If Iowa hopes to upset No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, it would be wise for the Hawkeyes to get off to a good start.
While the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) have outscored opponents by an average of 42 points (48.8 to 6.8), they have been more vulnerable in the first half before making defensive adjustments.
The Buckeyes have a 91-3 scoring advantage after halftime after a combined 104-24 in the first two quarters.
Their yards allowed are just as dramatic. They gave up 186 in the first half to Marshall on Sept. 21 and 203 last Saturday in a 38-7 victory over Michigan State followed by second-half totals of 61 and 60, respectively.
“We want to get stops. We want to force three-and-outs,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We’re going to deal with the same thing this week. Those guys (Iowa) have made improvements in a lot of areas on offense, and I think they’re playing really well, so it’s another challenge for our defense.”
Iowa (3-1, 1-0) likely won’t be able to match the Buckeyes’ high-powered offense but will try to control the ball and take the crowd out of the game.
One of the keys will be Hamilton, Ohio native Kaleb Johnson. In a 31-14 win against Minnesota on Sept. 21, he rushed for a career-high 206 yards on a 9.8 yards-per-carry average with three touchdowns for his fourth straight 100-plus-yard game.
He is No. 2 nationally with 685 yards.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz knows the Buckeyes will be ready for Johnson.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge,” Ferentz said. “The holes are going to close quick.”
Johnson has 12 runs of 20 or more yards this season, including a 64-yarder, which likely will be of concern to the Buckeyes. But the Hawkeyes will face a stern defense that is second nationally in total defense (196.5 yards per game). The Hawkeyes are 18th (272.8).
Iowa will have to contain a multi-faceted Ohio State offense that features running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson — who have combined for 666 rushing yards and nine touchdowns — and a group of talented receivers led by freshman Jeremiah Smith (19 catches for 364 yards and five TDs).
“They are very balanced and talented at every position,” Ferentz said. “They’ve got really good players in all three phases, and I think are really deserving of their ranking. Certainly, they’ve had great production in all three phases, and they’re really well-coached in all three phases. So it’s kind of what you’d expect of a top-ranked team like that.”
Meanwhile, with so much reliance on the running game, Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara has been efficient. He was 11 for 19 for only 62 yards against Minnesota but did not have a turnover for a second straight game.
McNamara referenced Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, who completed 18 of 18 passes vs. the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs in games,” McNamara said. “Other than basically Jared Goff, you can’t play a perfect game.”
–Field Level Media
