Ohio State football needed its defense to make a statement in Week 5 against Iowa after allowing 462 total yards to Illinois in Week 4. The Buckeyes delivered that statement on Saturday against Iowa. Ohio State held Iowa to 238 total yards, and the Buckeyes’ offense put up 484 total yards on the other side of the ball.

When Matt Patricia’s unit needed a bounce-back game, it went out and got one. 

Ohio State’s defense shut down Iowa’s rushing attack

The biggest change from Week 4 to Week 5 showed up against the run. Illinois ran all over Ohio State, which made Iowa’s ground game a real test. The Hawkeyes came into the matchup as a good rushing team, and the Buckeyes held them to just 39 rushing yards.

Ohio State also forced Iowa into two turnovers with an interception and a fumble. Shutting down the run and creating takeaways is exactly what this defense needed after the Illinois game. It’s a good sign for a unit that had plenty of questions surrounding it a week ago.

Holding an opponent to 238 total yards is a strong showing on its own. Doing it one week after giving up 462 yards shows a group that responded to adversity the right way.

Ryan Day points to growing pains on defense

Day kept the bigger picture in mind when he talked about the defense after the game. The Ohio State head coach pointed to how much the program has had to replace on that side of the ball.

“That was a huge step for this group in the right direction collectively,” Day said after the win. “I think there’s no question that replacing those guys doesn’t just happen overnight. So figuring out what’s right for this group is part of the process.”

Day’s comments point to how much Ohio State has lost on defense over the last couple of years. Replacing all of those players takes time, and so does making sure the current group has guys in the right spots.

Ohio State had to replace eight starters from last year’s defense. Outside of Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Jaylen McClain, and Devin Sanchez, the Buckeyes have an entirely new unit on the field. That was always going to take time to come together, and the Illinois game showed just how much work remained.

Even with the rough outing against Illinois, the numbers through five games are solid. Ohio State’s defense ranks 18th in college football at 267 yards allowed per game. The Buckeyes are also tied for eighth in the country, allowing 12.6 points per game.

Still, Ohio State isn’t where it would like to be on defense. The Illinois game exposed some issues, and a group with this many new faces isn’t going to fix everything in one week. However, the difference from Week 4 to Week 5 was easy to see, and it gives the Buckeyes something to build on.

That matters with what’s ahead. Ohio State takes on Maryland in Week 6, and the schedule gets a whole lot tougher after that. The Buckeyes are going to need this defense to keep progressing as the competition picks up.

The Iowa performance was a step in the right direction, just as Day said. The coming weeks will show whether Patricia’s unit can turn one strong outing into a trend.