The Ohio State Buckeyes took care of business in Week 5 of the college football season with their first road win of the year. Ohio State beat the No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes 31-14, and it was a nice resume win for a team that looked solid on both sides of the football.

The Buckeyes answered the bell by shutting down Iowa’s run game. Ohio State held the Hawkeyes to just 39 rushing yards, and that was a major part of the outcome.

Still, coming out of the game, there’s some question about how Ohio State is using its defensive line.

Ohio State’s defensive line rotation was notable against Iowa

Ohio State’s defensive line played well overall against the Hawkeyes. Kenyatta Jackson got hurt early in the game, but he returned and played the majority of the snaps. Jackson didn’t appear to be 100 percent after the injury, but still fought through it. 

With Jackson banged up, you would expect the Buckeyes to lean on some of their younger depth. That wasn’t the case with one player in particular. Freshman defensive end Khary Wilder didn’t play a single snap against Iowa, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wilder has 49 defensive snaps through the first four games of the season. He played 16 snaps against Illinois in Big Ten play, and 12 of those were pass rush snaps. On the season, Wilder has eight pressures on 35 pass rush snaps for the Buckeyes.

That kind of production is why his absence stands out. Wilder has looked like perhaps Ohio State’s best pass rusher as a true freshman. At 6-foot-4, 257 pounds, he has the frame to make an impact, but he’s not getting consistent usage.

Khary Wilder could have made a difference against Iowa’s passing game

There’s an explanation that makes some sense on the surface. Iowa wanted to run the ball, and Wilder isn’t especially good against the run at this stage of his career. Ohio State’s coaching staff may have wanted bigger bodies on the field to slow down the Hawkeyes on the ground, and the results speak for themselves in that department.

Still, there was plenty of opportunity for Wilder to be out there. Iowa attempted 32 passes against Ohio State. With that many dropbacks, it’s hard not to feel like Wilder could have made a difference by putting pressure on the quarterback. He’s already shown he’s able to do that in limited snaps this season.

Wilder has quickly become a freshman Ohio State fans want to see more of. That’s especially true because the defensive line has underperformed overall this season. The Buckeyes haven’t gotten after the quarterback the way you would like to see from a unit with this much talent, and Wilder has been one of the few bright spots as a pass rusher.

What makes Wilder’s Week 5 usage raise even more questions is his status going into the game. Wilder wasn’t on the availability report with any type of injury before the Buckeyes made the trip to Iowa. That means it was simply a coach’s decision not to play him.

Ohio State’s staff has its reasons for how it rotates the defensive line, and the win over the Hawkeyes didn’t give anyone much to complain about on the scoreboard. However, keeping a productive young pass rusher on the sideline for an entire game against a ranked opponent is going to draw attention.

It’s a decision Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day will surely be asked about this week. Whether Day offers a clear answer on Wilder’s role remains to be seen. The next few weeks will be telling for how much the true freshman is part of Ohio State’s plans along the defensive line.