Ohio State shows its prowess in fast offense and fast defense against Iowa

Iowa entered the contest with the No. 4 rushing defense and No. 10 rushing offense in college football. The Buckeyes finished third and 15th in the same categories, but faced three non-conference Group of Five teams and a Michigan State squad that didn't exactly cause rock-shaking or stopping earthquakes.

“That was the challenge,” Ryan Day said. “We said '60 minutes of indoor drill' and figured out where to run the ball and stop the run.” So we have a reference point for the future. I think this can give us a lot of confidence for the future. It was a big challenge for our entire team in terms of physicality and resilience. I thought we answered that.”

Ohio State held Iowa to 4.3 yards per carry and 116 total rushing yards while averaging 5.1 yards per rushing attempt – with 7.3 yards per carry in the first half – and 203 rushing yards of its own with 35 -7 Big Ten victory.

Before Saturday, Iowa had rushed for more than 200 yards in all of its first four games and had held opponents under 100 rushing yards.

“Run the football, stop running,” Day said. “And it starts with the guys up front. I thought the offensive line played hard. I thought Justin (Frye) prepared them. I liked the plan for everyone on the offensive staff. I thought Chip put together a good game plan, called a good game. I thought our running backs ran hard again.”

The Buckeyes have averaged at least 5.1 yards per carry in each of their five contests in 2024 and are at 6.2 yards per carry this season.

In 2023, Ohio State struggled to run the ball like rarely in recent program history. His 4.2 yards per carry were the worst for an Ohio State team since 2004, and the Buckeyes were under 100 rushing yards in three different contests.

Problems – good or bad – in a running game often start on the offensive line. The position group may have been Ohio State's most reviled team a year ago, but the left-right combination of Josh Simmons, Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin, Tegra Tshabola (also Austin Siereveld at times) and Josh Fryar is well on its way to becoming one great start to this season. In addition to the team's rapid success, they have allowed just four sacks in five games.

“We knew we had a lot of experience,” Jackson said. “And the guys that don’t have it, we knew they were very talented, so they’ll come along. Just with that attitude and that physicality, it's kind of a badge of honor for an O-line player to run the ball. You want to run the ball. You want it over with. You want to see your running backs running down the field and that’s a sense of pride you feel.”

There were no 70 or 80 yard touchdown runs for Ohio State against Iowa, just a lot of solid chunk gains. Of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson's 24 carries, 12 were for five yards or more and five were for at least 10. Judkins had 78 yards on 13 carries (six yards per carry) and Henderson had 61 on 11 (5.5).

The Hawkeyes have weapons to stop such attacks, with a vaunted defensive tackle tandem in Aaron Graves and Yahya Black and a superstar linebacker, Jay Higgins, who had 171 tackles last year and another 14 with a forced fumble on Saturday. But the Buckeyes bit their guard and plowed forward.

“When you look at what we finished, you think, 'Okay, it's pretty nice,'” Jackson said. “This is a great defense. They are known for not giving up much on the run. They give you an advantageous box, but they just say, “Hey, our guys are more disciplined than your guys and you're not going to execute your plays.” Just the ability to control our offense, have a confident front in front of the guys that Pursuing it, and having great coaches to teach us the techniques we need to combat two-gapping, it's just a really fun feeling.”

“It starts with the guys up front.”– Ryan Day on Ohio State’s ground game success

In contrast to the dozen 5-yard runs that Judkins and Henderson racked up, Iowa's star running back Kaleb Johnson only had four spread over 15 carries. Without his two 28-yard runs – the first coming on missed tackles by Cody Simon and Sonny Styles and the second against OSU's second-team defense – Johnson would have finished with a paltry 30 yards on 13 carries.

“The defense really showed up,” Day said. “It started with a really good week on Tuesday and Wednesday (practice). We dropped our second offensive line and looked great. Tuesday was fine. Wednesday was much better. And then the boys really showed up on Saturday. So if we can continue to do those Tuesday and Wednesday practices, we can continue to build on that.”

Styles missed that tackle attempt, but otherwise had perhaps the best game of his Ohio State career. With a team-high seven tackles and two tackles for a loss, Styles responded to a poor performance at Michigan State a week ago with a big step in his development after moving from safety to linebacker.

“I thought I just played free,” Styles said. “I started a tradition with my grandparents where I pray with them before games. I pray for trust and for her and God and things like that. I feel like when you play with that confidence, you just play more freely and you're just quicker. Don’t worry about anything.”

Day was quick to point out that developing a linebacker's instincts takes experience. Higgins and former Buckeye backer Tommy Eichenberg were his examples, both players who blossomed later in their careers.

“Some of the great linebackers out there have played a lot, they’ve seen a lot, they’re able to diagnose plays,” Day said. “The more Sonny plays, the better he can learn and diagnose these plays quicker. … Nice to see Sonny getting more and more of those reps because every rep he gets is an investment in his future and he's going to play faster and faster.”

Styles was far from the only standout defender. Simon had six tackles and Ohio State's defensive line proved immobile for much of the game. Nose guard Ty Hamilton had five tackles and a sack and defensive end Jack Sawyer had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

But Styles wanted to build some physicality from linebacker and play downhill, and his play definitely met that challenge against the Hawkeyes.

“I think it gives the whole defense confidence,” Styles said. “I think in terms of a strong defense, I think it has to start with the linebackers coming down and setting the tone. Of course you have to have a great D-line and great DBs. Security Cracking Games. But I feel like the linebackers have to be in charge. They have to be the ones where everyone benefits from their toughness.”

RELATED Three key stats in Ohio State's win over Iowa

However, Ohio State's toughest test yet as a team comes next week. Forget a top-10 rushing team, the Buckeyes are going up against a team that will most likely be top-5 Oregon, meaning Ohio State needs to continue to build on its ground game success.

“We’re not getting complacent at all,” Jackson said. “We know there is still a lot to do, but we are happy with what we have done so far.”