3 takeaways from Ohio State's statement win over Iowa
Ohio State is 5-0 on the season and primed for its biggest game of the season after dispatching Iowa. Even as a big favorite in this one, the Buckeyes were looking at their stiffest test of the season in the Hawkeye defense.
Through the first 30 minutes, that test lived up to the expectation. Phil Parker’s defense limited Ohio State to 7 first-half points after an interception, a fumble recovery and a turnover on downs from the Buckeye offense.
After the break, it was a completely different story. Star freshman Jeremiah Smith jumpstarted the 2nd half with a big play and latest one-handed touchdown, and it was off to the races from there.
Now, Ohio State will head into a massive battle of undefeated teams in a Week 7 trip to Oregon to face the Ducks. As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes will return home at 3-2 for a game in Kinnick Stadium against Washington.
Here are the key takeaways from Week 6:
The Emeka Egbuka show
Emeka Egbuka entered Saturday’s game trailing Jeremiah Smith in receiving yards and touchdowns this season in spite of leading Ohio State with 21 catches in the first 4 games. While Smith did provide his own highlights, the story in this one was the veteran Egbuka.
He led Ohio State with 9 catches in this one and delivered a hat trick with 71 yards and 3 touchdowns. It is Egbuka’s first-ever game with 3 touchdowns, eclipsing his previous career-high of 2 touchdowns in 2 games. The 9 receptions also tied Egbuka’s career-high from 2 other games, most recently done in the 2022 game vs. Michigan.
A lot of attention has been placed on Ohio State’s running back duo, but Egbuka is reminding people that Ohio State also has the best WR duo in the country.
Will Howard’s chase of perfection
At his press conference this week, Chip Kelly joked that he wanted Ohio State’s QB to complete every pass. After all, that’s something Jared Goff did on Monday Night Football this week.
Howard, apparently, took that challenge to heart. He opened the game completing his first 10 passes and delivered his most efficient game of the season to date.
Even facing the vaunted Iowa defense, Howard completed 21-of-25 passes for 209 yards and 4 touchdowns with an interception. It’s hard to be more flawless than that against Iowa.
Same old Iowa?
Fans may point to Ohio State reaching 35 points as the biggest factor in the game, but a lot of the performance ultimately filters back to the Hawkeye offense. After all, the defense gave up just one touchdown in the first half and got the ball back via a turnover on downs, an interception and a fumble recovery.
The offense managed zero total points on the drives after those takeaways, and Iowa’s best possession before halftime ended with a missed field goal.
Kaleb Johnson did manage 86 yards on 15 carries, but a lot of his damage also came late in the game. Meanwhile, Cade McNamara was once again unable to elevate the offense in spite of the issues around him.
McNamara ended the game 14-for-20 with 98 yards and an interception, and that’s not going to cut it against the elite teams in this league.
For now, it’s back to the drawing board after what had been some positive flashes offensively.