star safety Vaboue Toure of Irvington (NJ).

Montgomery reveals Ohio State visit plans


While the Buckeyes already hold a pledge from his big brother in the 2023 class, Ohio State is hoping for more of the same in their efforts with 2025 quarterback Ryan Montgomery of Findlay (OH). Montgomery is one of two quarterbacks in the class that has picked up an early offer from the Buckeyes joining five-star quarterback Colin Hurley of Trinity Christian Academy (FL).

That goes to show you just how highly the Buckeyes think of Montgomery and the good news for Ohio State is that they will get yet another chance to leave an impression on the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder. According to Eleven Warriors, Montgomery will be in attendance on Nov. 26 when Michigan comes to town for the annual clash between the arch-rivals.

While the visit should come as no surprise with Montgomery being so close to the Ohio State campus and the big recruiting weekend that is expected, any time you can get a likely top quarterback target on campus is one you will gladly take. Montgomery is currently unanimously predicted to wind up with the Buckeyes when all is said and done as they are the prohibitive favorite on the 247Sports crystal ball.

Quick Hits

• Aside from the aforementioned Martin and Swanson, Ohio State also played host to a pair of 2023 pledges in four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins of Cocoa (FL) and four-star wide receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy (FL).
• Despite being committed to the Buckeyes since July, other programs have continued to eye 2023 four-star cornerback Jermaine Mathews of Winton Woods (OH). On Friday morning, Michigan became the latest program to join offer Mathews, the No. 10 overall in-state.
• Head coach Ryan Day made a visit to Buford (GA) last week to check in on 2024 four-star defensive end Eddrick Houston. On Friday evening, Eleven Warriors’ Garrick Hodge caught up with the blue-chip defensive lineman to discuss what the visit from Day meant to him.

“It means a lot to see how much coach Day cares about his recruits that he made the trip to come see us,” Houston told Eleven Warriors.

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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Iowa’s offense really was as bad as advertised
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes blow out the Hawkeyes despite some first half struggles.

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ is here! Join LGHL’s co-managing editor Gene Ross alongside his co-host Josh Dooley as they cover everything from football to basketball to recruiting and more!

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On this week’s episode, Gene and Josh sort through the rubble of the latest Ohio State blowout win. The Buckeyes defeated Iowa 54-10, but it certainly didn’t look or feel like the typical large margin of victory for Ryan Day’s squad. The guys breakdown what exactly went wrong with the offense in the first half, and how much if anything they learned about Ohio State’s defense with how dreadful the Iowa offense is. OSU fans should feel good about a 44-point win against one of the nation’s premier defenses, but there are certainly things that need to be cleaned up moving forward.

“Hangout in the Holy Land” will be posting two episodes per week during the regular season, with an episode before and after each Ohio State game to give you all the preview and recap content you may need. Be sure to download and listen in wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review on Apple to let us know your thoughts and how we can make things even better!

You can also follow us on Twitter @HolyLandPod, where we will want to hear from you guys even more! If there’s anything you’d like us to talk about on the show, @ us and let us know!

As always, Go Bucks.


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Gene:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23

Connect with Josh
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

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enjoy

Ohio State opens as 14.5-point favorites over Penn State
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

The Buckeyes head to Happy Valley looking to remain unbeaten on the year.

DraftKings Sportsbook odds: Ohio State -14.5

After having last weekend off, we were treated to the full Ohio State football experience on Saturday afternoon in the Buckeyes’ 54-10 beatdown of Iowa. Ohio State scored more points in a game against the Hawkeyes than any team in the Kirk Ferentz era. If you just looked at the box score of this game, you would think C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes cruised, and if you only looked at Twitter, you would probably think Ohio State lost this game by 30. Truthfully, it was somewhere in the middle.

Yes, Ohio State won by 44 points, but the offense was definitely not at its best in this one — especially in the first half. The Buckeyes failed to score a touchdown on seven of their first eight drives, with Stroud looking off and Ryan Day’s play-calling looking even worse. Things changed in a major way after halftime, however, as Stroud went on to finish with 286 yards passing to go along with four touchdown passes and one pick. Ohio State couldn't do much of anything on the ground, but it didn’t matter as Julian Fleming, Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. each recorded a TD through the air.

The defense was another story, although Iowa’s offense certainly played a hand in that. All-in-all, the Hawkeyes turned the ball over six times on three fumbles and three interceptions, giving Ohio State a number of short fields to work with on offense. Quarterback play for Iowa was especially abysmal, as Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla combined for just 81 passing yards on 11-of-24 passing with the three picks thrown. The rushing attack wasn’t much better, averaging 2.2 yards per carry, and if it were not for a defensive TD, the Hawkeyes would not have found the end zone. The stats for this Iowa offense coming into the day were bad, but watching it made it seem even worse.

Ohio State now turns its attention to a team that can actually score a few points on the offensive side, but the oddsmakers still believe that the Buckeyes will win by more than two touchdowns in a hostile environment against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Day and his squad will head to Happy Valley as 14.5-point favorites, despite each of the last six meetings between the two schools being decided by 13 points or less.

Now sitting at 6-1 on the year, Penn State bounced back in a big way from the blowout loss to Michigan with a 45-17 drubbing of Minnesota. The Gophers were without starting quarterback Tanner Morgan, but it likely wouldn't have mattered as the Nits torched P.J. Fleck’s defense. Sean Clifford was good, throwing for 295 yards with four TDs to one INT, but it was the ground game that really gave Minnesota fits. Penn State ran the ball 34 times for 175 yards and two scores, with both Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen recording over 75 yards rushing in the game. Four different players caught a TD pass for PSU, including star receiver Parker Washington, who finished with seven catches for 70 yards.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions did a good job of at least slowing down Mohamed Ibrahim, who still rushed for a little over 100 yards, but took 30 carries to do it. It was a far cry from the week prior, when Penn State allowed Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards to combine for 339 yards on the ground (7.7 yards per carry) and four scores in the loss to the Wolverines. Linebacker Curtis Jacobs had a big night against the Gophers with 14 total tackles, including two for loss, and the Nits’ secondary once again looked good with its premier duo of Ji’Ayir Brown and Joey Porter Jr. running the show in pass defense.

Penn State brings a balanced attack on offense, and its defense ranks in the upper half of the Big Ten even with a poor showing against Michigan. Ohio State has seemingly always had trouble against the Nittany Lions, and they will be hoping that their issues running the football against Iowa don’t carry over into this game. Brown and Porter Jr. are two of the best corners in the conference, and so the Buckeyes will likely need that ground attack to get going in order to open things up through the air. Jim Knowles will also be hoping that his cornerbacks are up to the task of guarding the aforementioned Washington as well as former 1,400-yard receiver at WKU, Mitchell Tinsley.

Vegas likes OSU to win comfortably in this one, but recent history has shown that this matchup doesn’t always go as people expect.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

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Class: 2025
School: Buford(GA) Buford
Position: Inside Linebacker
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Weight: 210lbs

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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Day, Stroud, Knowles break down Saturday’s Iowa victory
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

Day discusses JSN’s health, Harrison’s big day, and more.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On this episode of “Land-Grant Holy Land Uncut,” we have press conference audio from following Saturday’s 54-10 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Head coach Ryan Day, quarterback C.J. Stroud, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles discuss the unusual game that ended up being a historic victory for the Buckeyes. Day reveals some details about the health of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the struggles in the red zone, and Zach Harrison’s career day.

Stroud explains what the Hawkeye defense did that was slightly different than what they had anticipated coming into the game and Knowles comments on playing more linebackers than normal and Tanner McAlister’s impact following his transfer from Oklahoma State.

You can watch the full press conference on the official Ohio State athletics website.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

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Here are this week’s matchups. Buckeyes at Pedsters, WLOCP in Jax, and really not much else.

Week 9
Thursday, Oct. 27

Virginia Tech at NC State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Louisiana at Southern Miss | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Utah at Washington State | 10 p.m. | FS1

Friday, Oct. 28

Yale at Columbia | 6:30 p.m. | ESPNU
East Carolina at BYU | 8 p.m. | ESPN2
Louisiana Tech at FIU | 8 p.m. | CBSSN

Saturday, Oct. 29

Ohio State at Penn State | 12 p.m. | FOX
Arkansas at Auburn | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
Oklahoma at Iowa State | 12 p.m. | FS1
Boston College at UConn | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
Georgia Tech at Florida State | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
Toledo at Eastern Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Miami (Ohio) at Akron | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Miami (Fla.) at Virginia | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN3
Charlotte at Rice | 2 p.m. | ESPN3

Rutgers at Minnesota | 2:30 p.m.
Old Dominion at Georgia State | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, WLOCP) | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Oregon at Cal | 3:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Louisville | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Illinois at Nebraska | 3:30 p.m.
Northwestern at Iowa | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
New Mexico State at UMass | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN3
Temple at Navy | 3:30 p.m.
Robert Morris at Appalachian State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
North Texas at Western Kentucky | 3:30 p.m. | Stadium
Missouri at South Carolina | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
South Alabama at Arkansas State | 4 p.m. | ESPNU

USC at Arizona | 6 p.m.
Kentucky at Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Coastal Carolina at Marshall | 7 p.m. | NFL Network
UAB at Florida Atlantic | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Michigan State at Michigan | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Ole Miss at Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Arizona State at Colorado | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Baylor at Texas Tech | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Pitt at North Carolina | 8 p.m. | ACC Network

Middle Tennessee at UTEP | 9 p.m. | ESPN+
Stanford at UCLA | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
San Diego State at Fresno State | 10:30 p.m.
Nevada at San Jose State | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Wyoming at Hawai'i | 11:59 p.m. | Spectrum Sports PPV

TCU at West Virginia
Oklahoma State at Kansas State
Notre Dame at Syracuse
Cincinnati at UCF
South Florida at Houston
SMU at Tulsa

Buckeye Stock Market Report: Ohio State defense dominates as Buckeyes roll over Iowa, 54-10
David M Wheeler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

Six takeaways, five sacks stymie weak Hawkeye offense

After each Ohio State game during the 2022 football season, LGHL will offer its market analysis of the Buckeyes’ performance. Using a standard bond rating system, we’ll evaluate the offense, the defense, and the special teams, according to this formula:

AA: Very Strong
A: Strong
BBB: Adequate
BB: Facing Major Uncertainty

Then, we’ll take a look at any individual players whose performance stood out (in one way or another!) and assign them a stock rating: Blue Chip, Solid Performance, Penny Stock (akin to a junk bond, dangerously high risk).

Quick Overview


Folks around the country will look at the 54-10 final score and go “ho-hum.” But this strange, strange game was anything but a yawner. First of all, the Iowa offense is really terrible. That’s really all that I can say about them. The Buckeye defense, even given the “quality” of the opponent, was magnificent.

I guess that I’ve probably seen a game where one team got six turnovers – but I can’t remember when. It got so that I expected an interception or a lost fumble on every Iowa snap. Repeatedly, the Buckeyes got the ball with a short field. And then usually failed to take full advantage of the break.

Just as it’s hard to determine how good the Ohio State defense is when the offense against them is almost nonexistent, it’s also difficult to tell whether the Iowa defense is really good (at least for about 60% of the game), or whether the OSU offense was just off.

We’ll discuss the offensive problems below. The bottom line, though, is that the Buckeyes won the game, covered the 30-point spread (which I thought was high) by 14, and stretched their record to 7-0. The determined march toward championships continues.

Offense

Overall rating: BBB Adequate (i.e., good enough to win)


You might be thinking, that’s a lot of points to put on the board in order to earn an “adequate.” But let’s consider. The Buckeye offense in the first half was awful. Safety Tanner McCalister collected his first interception of the day on Iowa’s first play. The Bucks’ first drive started at the Iowa 29. TreVeyon Henderson gained a rushing yard on first down. Facing good coverage, C.J. Stroud essentially threw the ball away on second down and made a bad pass on third down that should have been intercepted. After gaining only a yard, OSU settled for a 46-yard field goal. And that drive typified the half.

By halftime, the Buckeye offense totaled 133 yards, a figure that the Fox announcers claimed was the least productive half in coach Ryan Day’s tenure at Ohio State. They were two for eight in converting third downs and had only six first downs for the 30 minutes. Stroud was 10-for-17 but averaged only 6.2 yards per attempt and had thrown no touchdowns. A 26-yard pass to Julian Fleming was the only play of the half good for more than 20 yards.

The second half was much better, and people will call the game a “tale of two halves.” Although Stroud threw TD passes on each of his last four drives, over all the offense wasn’t all that good in the second half either. For the game, the Buckeyes finished with 15 first downs and 360 total yards. Both numbers are very low. But look at these: 3/13 in third down conversions, 66 total net rushing yards. I know that with the short fields, it’s tougher to accumulate yards and first downs. But still.

The problem for me is that Iowa demonstrated that the superb Ohio State offense can be stopped. That’s right – stopped. They did it systematically. First, they stuffed the run. Neither Henderson nor Miyan Williams could get anything. Even the end-arounds and a reverse didn’t work. Stroud’s sneak on third and one didn’t get the first down. The offensive line wasn’t moving anybody; unfortunately, it looked a lot like the running game last year.

Secondly, the Hawkeyes did a really good job in pass coverage. They were physical, knocking Buck receivers off their routes. When the refs didn’t call penalties, they got more physical. Finally, they were able to put a lot of pressure on Stroud. He sometimes kept the play alive only to make a bad decision or throw it away.

I could almost feel Stroud’s frustration. He lost his patience. He started forcing his passes. He didn’t have a great game. Maybe he was rusty after the bye, maybe he was troubled (as we all were) seeing Jaxon Smith-Njigba limp off the field at less than the halfway mark of the second quarter. Whatever the reason(s), Stroud didn’t have one of his best games. He got sacked and had the ball stripped and recovered for an Iowa TD on Ohio State’s second possession of the game. Although throwing an interception on the first play, he was better in the second half. OSU was more successful in protecting Stroud in the pocket, and the Iowa pass rush was less ferocious. Some adjustments had been made on the routes that enabled Buckeye receivers to get a little separation.

Day and the Buckeye staff gave up on the running game. I’m not sure that I blame them; it wasn’t going anywhere. But without it, the Buckeyes are much less on offense. And when there aren’t big plays, long gainers, you can feel a certain little panic – with the players, the play callers, the OSU fans. That’s a problem. More patience will be needed next week and in the future.

Defense

Overall rating: AA Very Strong


Since this game showed an Ohio State defense that was one of the best that I’ve seen in a long time, I’m going to assume (at least for this column) that the dominance was all attributable to Jim Knowles’ defense, and not the feeble Iowa offense. Iowa had 159 yards of total offense. They were 1/13 on third-down conversion attempts and 1/4 on fourth-down attempts. Aside from a couple of nice draw plays in the third quarter, Iowa did nothing. The Buckeye D was aggressive throughout the game and simply dominated.

Linebackers Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg made most of the tackles, but the line controlled the line of scrimmage and made life miserable for Hawkeye runners and passers. There was some pregame speculation that OSU defensive backs would have trouble covering Iowa’s good tight ends. Not really a problem at all. The safeties handled them, and pressure on Iowa QBs canceled the passing attack.

But it’s the turnovers that we’ll remember. For the game, Iowa had 15 offensive possessions. They lost three fumbles, threw three interceptions, failed on a fake punt, punted five times, and turned the ball over on downs twice on failed fourth-down attempts. Oh, and they had a 49-yard field goal early in the second quarter. That’s it – three points. (The touchdown was scored by the Iowa defense.)

I applaud the defense. They are so much better – in every way – than last year. Importantly, the OSU defense can carry the load when the offense struggles.

Special Teams

Overall rating: A Strong


No glaring blunders. No bonehead plays. Fair catches were called and made. Kickoff and kicking teams executed their plays cleanly. Freshman Caden Curry made a nice, open-field tackle to foil a foolish fake punt attempt. And Noah Ruggles (remember him?) made all four of his field goal attempts. No fireworks on special teams. Just solid play.

Individual Performances

Blue Chip


Zach Harrison. I’m not the only Ohio State fan waiting for Zach Harrison to live up to his potential. He’s getting there. Against the Hawkeyes, Harrison was all over the quarterbacks. He was too quick, too strong for the guys trying to block him, and it seemed as though he could do whatever he wanted. While he may not be credited with a dozen tackles, he was there – stopping the play.

Tanner McCallister. We all had high hopes for the Oklahoma State transfer, and he met them yesterday. Two interceptions! Yeah, I know that McCallister got flagged on an interference call, but he roamed that secondary like a predator.

Tommy Eichenberg. As I’ve said before, Eichenberg is a different player this year. He’s become one of those fierce, aggressive Buckeye linebackers that we’ve come to expect. Seven tackles and a pick-six interception – not a bad afternoon.

Lathan Ransom. The safeties played strong games for OSU, and Ransom stood out. He was frequently involved in stopping Iowa runs and finished with five tackles. He also had a fumble recovery, capping a very fine game.

Noah Ruggles. Last year, Ruggles was “Mr. Automatic.” This year, with Ohio State’s TD success in the red zone, we’ve hardly seen him. But he made all of his kicks yesterday. “So what?” you ask. “He’s supposed to make them.” Yes, but what if he had missed them? As the Buckeyes were thwarted time after time in the first half, momentum was at stake. Missed field goals would have kept the Hawks in the game. Ruggles didn’t miss.

Solid Performance


Marvin Harrison, Jr. Both Fleming (105) and Emeka Egbuka (80) had more receiving yards than Harrison. But Harrison made several spectacular catches when just such catches were needed. He’s a clutch performer. I thought about putting him above, as a “blue chipper,” but I really didn’t think that any offensive player deserved that status.

Steele Chambers. I love his name, which reminds me of the Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain” of the 1970s. Chambers, like Eichenberg, was all over the field against Iowa.

Jerron Cage. Interior defensive linemen often don’t get the credit that they deserve. Cage played a strong game, plugging up the middle when he was in there. The Iowa line couldn’t push him around at all.

Caden Curry. Curry played on special teams and came in late in the game at defensive end. On Iowa’s fake punt, I really thought that the kicker was going to get the first down. But Curry stuck him. A defensive lineman making an open-field tackle! He also recovered a fumble. I look forward to seeing much more of this guy.

Penny Stock


Dawand Jones. There are probably other offensive players that belong in this category, but the right side of the Buckeye offensive line was subpar on both running and passing plays throughout the game. D. Jones, in addition to missing blocks, was whistled for lining up in the backfield. The thoughtless play canceled a nice completion to Cade Stover, stalled another OSU drive, and forced yet another field goal instead of a touchdown. Sometimes, it’s the little things.


Yes, I’m greedy, but I found this 44-point drubbing of the Hawkeyes to be disappointing. I hadn’t thought that any team could simply shut down the Buckeye run game. Iowa did. I also worry about Stroud’s ability to maintain his cool when things aren’t going well. The Buckeye offensive line was beaten all through the first half of the game.

It was a big win. No doubt. But some improvements need to be made. Before next Saturday. While the Nittany Lions didn’t look very special against TTUN, they looked good yesterday against a pretty decent Minnesota team. The Buckeyes better be ready.

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I've never seen anything like this, and those 8 points cost Weber State their undefeated season versus the FCS runner up from last year. Montana State came back to win 43-38, thanks to four safeties by Weber.

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Jumping back to 1991 to recap Ohio State’s 54-10 victory 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


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

Today’s win over the Hawkeyes extended Ohio State’s home winning streak over Iowa to eight games.

As the Big Ten has expanded, the number of meetings between Iowa and Ohio State has dwindled over the years. Today’s game was the first game between the schools in Columbus since 2013. With today’s 54-10 win over the Hawkeyes, Ohio State extended their winning streak at Ohio Stadium over Iowa to eight games. To wrap up today’s blowout win, we’ll look back at some popular movies, tv shows, songs, and video games from 1991 and incorporate them into the recap.

“Enter Sandman”


1991 was when Metallica’s self-titled album was released, commonly referred to as “The Black Album”. The most famous track from the legendary album is Enter Sandman. In college football, Enter Sandman has been used for years by Virginia Tech to hype up their crowds before and during games. “Enter Sandman” is essentially Jump Around for Appalachia.

The sandman certainly came for Iowa today. Ohio State was the beasts under Iowa’s bed, in their closets, and in their heads. There is nothing about the Buckeye defense that anyone can complain about following today’s game. Tanner McCalister intercepted a Spencer Petras pass on the first play of the game, and added a second pick in the second half. Overall, the Buckeyes forced the Hawkeyes into six turnovers in the game.

Along with the turnovers, Ohio State was able to put a ton of pressure on Petras and Alex Padilla, recording five sacks in the game. Senior defensive end Zach Harrison was a force throughout the game, getting into the backfield early and often. Both Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau were able to record their first sacks of the season in today’s blowout victory.

Coming into the game we knew that Iowa had the worst offense that Ohio State was going to face this season. It was still nice to see the Buckeyes play a complete game on defense, only giving up a field goal to the Iowa offense, as the only touchdown from the Hawkeyes came from their defense. Next week Ohio State won’t have it so easy when they have to travel to Penn State, but a performance like they had today could be just what the doctor ordered to build some confidence for the second half of the regular season.

“Motownphilly”


Ohio State has the best wide receiver in the country, it is just a different receiver than we were claiming heading into the season. Before the season kicked off, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was being looked at as a contender for the Biletnikoff Award. Unfortunately, Smith-Njigba suffered a hamstring injury early in the season opener against Notre Dame, which kept him on the sidelines for most of the first six games of the year. Smith-Njigba looked to have aggravated the injury in today’s game, which leaves his availability for the rest of the regular season up in the air.

Enter Marvin Harrison Jr., who created some noise heading into this season with a three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl. Harrison has found the end zone three times in two games this season, already setting a school record as the only Buckeye wide receiver to catch three touchdown passes in three separate games. Coming into today’s game, Harrison was leading the country with nine touchdown catches this year, and today he was able to haul in another score, with his touchdown in the third quarter giving Ohio State a 33-10 lead.

The son of the Pro Football Hall of Famer is so good that if you dropped him into the 2023 NFL Draft, he would undoubtedly be taken in the first round. Joel Klatt said a number of times on today’s broadcast that he thinks Harrison is going to be the best receiver in the NFL in 4-5 years, and honestly, it’s hard to argue against it. At 6-foot-4, Harrison can go up and get those high passes, he has the footwork to be able to make tough catches on the sideline and the back of the end zone, and he has the speed to create separation from defenders. All that to say, he is as smooth as Boyz II Men were in the 90s.

“Duke Nukem”


What can you say about C.J. Stroud that hasn’t already been said? Things were a little rough for the quarterback early on, as he fumbled the football early on after getting hit, leading to an Iowa touchdown that gave the Hawkeyes their only lead of the game. It wasn’t until the second half that Stroud really got going, finding Harrison for his first touchdown pass of the game, and following it up with three more touchdown tosses.

Stroud not only has 72 passing touchdowns, ranking second in school history, but the redshirt sophomore also moved into the top five on the school’s all-time passing yardage list. After some poorly placed throws in the first half, Stroud found his rhythm and made some throws that were NFL-caliber, where only his receivers were able to catch it.

Following a 2021 season that saw him turn into a Heisman Trophy finalist, Stroud is looking like a front-runner for the award with about a month and a half left in the season. While there are some fans clamoring for Stroud to run the football a little more when there is open field in front of him, the Buckeyes also can’t risk their quarterback taking a hit while running the football and getting hurt.

If you look at what Stroud has done in 19 starts as a Buckeye quarterback, he has put up video game numbers. Stroud is essentially “Duke Nukem” or “The Terminator”, whose second movie was released in 1991, just putting down the competition. Teams may be able to put some clamps on Stroud for a bit, but in the end he finds a way to earn the win.

“Dinosaurs”


“Dinosaurs” perfectly describes what Iowa is working with on its coaching staff. The only Iowa coach that is worth anything is Phil Parker, who deserves better. At this point, Kirk Ferentz and his son Brian are essentially stealing money from the university. It’s not like the Hawkeyes can get rid of the grifting father-son combo either since the elder Ferentz’s buyout is so high, and it’s not like Kirk is going to fire his son.

Just look at what has happened to quarterback Spencer Petras, who came to Iowa as one of the better prospects in the country. After five years at Iowa, Petras is worse now than when he arrived on campus. It just seems like Brian Ferentz is so stubborn that he refuses to acknowledge that he is trying to put a square peg in a round hole and figures if he just keeps smashing it, then eventually it will fit. That strategy might have worked 20 years ago, but it certainly doesn’t work today.

There is just no imagination from the Iowa offense. I almost feel bad for their fans because there are a lot of passionate Iowa supporters who shouldn’t be subjected to this type of inept coaching. The Big Ten is better when Iowa is challenging out west. I don’t blame them for wanting to hit both Kirk and Brian upside the head with frying pans, just like the adorable baby dinosaur did to his dad in the ABC show that debuted in 1991.

“Delirious”


For the most part, being active online as a Buckeye fan is pretty fun. One thing that irks me is just how quick people are to lose their minds about the simplest things. I swear today wasn’t my first day on Twitter. I know that Twitter exists for people to complain and throw out the wildest takes they can for attention. I have been guilty of it in the past, but over the years I like to think I’ve mellowed out a little as I have gotten older.

Some people were losing their minds today at the earliest sign of a little bit of adversity. The first half wasn’t all that pretty to watch if you were an Ohio State fan that loves offense. Even with C.J. Stroud not playing his best half of football, along with Ryan Day leaving a lot to be desired with his play-calling and game management, the Buckeyes were still up 26-10 at the half. In my eyes, that’s not too bad against one of the toughest defenses in the country.

I hate to break it to people, but things aren’t always going to go perfectly in a game. That’s why they play them instead of just super-simming an Ohio State victory. I saw some idiots thinking C.J. Stroud should have been benched for his play before he found his rhythm in the second half. I would say that’s one of the stupidest take you could have but it’s not like we didn’t hear cries from some last year that Stroud wasn’t the answer after he struggled a little in his first few starts.

There’s no problem being passionate about your team. It is great there are so many fans that love Ohio State and want them to be the best. Just don’t let the desire to see another national title come to Columbus rot your brain. Just because John Candy was able to control things by writing them in a movie, it doesn’t mean that Ryan Day is getting fired or C.J. Stroud is getting benched because of your angry tweets in a game Ohio State is winning. It’s ok to be angry or disappointed, just think before blowing your top sometimes.

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Instant Recap Podcast: Ohio State’s defense dominates, offense explodes in 54-10 win over Iowa
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images

The guys are back to recap how Ohio State was dominant in every facet in their resounding win over Iowa.

Ohio State hosted Iowa and beat them in a dominant manner 54-10. Jordan Williams is joined by Chris Renne to bring you the Land-Grant Holy Land “Instant Recap Podcast.”

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


To get the show started, the guys get into their initial takeaways from Iowa and how the slow start impacted their views of the game. Then they get into the dominant second-half performance from the Ohio State offense and defense.

After the initial discussion, the guys get into the issues on offense in the first half and how Ohio State found their way in an aggressive manner in half two. Then Chris and Jordan talk about the Buckeye defense; they realize the OSU D was playing Iowa’s offense, but there were still some important takeaways.

The defense showed up, bullied Iowa’s offense at the line of scrimmage, and forced the most turnovers they’ve had in a game in recent memory.

After that, Jordan and Chris discuss the Players of the Game as well as their favorite moments including Tanner McAlister’s interceptions. They also discuss how Tommy Eichenberg is still flying off the tracks, “Sack Harrison” makes an appearance, and the offense eventually figured it out.

To conclude, the show they give their final thoughts on the performance, discuss injuries, and what’s next for the Buckeyes.


Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB

Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330

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Celebrate Ohio Stadium’s 100th Anniversary with limited edition Woody Hayes, Brutus bobbleheads
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



No better way to celebrate the cathedral of college football than with gold accented figurines, imo.

This year is a very special time to be a Buckeye. Not only is Ryan Day’s team trending toward a national championship, but quarterback C.J. Stroud is the clear-cut betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Obviously, both of those feats would be historic if they come to fruition, but just as important in 2022 is the 100th anniversary of the cathedral of college football known as Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State has been celebrating the stadium centennial all season, and as of today, our friends at FOCO — one of the most beloved creators of officially licensed merch in the world — are joining the party with not one, not two, not three, but four bobbleheads depicting the two biggest icons in Ohio State history, Wayne Woodrow Hayes and Brutus Bartholomew Buckeye (I made up the “Bartholomew” part).

This new 100th-anniversary collection features Brutus and legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes atop The Horseshoe (individuals and stadium are not built to scale). The 100-year logo is displayed on the back with the names of Brutus and Woody beneath it.

The standard limited-edition versions of the bobbleheads have gray backing, but the extra limited-edition variant versions come with gold accents across the bobblehead making them highly collectible. All of the figures stand eight inches tall.

Get your Brutus and/or Woody 100th Anniversary bobbleheads here!



There will only be 422 of the standard bobbleheads made and only 100 of the gold variant versions, so order yours now. The standard bobbleheads will sell for $75 and the fancy gold ones will run $100.

Most recently, OSU great Chris Olave got his own Gate Series bobblehead joining fellow former Buckeye greats Chase Young, Justin Fields, Cameron Heyward, Carlos Hyde, Joey Bosa, and Michael Thomas who had their boobleheads released in August.

But Brutus is no stranger to these incredible, limited edition releases either as over the summer, FOCO released very snazzy Brutus Buckeye Bighead and “Phantom of the Opera-themed bobbleheads as well.

As someone with a borderline unhealthy Ohio State bobblehead/collectible addiction, I can think of no better way to celebrate this historic season in the annals of Ohio State athletics and the venerated Horseshoe than with one (or all) of these magnificent merchandising masterpieces.

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Bold Predictions: Non-offensive scores and backup QBs
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Plus, one position group will cross the century mark. Another will not.

Before each Ohio State game this year, LGHL is going to bring you some “bold predictions”. This will include somewhere a few hot takes for the game, whether it be passing yards, points scored, sacks, or some other things that we could see happening during the game.

We’d love to hear your bold predictions. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your bold predictions in the comments.

Not one, not two, but THREE non-offensive scores


And no, we’re not counting field goals. This one isn’t totally rooted in fantasy: Iowa won its season opener on two safeties and a field goal against South Dakota State. The Hawkeyes have also had two defensive touchdowns and two blocked punts on the year. Ohio State, meanwhile, has had no defensive touchdowns and the secondary will be seeking its first pick-six against a vulnerable Iowa quarterback.

We’ll see Iowa’s backup quarterback


Speaking of which, for the first time this season, the world might just get to see what Alex Padilla can bring to the most anemic offense we’ve seen in years. Spencer Petras, the embattled starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes, is simply not working — though, arguably, the problem is really in the offensive schema drawn up by Brian Ferentz rather than any issues with the players on the field.

We saw Padilla for a little while in 2021. The junior quarterback completed 49% of his passes and had two touchdowns and two picks in eight games.

100-total receiving yards from tight ends


If there’s one thing that can consistently be said for Iowa’s offense, their tight ends are really good. Meanwhile, if one thing has changed for the Ohio State passing attack, it’s been incorporating the tight end position more. Perhaps today we’ll see Ohio State’s Cade Stover and Iowa’s Sam LaPorta and Luke Lachey collectively cross the century mark in receiving yards.

Less than 100 net rushing yards


The Hawkeyes are averaging just over 82 rushing yards per game. On the other side of the coin, Ohio State is putting up 228 yards per game on the ground. However, both Ohio State and Iowa have been stingy when it comes to allowing rushing yards so far this season, allowing 93 and 111 yards per game, respectively. While something will certainly give between Ohio State’s rushing offense and Iowa’s defense (probably in favor of the offense), Iowa might have next to no rushing yards — especially when accounting for sacks.

No touchbacks


In yet another direct faceoff of Big Ten punters from Australia, Ohio State’s Jesse Mirco and Iowa’s Tory Taylor go head-to-head for the ultimate battle of punting dominance. Mirco has just two touchbacks to Taylor’s six, but Taylor has downed 20 punts inside the 20 to Mirco’s 10.

Of course, Iowa does a heckuva lot more punting than Ohio State. And probably will again this afternoon.

One more Bama loss


Alabama might be licking its wounds from last week’s upset loss to Tennessee, but the Crimson Tide don’t have time to sulk as they must turn around and face No. 24 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss themselves, having fallen to Kentucky last week.

It helps that Alabama is back in Tuscaloosa. Also, Bama’s favored by 21. I’ll harken back to that time I thought Nebraska might pull one out against Oklahoma. I was wrong then, and I could be just as wrong now. They’re called bold predictions for a reason.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Inside information on Iowa before today’s game
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Our friends from Black Heart Gold Pants pull the curtain back to give us the unbiased truth about the Hawkeyes.

In preparation for the No. 2 Ohio Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3, 1-2) in Ohio Stadium today, we chatted with Jonah Parker, the co-managing editor of Black Hearts Gold Pants, our SB Nation sibling site that covers Iowa athletics.

It has been a tale of two sides of the ball for Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes have been characteristically stout on defense — they currently rank third nationally in scoring defense and seventh in total defense — however, on offense, Iowa has been absolutely putrid. Coming into the game Brian Ferentz’s unit ranks dead last in total offense and 127th nationally in scoring defense.

If you want more of the Hawkeyes’ perspective on the game, make sure that you check out all of BHGP’s coverage on their website or on Twitter @BHGP.


LGHL: First things first, with so much national attention being paid to Brian Ferentz’s offense, what is the sentiment toward him from the Iowa fan base? Do they see the situation differently than fans and analysts on the outside? Has his performance soured Hawkeye fans on his dad at all?

BHGP: Sentiment towards Brian hasn’t been good really since the moment he was hired as offensive coordinator. He’s had solid to great game plans in one-off games basically once a year over the last five seasons, but by and large, the offense has been bad since the moment he stepped into the role, even by Iowa standards. Things have certainly come to a head this season and we’ve asked our community nearly every week for an updated count of who thinks Brian deserves to be fired. We’re well over half the fanbase that believes he should be gone now and I think that’s a pretty safe viewpoint given the offense is not just bad, but dead last nationally.

That has started to leak into people’s views on Kirk Ferentz and I would place myself in this camp. While fans have long been frustrated by the style of play offensively (Iowa has been in the top half nationally of total offense just once in the last decade), the track record of (relative) winning has helped mitigate the concerns. The slide in results this year has fans ready to tear things down because it’s becoming clear this is not complementary football as we’ve been sold, but simply a great defense and special teams being totally wasted by an incompetent offense that Kirk continues to defend for the sole reason his son is running it. Those results start to really shine a light on prior years and the fanbase is all too aware that the OC has not really mattered — the offense has always been a challenge under Kirk Ferentz.

LGHL: Ohio State has had one of the best offenses in the country through the first half of the season, and Iowa has had one of the best defenses through the first half of the season. With all of the different offensive weapons that the Buckeyes have, how do you think that Phil Parker will look to limit the OSU offense? Will he focus on either the passing or running game and try to make the Buckeyes one-dimensional, or will he give them opportunities underneath while looking to prevent big plays?

BHGP: The latter has been the bread and butter of Phil Parker and his predecessor Norm Parker (no relation) for two decades. The philosophy is predicated on the idea that college athletes very rarely can play mistake-free for 8-10 consecutive plays and thus marching the length of the field to score touchdowns is really difficult (which is infuriating for Hawkeye fans as the offense seems predicated on the idea they will do just that). I expect the Hawkeyes to play a base 4-2-5 (with that extra DB being more of a safety than a nickel corner – a position played by Amani Hooker the last time these two teams squared off) and try to keep everything in front of them.

The challenge this week that is really never there any other week for this group is Ohio State presents such a matchup problem on the outside that Phil can’t rely on his base defense to keep the Buckeyes out of the endzone consistently. OSU is going to take shots down the field and they’re going to connect on more than one. The key for Iowa historically has been in those situations to find a way to rally to the ball and be sure tacklers to big plays ultimately end with field goals in the red zone instead of touchdowns.

That was largely successful against Michigan, which opted to play Iowa’s game and dink and dunk their way down the field with great success and run Blake Corum into the ground. I suspect OSU will be less patient because they don’t need to be. Against most teams that lack of patience has resulted in turnovers for one of the best secondaries in the country at creating them (they finished 2021 tops nationally over a five-year span), but C.J. Stroud is not most QBs.

LGHL: The Buckeyes haven’t really played an elite (or even all that good) defense yet this season. What does the Hawkeye defense do so well that has allowed it to keep five of its six opponents to 10 points or less?

BHGP: As noted, Phil Parker employs a sort of boa constrictor approach to defense. Typically, Iowa will give up the underneath stuff and allow some modest gains on the ground at the expense of not letting anything get behind them. Again, the philosophy is that more often than not a college offense will stub their own toe at some point via a penalty, missed blocking assignment, missed throw, or whatever, and then they’re behind the chains and this defense can pounce.

The more the offense squirms and gets impatient attempting to march down the field, the more the defense constricts and ultimately creates turnovers. The Hawkeyes never have the best athletes on the field but they’re always disciplined and rarely out of position. The result has often been that opponents are able to move the ball but end up taking a shot on the fringe of the red zone or forcing a throw down inside the 10 and the defense capitalizes.

LGHL: Like OSU, Iowa is coming into this game following an off week. What have the coaches said about what they focused on during the bye and what are fans most hoping was accomplished over the past two weeks?

BHGP: Mostly, fans were hoping they would take the two weeks to fire Brian Ferentz and give an interim OC time to work with the team. That didn’t happen (and it’s not going to) and Spencer Petras is still the QB behind a really not-good offensive line. So the staff has indicated they took the first week to really get back to the basics and try to eliminate some of the mistakes that have plagued this team through six games. If the Hawkeyes were facing any team in the conference besides Ohio State, I would expect to see them come out and work to finally really establish the run to get this offensive line in a rhythm, then open up play action.

But at this point there really is very little they can work on to improve things this season. The offensive line is young and a year away from being serviceable. The wide receiver room is sparse after five of the top six returning scholarship players were injured in the weeks before the season started (add in that the presumed #3 target Charlie Jones departed after the portal closed following spring practice to go actually catch passes in what looks like an actual offense) and there are no signs we get top playmaker Keagan Johnson back this season (or ever?). And the scheme is what it is and what it is, is not effective.

LGHL: I’m sorry that I have to do this, but I’m going to ask a question about the offense. Spencer Petras has obviously not been great this year, but no other quarterback has even attempted a pass this year, including Alex Padilla who saw some action last year. Is this just a case that the coaching staff feels that they have no other better option, or is Petras’ experience just the best fit for an offense that has struggled this year?

BHGP: This was a source of a lot of consternation among fans both last year and early in this season. Spencer Petras is a prototypical Iowa QB in that he has a big arm, big body, is not mobile, but is very good at reading defenses pre-snap and getting Iowa into the plays most other teams would simply have their OC signal in pre-snap (this is the primary reason we continue to hear how “complicated” the Iowa offense is for young players despite it quite clearly being a basic scheme – players, and especially the quarterback, are asked to make pre-snap reads and adjustments at the line whereas most offenses will simply line up and either run the play called or get a decision from the sideline). We hear repeatedly that he is the better player in practice and the staff believes he gives them the best chance to win.

The frustration from fans comes from the divergence between his abilities and what this offense needs to have a pulse. By all accounts, Petras is head and shoulders above everyone else in the room in terms of making those reads, his arm strength, and ability to make on-schedule throws (which probably says more about the staff’s job on the recruiting trail than anything). But as noted, this offensive line is really struggling so those on-time, in-rhythm throws are few and far between. Alex Padilla was even worse statistically than Petras in his time on the field a season ago, but he is at least mobile enough to extend plays and make things happen off-script.

Despite what Padilla offers, Spencer Petras remains the only starter in the country to have played every single offensive snap for his team.

LGHL: If Saturday is a one-score game midway through the fourth quarter, what do you think will be the major storyline (or storylines) that has gotten the teams to that point?

BHGP: If this is a one-score game in the fourth quarter, there have likely been a slew of injuries or ejections on the OSU side. A more realistic scenario, which I still don’t think gets you there, is that CJ Stroud is looking ahead a week and just flat-out misses on several shots down the field. I expect Ryan Day to be looking for style points for the CFP and to be aggressive going downfield. If for some reason Stroud can’t find anyone and starts pressing, this is a defense capable of picking him off 3+ times and just as capable of returning each of those for a score without any help from the offense.

For Iowa to have any hopes of scoring points on the offensive side of the ball, we would need to see major improvements up front that allow them to FINALLY be able to run the ball and actually control time of possession. I don’t see that as a realistic outcome, but there is some very small world out there where the Buckeyes turn the ball over early and give Iowa a short field once or twice or even a pick-six, and then Iowa is able to turn this into more of a rock fight IF the offensive line has a light switch turned on.

LGHL: I won’t make you pick a score (although you are welcome to if you would like), but I do want to know how you think the game will play out.

BHGP: While I would love to predict the above scenario or get uber optimistic and call for something along the lines of the 2017 game (we get those once a generation so apologies if we watch that on Saturday instead of this blood bath), I really suspect this one is a blowout. If history is any indication, the Buckeyes are likely to come out and march down the field on their first possession to get out to an early 7-0 lead. The Iowa offense is unlikely to do anything other than occupy three downs between the defense and Tory Taylor booming a punt. I do think the defense will settle in a little bit in the first half and probably keep the Buckeyes in the 17-24 points area, but at some point, things will just break down with how long I expect them to be on the field.

I assume Iowa gets a field goal somewhere, probably courtesy of a short field, but I’m not expecting more than that. I think Day keeps starters in longer than he probably should for those style points and a 17-3 halftime lead turns into something like 56-3 in the end with the Buckeyes getting a pick-six or at minimum a turnover on the Iowa side of the field, as well as 2-3 home run balls from Stroud and a 40+ yard TD run from someone in the second half. The Iowa defense is good, but it’s not built to play 65% of the game. Doing so against an entire team of superior athletes is not going to end well.

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OHIO STATE GAMEDAY: It’s a bad day to be an Iowa Hawkeye
Gene Ross 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

The Buckeyes return from their off week looking to pick things up where they left off.

Wake up, everyone. It’s Ohio State game day!

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes return to action on Saturday to kick off the second half of their season against the Iowa Hawkeyes. These two teams have not met since that fateful day back in 2017, when Urban Meyer’s team was handed a massive L at Kinnick Stadium. Almost all of the players involved in that game are now gone, but Kirk Ferentz is still at the helm for Iowa, and Ryan Day was on staff at the time and surely remembers that day well. Ohio State will be looking for its revenge in Columbus five years later.

Over the past week, our talented group of writers and podcasters have put together preview pieces, analytical breakdowns, and everything in-between.

If you missed out on any of the coverage, we have you... well, covered. Below, each type of story is categorized. If you’re looking for podcasts and previews we’ve done, you can find them; if you’re looking for the betting lines and film studies, they are there, too.

Enjoy the day everyone. As always, Go Bucks!

Football Podcasts

• Buck Off: An angry discussion about Iowa’s offense
• Hangout in the Holy Land: Ohio State opens the second half against Iowa
• LGHL Uncut: Day, Knowles, Wilson preview Iowa
• Silver Bullets: B1G results, Iowa preview
• I-70 Football: We know who is good, we’ll know soon who is bad

Previews

• Ohio State vs. Iowa: Game Preview and Prediction
• Three Things to Watch from the Iowa Hawkeyes
• Iowa Offensive Player to Watch: Sam Laporta
• Iowa Defensive Player to Watch: Jack Campbell

Sports Betting

• Ohio State opens at -28.5 vs. Iowa
• Week 8 National Games
• Week 8 B1G Conference Games

Film Studies

• Jim Knowles’ defense Film Review
• Iowa Film Preview

Basketball

• Who will make the 2023 men’s basketball Final Four?
• Women’s Basketball Player Preview: Rebeka Mikulášiková
• Women’s Basketball Player Preview: Cotie McMahon
• Men’s Basketball Team Preview: Maryland
• Men’s Basketball Team Preview: Iowa
• Do preseason rankings indicate how many B1G teams make the NCAA Tournament?
• Ohio State women’s basketball ranked No. 14 in AP Preseason Poll

Recruiting

• 2024 four-star OL Ian Moore commits to Ohio State
• 2024 four-star point guard John Mobley Jr. commits to Ohio State
• Ohio State offers 2024 running back
• Carnell Tate and the continued pursuit by Tennessee
• OSU leaves positive impression on four-star Georgia DL
• 2023 DL target sets commitment date

Ask LGHL

• What did you learn from TTUN’s win over PSU?
• Should OSU fans be nervous about Hendon Hooker’s Heisman potential?
• Ohio State football fans predict score vs. Iowa

Other Podcasts

• Bucketheads: Adam Jardy joins to talk Big Ten men’s hoops
• Play Like a Girl: Frankenstein QBs, Team Dog vs. Team Cat

Other Columns

• B1G Thoughts: Ten years of regret?
• Iowa football is a cautionary tale of the dangers of nepotism, cronyism
• How is the Ohio State offense going to work when JSN returns?
• Has Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming finally arrived?
• Ryan day is getting the top 10 defense he ordered
• Big Ten stat leaders through Week 7

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Scarlet Out At The Shoe
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

• 

After a much needed bye week, the Buckeyes will test their mettle against a stingy Hawkeyes defense at home. They passed their initial test against Notre Dame, they blew through Wisconsin and Michigan State, and they cruised by Rutgers, Arkansas State and Toledo.

The second half of the season has a ton of obstacles and it is important for the Buckeyes stay focused from here on out. Not only should they take this game seriously, the last time they faced the Hawkeyes, they were blown out at Kinnick Stadium.

Stiff Test Ahead

Ohio State has one of the best offenses in the nation, but the fact that they haven’t faced a competent defense outside of Notre Dame. This will be a “prove it” type game and I am looking forward to seeing what this team does and how they adapt. This offense hasn’t been challenged yet, and I feel like the team will set the tone for the second half of the season.

This is very much a memory that Coach Day has on his mind as he revealed the proverbial “scars” that have resurfaced as we approach game day. The offense will certainly have a tough time and a lot will be revealed when the clock hits zero. Not only does Iowa have a sturdy defense, they are also the #1 scoring defense in the nation.

I feel like the fact that everyone outside of Columbus is saying that CJ Stroud and company hasn’t “played anyone yet” and they have had a “cupcake” schedule up until this point will also play a factor in this game. The fact that everyone is discounting their achievements up to this point, it only adds to the intrigue and anticipation.

Feast or Famine

Outside of the Buckeye offense facing this stingy defense, how will this improved defense do against a bottom-tier offense? I could go on-and-on about the offense, but I am interested to see if this revamped defensive scheme can manage to shut out the Hawkeyes offense.

It is possible, but we’ve all seen this team have lapses from time to time and sometimes teams find a way to score. The challenge of earning a shutout is another layer of intrigue. It won’t be easy, but with a motivated team it might be possible.

The Buckeyes have been solid up to this point and dismantled most of their opponents, but this Iowa team might show some offensive fortitude in the form of splash plays. I think the Buckeyes limit those to three or less. The bye week helped a few players on both ends get healthy, and I cannot wait to witness everything.

Health Concerns

With the bye week, JSN, Chop and Hall all got an extra week to recuperate. The Buckeyes haven’t been at full strength since week 1 and it is a scary to think of the possibilities. MHJ, Fleming and Egbuka have been having great seasons so far, and if its either Henderson or Williams, they are still explosive.

Not to mention, if their second team receives reps, they can be just as lethal—especially if Coach Day gives McCord the green light to run the offense. That would be awesome and I’m sure everyone would want to see a preview of what next years offense would look like.

With all things considered, I think the Buckeyes will air on the side of caution and allow the starters to rest for a noon game at Happy Valley. If things get out of hand, look for those “health concerns” to win out. We don’t expect Coach Day to be reckless, but if the game is put away by the third quarter, we will get a little preview from McCord and Brown.

Predictions

The pre-game hype videos seem like subliminal messages to the public. The “Statement” sounds like we will be making one against one of the best defenses in the country. This will be a test, but I think they pass with flying colors.

Ohio State defeats Iowa 42-12.

• Stroud shreds this Iowa defense. I don’t think the splash plays will be plentiful but I’d say he has 3-4 and finishes with 275+ passing yards and 4 TD’s.
• Zone 6 and Stover continues offensive assault. MHJ, Fleming, Egbuka, Stover all score while JSN slowly gets back to form.
• Henderson and Williams have a day. 180+ rushing and 2 TD’s.
• Defense makes plays and a statement. 4 sacks, 1 INT and a forced fumble.

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