Iowa commits 6 turnovers and fails to score offensive TD in 54-10 loss to No. 2 Ohio State
Iowa’s offensive issues were on full display in No. 2 Ohio State’s 54-10 win over the Hawkeyes on Saturday.
Iowa (3-4) committed six turnovers and had just 158 yards of offense. The only TD of the day for the Hawkeyes came via the defense in the first quarter on sack and fumble return.
Things were so bad over the course of the first half that Iowa’s coaching staff decided to go with backup QB Alex Padilla in place of Spencer Petras to start the second half. After intercepting C.J. Stroud to start the third quarter, Iowa took over near midfield.
Padilla promptly fumbled his first snap of the game and Ohio State (7-0) recovered. The Buckeyes punted on that possession and Padilla threw an interception two plays later on a pass that bounced off Sam LaPorta’s outstretched hand.
Iowa entered Saturday’s game with seven offensive touchdowns in six games and leaves with seven offensive TDs in seven games. The Hawkeyes have been unable to either run or pass the football with any effectiveness and that continued on Saturday.
Petras and Padilla combined to go 11-of-24 for 81 yards and threw three interceptions. The running game had 35 carries for 77 yards and only went over two yards a carry thanks to run plays late in the game.
LaPorta was also the only Iowa receiver with more than one catch. He had six catches for 55 yards. Everyone else combined for five catches for 26 yards.
Ohio State also put up the most points by an Iowa opponent in nearly 30 years. The Buckeyes’ 54 were the most any team has scored on Iowa since Minnesota scored 61 on the Hawkeyes in 1994.
Stroud showed why he’s a Heisman frontrunner after that third-quarter interception too. He threw four TDs after the pick and finished the game 20-of-30 passing for 286 yards.
If there’s a worry for Ohio State, it’s about the health of star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He didn’t look 100% on Saturday and had just one catch for seven yards as he continues to fight through an injury he suffered at the beginning of the season.
But the other receivers on the Buckeyes’ roster have stepped up. Emeka Egbuka had six catches for 80 yards and a score while Marvin Harrison Jr. had seven catches for 62 yards and a TD. Julian Fleming made the blowout official in the second half with a 79-yard TD catch.
Iowa has a lot of work to do to finish .500 and the scrutiny surrounding Brian Ferentz’s status as the offensive coordinator will deservedly intensify. While the Hawkeyes don’t have any ranked opponents left on their schedule, Iowa needs to go 3-2 over the final five weeks to be bowl eligible. And it’s hard to put together a record like that when you’re only scoring one offensive TD per game.
