Three keys for an Ohio State football victory over Iowa

3. Will Howard must make sound decisions

Early in his Ohio State football career, Will Howard has looked solid. He's done exactly what Ryan Day wants him to do; get the ball out of his hands quickly. It's his job to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers on the team so they can pick up chunks of yards after the catch.

Last week was the first time that Howard showed signs of shakiness. He threw a horrendous pick into double coverage. That pick led the Buckeyes to give up the only points they would all night. Michigan State scored a touchdown on that next drive just a few plays later.

Howard also almost threw another pick that the Spartans just flat-out dropped. It was another bad decision. Those are decisions that Iowa would love to see on Saturday afternoon. Howard has to make sure that he doesn't make those same mistakes against an opportunistic Iowa defense.

The good news is that Howard has a great running game to turn to if he ends up having a rough game. Both Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson are great running backs who have the capability to take it to the house every time they touch the football.

This might also be the week that we see Howard unleashed on the ground. Chip Kelly has been very careful using him in read-option scenarios. That might change this weekend, depending on how the game goes. I'm sure he'd love to keep that in the bag until next week.

If Ohio State is able to accomplish these three things, they should have no problems walking out of the Shoe with their undefeated record intact.