Last Call: Questions, Players to Watch and Predictions for Ohio State vs. Iowa

3 – 1 (1:0)

Oct 5, 2024 – 3:30 p.m. et

Ohio STADIUM

Columbus, OH

Ohio State hosts Iowa in what is expected to be the Buckeyes' toughest test of the season so far. While Ohio State largely stayed quiet in September, winning all of its first three games by at least 31 points, the Hawkeyes bring one of the best rushing offenses in the country and a strong defense – particularly against the run – to the Buckeyes' fifth game of the year.

RELATED Ohio State vs. Iowa Preview: The Hawkeyes will test the Buckeyes' ground game on both sides of the ball

With a bigger challenge on the horizon today, we'll address our biggest questions for Ohio State heading into today's game and pick our top players to keep an eye on before making some predictions about how the game will play out will go out.

Questions

Can Ohio State win the ground game?

The answer to that question could be the difference between a comfortable Buckeye win or a close four-quarter battle.

Ohio State's passing game is far more explosive than Iowa's, giving the Buckeyes a clear advantage on paper. But few teams in college football are better at controlling the game on the ground than Iowa.

Iowa's rushing offense and run defense are easily the best Ohio State has faced so far this season, and the Hawkeyes could threaten an upset if they can use their run game to put together long drives and shut down the Buckeyes' rushing attack . On the other hand, Ohio State could make the game a blowout if it can continue to run the ball as well as it has so far this season and force Iowa to make plays through the air against an Ohio State secondary that is much better is considered Iowa's Receiving Corps.

–Dan Hope

Will Ohio State win the turnover battle and the field position game?

On the Ryan Day Radio Show, the Ohio State head coach called Iowa “the epitome of winning the turnover battle and winning the field position game.” He then explained that the Hawkeyes are great at taking care of the football while also taking care of their opponents forcing you to make mistakes. They're also happy with an offensive attack that stalls at the 50-yard line if it means they can nail a punt inside the 5-yard line. All in all, the Buckeyes will need to protect the ball and have a Rolodex of plays ready when their backs are against the wall on Saturday.

-Chase Brown

Are the linebackers taking a step forward?

Given the threat Iowa poses on the ground, gap sound and crucial play from the linebackers will be important for the Buckeyes to separate themselves from the Hawkeyes on Saturday. The unit was criticized for its play against Marshall and Michigan State, particularly Sonny Styles, despite him leading the team with 23 tackles. Arvell Reese should also see plenty of time in 4-3 packages against some of the Hawkeyes' stronger fronts.

–Andy Anders

Is there a little downtime before Ohio State's biggest game of the year?

Ryan Day has made an effort all week to avoid complacency and praise Iowa, but considering most of the players are between the ages of 18 and 22, you have to wonder if there might be a bit of a lull early on There will be Ohio State's matchup against the Hawkeyes, considering the Buckeyes face what could be their toughest test of the year next week against Oregon. I don't expect this team to let that happen, but it has certainly happened to other teams a week before big games.

– Garrick Hodge

Players to keep an eye on

Tyleik Williams

Ohio State's defensive line didn't look as dominant in the last two games without Williams as it did in the first two games without Williams. If Williams were to return at full strength today, it would go a long way toward slowing down, who has rushed for more than 200 yards in all four games so far this season.

–Dan Hope

Will Howard

I picked it last week; I'll pick it again this week. Iowa's defense is one of the best in college football. According to ESPN's Bill Connelly and his SP+ model, the Hawkeyes did the best Defense in college football. Given Ohio State's solid performances in wins over Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall and Michigan State, I'm excited to see how Howard performs against Phil Parker's renowned unit. How many times will he throw it? How often will he do it? Can he take care of the football and run the routine plays routinely?

-Chase Brown

Jeremiah Smith

Pass defense is by far the weaker part of Iowa's defense, as the Hawkeyes rank 69th nationally in pass yards allowed per game. Smith was Ohio State University's brightest star through four games; Expect the freshman sensation to make another big splash as his legend grows.

– Andy Anders

Cody Simon

Similar to Dan's reasoning in selecting Tyleik, Simon will be instrumental in slowing down Iowa's vaunted rushing attack, especially with standout running back Kaleb Johnson. The linebackers need to have a big day on Saturday, and that starts with Simon.

– Garrick Hodge

Predictions

Will Howard has his first 300-yard game as a Buckeye

Will Howard has 300 yards passing in his career and fell eight yards shy of the mark in his second game with Ohio State against Western Michigan in Week 2. He still has four full quarters to play, which he could face in Iowa manages to keep this game a little closer, and in the second period it's once again the duel that the Buckeyes' offense has to expose. Seems ready for a big day of ball tossing.

–Andy Anders

Denzel Burke gets a pick-six

There may not be a player on the Ohio State roster hungrier for revenge against Michigan than Burke. The senior cornerback could get some revenge on Saturday by shutting out Cade McNamara, who helped Michigan to a win over Ohio State during Burke's 2021 freshman season. Burke leads the Buckeyes with two interceptions this season; I think he'll score his third against the Hawkeyes, and I'll go one step further and say he predicts he'll return said interception for his second career pick-six.

–Dan Hope

Caleb Downs records an interception or a forced fumble

I won't be as bold as Dan and predict a pick-six, but I think the standout safety will force his first turnover of the season against Iowa through either an interception or a forced fumble. With that, Downs will continue what Jim Knowles called his “activation” on the back end of Ohio State’s defense this week.

-Chase Brown

Cade McNamara is once again limited to less than 100 yards

Maybe that's not as bold as you might think, considering McNamara has accomplished the feat in two of his three games against FBS opponents this season, but it could be a testament to how strong OSU's secondary is , considering I expect OSU to take an early lead and force Iowa to rely on the pass a little more than it would like. The Buckeyes' cornerbacks see better position players in practice every day than any other receiver in Iowa, and that should be reflected in OSU's pass defense stats this week.

– Garrick Hodge