Three keys for an Ohio State football victory over Iowa

The Ohio State football team has returned to Columbus after their first road game of the season. They left East Lansing with a win after beating down Michigan State. It was never a close game despite them being the best team the Buckeyes have played so far.

The level of competition steps up again this weekend. This time, Ohio State is taking on Iowa. The Hawkeyes come in with a much stouter defense than the Spartans. Iowa's defense is a top-20 unit. They also have a really solid running back in Kaleb Johnson.

It should be a good test for the Ohio State Buckeyes before their big showdown with Oregon next week. That game has been circled as the toughest game on Ohio State's schedule since before the season. The issue is that Iowa is the perfect trap game.

Iowa is good at running the ball and stopping the run. That's a great recipe for an upset if you're a team that is trying to keep the ball away from your opponent. That's what their goal will be this weekend. Ohio State has a lot of things they need to do to win this game.

There are three keys to Ohio State leaving Saturday with another victory. The first one has to do with how their defense will respond to Iowa's best player.

1. The Ohio State football team must commit to stopping RB Kaleb Johnson

Iowa brings in one of the most productive running backs in the country. Kaleb Johnson averages 8.4 yards per carry, which is good enough for the second-best in the country. Their offense is centered around him and what he can do. Stopping him isn't easy.

That's exactly what the Buckeyes must do though. Stopping Johnson is going to be the top priority of Jim Knowles and his defense. Knowles needs to commit to bringing one of the safeties down in the box to keep Johnson from getting to the second level.

Ohio State will force Cade McNamara, the former starter at Michigan, to beat them with his arm. He shouldn't be able to do that. He only has three touchdown passes this season and has two interceptions. It would be shocking to see McNamara actually break down the Buckeyes' defense.

If they are able to keep Johnson under 100 yards rushing, it will be a great sign. This is the biggest key to a win. If Iowa can't run the ball, they can't move at all. Then they have to lean on their defense to force turnovers in order to win the game.

The next key to an Ohio State victory has to do with Ohio State's own running game.