Ohio State continued its strong start to the season on Saturday, beating No. 14 Iowa 31‑14 at Kinnick Stadium. Quarterback Julian Sayin was the engine of the offense, completing 20 of 27 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns.

Key performances

Sayin’s favorite target was senior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s leading receiver. Smith recorded 11 catches for 206 yards, moving into first place in Buckeye history for career receptions (207), receiving yards (3,381) and receiving touchdowns (36). He caught a 12‑yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left in the first half to give Ohio State a 17‑6 lead, and later hauled in a 57‑yard strike with 6:11 left in the third quarter, celebrating with a Heisman pose in the north end zone.

Early in the game, Sayin opened the scoring with a 15‑yard touchdown pass to Devin McCuin, putting the Buckeyes ahead 7‑0. The drive set the tone for Ohio State, which dominated time of possession by nearly 17 minutes and amassed 484 total yards compared with Iowa’s 238.

Supporting cast

Running back Ja’Kobi Jackson added a 7‑yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, sealing the win for the Buckeyes. Iowa’s lone scores came from two field goals and a 2‑yard touchdown run by Braeden Jackson in the final quarter.

Takeaways

Since a narrow 24‑23 loss to Texas on Sept. 12, Ohio State has outscored its last three opponents 136‑36, showing a potent offense and stout defense. The Buckeyes improve to 4‑1 overall and 2‑0 in the Big Ten.

Iowa, coming off a 20‑19 win over Michigan, struggled to generate momentum early and settled for field goals after Ohio State scores, which proved insufficient against a high‑powered Buckeye attack.

Looking ahead

Ohio State will host Maryland next Saturday, while Iowa travels to Washington for a Friday night matchup.

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.