Winning in trenches: 5 things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes' 35-7 over Iowa – The Columbus Dispatch

Here are five things we learned from Ohio State’s 35-7 win over Iowa on Saturday:
There was little doubt that Ohio State controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
The backfield duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson ran for a combined 139 yards on 24 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per attempt.
The Buckeyes totaled 203 yards on the ground, only the fifth time in three years that a team rushed for 200 or more yards against the Hawkeyes.
They also contained Iowa star running back Kaleb Johnson, the Hamilton native who was the second-leading rusher in the Football Bowl Subdivision through five weeks.
Johnson had gained at least 100 yards in each of his first four games, but Ohio State’s defense held him to 86 yards and one touchdown. Even that stat line was a bit skewed. A majority of those yards came on two 28-yard carries in the second half. His other 13 attempts went for 30 yards.
“That was the challenge,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “Run the football. Stop the run.”
In a physical test, their offensive and defensive lines passed.
The Buckeyes reached the red zone five times against Iowa. Five touchdowns followed.
It continued a season-long trend, as they have now scored 20 touchdowns in 21 trips inside the 20-yard line. Among the 134 FBS teams, only Navy has had a higher red-zone touchdown percentage.
The accuracy of quarterback Will Howard near the goal line made a difference against the Hawkeyes.
All four of Howard’s pass attempts in the red zone connected with his targets, including three to wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.  
Though Iowa’s defense surrendered three red-zone touchdowns in three opportunities in its first four games, it has often been tough when backed up against its own end zone. The Hawkeyes ranked in the top 10 in opponent red-zone touchdown percentage in 2023 and 2022.
It was late in the second quarter when Styles put together perhaps his most impactful sequence as a linebacker.
When Iowa faced a first-and-10 from its 7-yard line with 1:35 left until halftime, Styles slipped into the backfield and tackled Jaziun Patterson for a loss of 2 yards.
On third-and-12, he snuffed out a pass to Johnson and brought him down for a gain of only 4 yards, prompting the Hawkeyes to punt.
Styles finished with seven tackles, including two for a loss, to lead the Buckeyes and bounce back from a performance the previous week at Michigan State that revealed the learning curve involved with switching from safety.
“The more Sonny plays,” Day said, “the more he’s able to learn and diagnose plays faster.”
Day was again willing to go for it on fourth down.
The results were mixed. Facing a fourth-and-2 at Iowa’s 42-yard line early in the second quarter, Howard attempted to run for a first down, but he was stopped a yard short of the marker.
On a fourth-and-2 from the Hawkeyes’ 32-yard line late in the third quarter, Howard completed a pass over the middle to sophomore receiver Brandon Inniss for a gain of 21 yards.
Through five games, the Buckeyes already have more than half the number of fourth-down attempts as last season.
When deciding whether to punt, kick a field goal or go for it on fourth down, Ohio State has attempted to gain a first down 10 out of 27 times (37%) and did so two out of four times against Iowa.
Midway through the second quarter, Smith was poised to set up the Buckeyes deep inside Iowa territory.
Smith caught a screen pass at midfield, then took off running for 17 yards.
But as he attempted to stiff-arm linebacker Jay Higgins, he fumbled. Higgins punched the ball out of his left arm. The ball rolled toward the home sideline, and Higgins recovered it at the Hawkeyes’ 28-yard line.
Smith has dazzled in his debut season and pulled in another one-handed touchdown grab in the third quarter, the second straight week he made such an acrobatic catch for a score.
The early turnover was a reminder that he is still growing.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter,@joeyrkaufman or email him atjkaufman@dispatch.com.

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