3 brutal takeaways from the Iowa Hawkeyes' loss to Ohio State

The Iowa Hawkeyes held the Ohio State Buckeyes close for one half, but things took a turn in the final 40 minutes.

Iowa lost 35-7, and now the Hawkeyes are just 3-2 on the season.

Here are a few takeaways from the Hawkeyes' loss.

Cade McNamara actually got things off to a good start, leading a few solid drives and making some nice throws. However, he missed a few big plays in the first half and none of Iowa's possessions resulted in points when he was on the field.

McNamara shot 14 of 20, which is good. But he only threw for 98 yards, which isn't the case. It was the fifth time he finished with fewer than 100 yards passing in 10 career starts for the Hawkeyes.

Most of McNamara's completions came on very short throws, and even some of the throws where he hit the ball were pretty shaky.

It might be time for Kirk Ferentz to consider moving on to Brendan Sullivan.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has made an impact in Iowa's secondary even more than he did in Akron, and that's saying something.

The Hawkeyes allowed Howard to go 21 for 25 with 209 yards and four touchdowns. They did trick him once toward the end of the first half, but that was basically Howard's only mistake.

Howard definitely deserves credit for his good play, and the Buckeyes have an incredible receiving corps. But Iowa prides itself on its defense.

We saw the Hawkeyes' secondary show some cracks early in the season when they uncharacteristically gave up some big plays. Well, against Ohio State, it was a constant attack from Howard, and Iowa never found an answer.

Last season, Iowa played three ranked opponents. It lost all three of those games and was outscored 92-0 in the three contests. No, that's not a typo.

It was similar on Saturday against the Buckeyes.

Yes, the Hawkeyes played a decent first half, displaying bend-don't-break defense that stalled numerous Ohio State drives. But Iowa completely collapsed after halftime.

That begs the question: Can the Hawkeyes actually beat anyone worth their salt?

Iowa's best win this season came against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Even though it's a Big Ten win, it's not exactly a huge win.

Ohio State is by far the toughest game on the Hawkeyes' schedule. They won't face Oregon or Michigan, which is a plus. But Iowa's performance against top opponents in recent years doesn't say much about the program.