The Ohio State Buckeyes are currently beating the Iowa Hawkeyes by a healthy 16-points at halftime and they inch slowly towards blowing Iowa out and beating what appeared to be the lofty spread of 29.5-points.
But there’s still a lot of work to do against a very good Iowa defense.
I want to be clear that Iowa has not been that great this year, but they have a few solid parts of their team and the Buckeyes have looked good in most aspects of the first half, but there are definitely some notable areas of improvement — especially on offense — and we are breaking down the top three most noticeable points from the first half both positive and negative.
The Ohio State defense looks great
Ohio State goes with a four-safety look with Lathan Ransom, Ronnie Hickman, Cameron Martinez and Tanner McCalister all on the field on 3rd-and-13. It worked, as Spencer Petras threw the ball out of bounds.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 22, 2022
Yes, Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras has seen better years, but Ohio State defenses of years past would be satisfied to be vanilla and wait until the offense takes over, but that is not the case this season. The defense is changing up looks, rotating efficiently, and smothering the Iowa offense, which I think is a good sign for future games.
Red-zone offense is lacking in this one
Ohio State's four drives that have started inside the Iowa 35 have yielded four field goals.
Iowa has turned Ohio State into Iowa.
— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) October 22, 2022
The tweet above summarizes the Ohio State offense perfectly. I understand Iowa has a good defense, but the Buckeyes need to score and these red-zone struggles are on the verge of being unacceptable and would result in a loss against an opponent that can actually gain yards on offense.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to struggle with his hamstring
Didn't see Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Ohio State's last drive. He came off the field slowly on the previous possession and spoke with trainers on the sideline, but he is wearing a helmet.
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) October 22, 2022
We all waited patiently for the return of one of the best receivers in Ohio State history, and after snagging one reception for seven yards, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has appeared to reinjure his hamstring. He never went to the medical tent and was seen stretching on the sideline, but don’t be surprised if the coaching staff holds him out the rest of the week.
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