The Ohio State football team is rested and ready to go following its off week last Saturday. The Buckeyes welcome Kirk Ferentz and the 3-3 Iowa Hawkeyes to Columbus. Iowa is coming in having lost two games in a row, including a lackluster 9-6 loss to Illinois last Saturday.
This Iowa offense has been awful this season only scoring above 14 points just twice this season. The heat is absolutely on Ferentz and his son, Brian, who is the offensive coordinator. Defensively, the Hawkeyes are as advertised. Jack Campbell at linebacker is one of the best defenders in the Big Ten and cornerback Cooper DeJean is second in the Big Ten with three interceptions.
This Iowa defense might be the best that Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud has seen all season so it will be an interesting matchup from that perspective. But in the end, if Iowa can’t score, which they more than likely will not, then the Buckeyes should easily win this game going away.
Here are three predictions for the game.
Prediction 1: The Ohio State football team doesn’t put Iowa away early
While the Iowa offense is rather pathetic, last in the league in both passing and rushing yards per game, the defense is rather stout. They held Michigan to 13 points in the first half three weeks ago and only allowed 27 for the game.
And while Ohio State needed that off week to rest up and get healthy, I could see the Buckeye offense shaking off some cobwebs early on. As of now, we are still not sure about the availability of the running backs or wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Nijigba.
Look for some clunkiness to get worked out in the first few quarters as I believe Iowa could be within 10 or 14 points of the Buckeyes at halftime. Iowa’s defense is one of the best in the country for a reason, even if they are playing an elite offense.
The second bold prediction has to deal with a receiver.
Prediction 2: Marvin Harrison Jr has a monster game for the Ohio State football team.
With all the attention on whether or not JSN is coming back for this game, and on the very good Iowa secondary, I believe Marvin Harrison Jr. will be amped up to prove his worth in this game. He’s been fabulous through the first six games of the season already.
Believe it or not, Iowa has not given up 100 yards receiving to any receiver so far this season. Through six games, in this day of age with the ball being thrown around all over, that’s an amazing accomplishment, especially with the type of offenses that teams run.
But that will end on Saturday. Harrison Jr. keeps getting better every week and appears to be C.J. Stroud’s go-to guy in the red zone. When Ohio State needs a big first down or a big catch, Stroud looks to Harrison. He’s been able to answer the bell every time his number has been called.
I believe this will continue against Iowa and I’m predicting a big day of eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns for Marvin Harrison Jr. What’s crazy is that won’t even come close to one of his biggest days since he’s been a Buckeye. That’s how good he’s been.
My final bold prediction has to deal with the final score of this game.
Final Prediction: Ohio State football 42, Iowa 7
I can’t believe these two schools have not played since the 2017 game in which Iowa upset the Buckeyes 55-24 in Kinnick Stadium. What an awful day that was, and I’m sure Ryan Day remembers it well as he was Urban Meyer’s play-caller for that game.
This won’t be an easy game for Ohio State early. The Hawkeye defense is absolutely for real, and Ryan Day will need to figure out how to best attack them. This game will need to shake out a bit before the Scarlet and Gray get rolling.
Offensively, I don’t see how Iowa will do much against Ohio State. They have struggled all season long and only scored six points against Illinois last week. Pathetic is the only word that comes to mind. I can see defensive coordinator Jim Knowles dialing up some timely blitzes to help create some turnovers.
In the second half, the Buckeyes should put this game away as Stroud and the offense get into a rhythm. A close game early, maybe through the half. But in the end, the Buckeyes will put a beatdown on the Hawkeyes and avenge the 2017 embarrassment in Iowa City.
Ohio State 42, Iowa 7.