For Ohio State football, Iowa's defense poses toughest challenge so far this season

For Ohio State football, Iowa’s defense poses toughest challenge so far this season

Posted by Admin October 1, 2024 Football

For the first time this season, Ohio State will not have to exaggerate a challenge against an upcoming opponent.

The Buckeyes’ nonconference games were glorified preseason games. Last week’s game at Michigan State was notable mainly because it was the first Big Ten game and OSU’s first on the road.

But none of those games presented anything like the challenge that Iowa (3-1) and its stingy defense will when the Hawkeyes come to Columbus to play the No. 3 Buckeyes (4-0).

Iowa’s offense has shown improvement with a new coordinator, aided by the emergence of Kaleb Johnson as one of the top running backs in the country.

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But it’s Iowa’s defense that gets everyone’s attention. The Hawkeyes again have a top-20 defense nationally in points (13.75) and yardage (272.8) allowed per game. According to ESPN’s SP+ advanced statistics, Iowa has the top defense in the country.

“It doesn’t matter what year you watch them,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They play with great technique. They’re well-coached. They understand how they fit into the defense. Their pad level is low. Their hands are low. They play physical. They run to the football.”

From 2018-23, Iowa held opponents to 4.4 yards per play. That’s the fewest of any major-college program.

Iowa has had the benefit of continuity. Head coach Kirk Ferentz, who replaced Hayden Fry after the 1998 season, is the dean of Division I college coaches. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker has been on his staff all 26 years and took over from Norm Parker (no relation) as defensive coordinator in 2012. Phil Parker won the Broyles Award last year as the country’s top assistant coach.

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“Coach Parker does a great job at making sure they understand how they’re being attacked,” Day said. “Year after year, it’s similar in terms of the statistics and the production. They know what they’re recruiting there, and they do a great job, so it’s a real challenge for our offense this week.”

Unlike Ohio State, Iowa seldom gets blue-chip recruits. Strong safety Xavier Nwankpa was a five-star prospect in the 247sports composite rankings, and defensive linemen Yahya Black and Aaron Graves were four-star recruits. Other than that, the Hawkeyes have molded more unheralded recruits into a formidable unit.

“They do an unbelievable job of developing players,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “I think it starts in recruiting for them. They know exactly what all 11 guys’ skill sets are and what are required for them to execute the defense that they deploy each week.”

Iowa prides itself on not allowing explosive plays. Whether Ohio State can find a way to get big plays or, if not, be mistake-free on methodical drives will be a huge key.

“Typically, they have veteran players who have played a lot of football,” Day said. “They have some young players in there, but they usually have guys that have matured. They’re physically mature and mentally mature and emotionally mature, and they understand the defense.”

Ohio State is by far the best offense Iowa has faced. The Hawkeyes’ defense wilted in the second half of their 20-19 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 7. Last week, Iowa held Minnesota scoreless in the second half of the Hawkeyes’ 31-14 victory.

“It’ll be the best-coached defense I think that we’ll face all season long,” Kelly said. “It’s a challenge that you get excited about if you’re a real football guy, going against somebody like Coach Parker.”