Heading into Saturday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes were looking for a big win at Iowa. After the disappointing finish to the Texas game, Ohio State wanted to prove that they could still win against good teams on the road. They did that, dispatching Iowa 31-14.
There was plenty of good to talk about in this win. Scoring 31 points against what was the best defense in the country in terms of points per game. I'll go through some winners and losers, and we'll start by being positive with some winners.
1. Jeremiah Smith
The biggest winner from this game is Jeremiah Smith, as he set two more records in this game. He is now the all-time leader in touchdown catches and receptions in Ohio State football history. He finished this game with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith showed that he is the best player in the country, and he said so after the game. He wants to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship, which has always been his goal this year. If he plays as he has in the last two weeks, there's a great chance he does that.
Ohio State still doesn't have a firm grasp on who the second receiver that will step up is. If Smith is going to play this well, perhaps the Buckeyes don't need another guy. Smith is that good. He's the best receiver the program has ever had.
2. Julian Sayin
Quarterback Julian Sayin may have had one of the best games of his career in this one. He was 20/27 for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, having Smith to throw the ball to is great. However, he also was able to find Devin McCuin, as he had four catches for 80 yards.
Sayin was more willing to use his legs, which was good to see. Even if he isn't the fastest quarterback the Buckeyes have ever had, just taking the yards that are available for him is good enough.
3. Matt Patricia
Matt Patricia was a little bit under fire after the defense allowed almost 200 yards on the ground against Illinois. Ohio State needed to make sure they didn't have such a poor defensive effort against Iowa. Patricia had to make sure his guys were up to the task.
They were. Ohio State only allowed Iowa to rush for 39 yards on 21 carries. Keeping them one-dimensional kept them from being able to control the clock. That helped Ohio State come out with a win.
Now, we give you some losers.
1. Connor Hawkins
Is getting a reliable kicker too much to ask? Hawkins was brought in from Baylor to be that stable kicker. Instead, he has been anything but stable. He has now missed kicks in the only two tough games that the Buckeyes have played. He missed a 40-yard field goal this time.
Hawkins doesn't seem to be an upgrade from Jayden Fielding, which is wildly disappointing. It has already cost the Buckeyes a game. It looks like this is going to be an issue going forward.
2. Joe McGuire
Ohio State hasn't had a good punter since Cameron Johnston was on campus. Joe McGuire wasn't good last year, and he hasn't been good this year, either. In this game, he once again showed how bad he is by having a 33-yard punt in the second quarter.
In no world is that acceptable. McGuire has to be more reliable, even if Ohio State doesn't punt the ball very often. It's disappointing that Ryan Day refuses to take special teams seriously.
Add us as a preferred source on Google