Ohio State walked into Kinnick Stadium on Saturday and came out with their most impressive win of the season. It wasn't perfect; it never is, but the Buckeyes dominated the Hawkeyes to a final score of 31-14. Now that Ohio State has played two big games, they seem to have a formula for victory in these big games. What is it, and is it sustainable?
I'd be doing everyone a disservice if I didn't start with Jeremiah Smith. He had 11 catches for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns. He became Ohio State's all-time leader in catches and touchdowns. He's got 23 catches for 423 yards and 6 touchdowns in the first two Big Ten games.
The term "video game numbers" is a bit overused in my opinion, but these are truly video game numbers. He's the favorite for the Heisman, he's going to win the Biletnikoff, and he's going to be the first non-quarterback taken in the NFL draft. The only negative thing I can say about him is that it's getting hard to find different ways to describe his greatness.
The one thing Jeremiah can't do is throw the ball to himself, so let's give credit to Julian Sayin. Sayin played his best game as a Buckeye on Saturday. He threw for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns and averaged 12 yards per attempt. All of those are career highs in games against ranked opponents. His stats should've been even better, as the officials missed multiple pass interference calls against OSU receivers.
It wasn't just his passing, though. Sayin ran the ball five times for 28 yards. Not crazy stats, but he did everything the fanbase and the coaching staff asked him to, which is to pick up easy yards with his legs. For all of Sayin's successes, he had struggled against good defenses. Saturday afternoon was an incredible show of growth.
The Buckeyes have been great in two-minute drills. They've scored a touchdown on their final drive of the half in every game so far this season. Julian Sayin has been quick-processing and surgical with his accuracy. Those drives can change games, particularly when Ohio State gets the ball out of half. Ryan Day always references success in "the middle eight," and the Buckeyes have owned those minutes so far in 2026.
Ohio State's defense had a ton of criticism coming its way after last week's performance against Illinois, and rightfully so. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson called the performance "unacceptable." They were much better this week against the Hawkeyes.
Jackson himself had a strip sack on the second play of the game, but then some of the struggles returned. The Hawkeyes sustained drives of 10+ plays on each of their next two possessions. They were able to hit tight ends on short routes and had a bit of success on the ground; the Buckeyes stood tall in the end.
Both of those drives ended in field goals. After the first quarter, Iowa averaged just 4.8 yards per play. The Hawkeyes rushed for just 1.9 yards per attempt, which is the lowest Ohio State has allowed in any game this season.
There are still flaws on this Ohio State roster. The running back situation is its own separate discussion. Connor Hawkins missed a short field goal. They had nine penalties in this game. Those issues could cost Ohio State a game, but they should be fixable.
They have a formula for winning games. The passing attack is amongst the best in the country. Maybe it is too Jeremiah Smith-dependent, or maybe it isn't possible to rely on him too much. The defense isn't perfect, but if they can bow up in the red zone and hold teams to field goals, their offense should be good enough to overcome. As long as Ohio State understands its own strengths and plays to them, they can beat any team in the country.
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