Ohio State’s Ryan Day comments on the Iowa player that may have given the Buckeyes bulletin board material

Through four games this season, Ohio State is cruising right along and has not been tested yet. Now into their second Big Ten game, that could change.  Last week, Ohio State beat Michigan State by a score of 38-7. This week it will be a step up in competition with the Iowa Hawkeyes making the […]

Brandon Little Ohio State Buckeyes & Cleveland Browns News Writer
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Ohio State's head coach Ryan Day looks on during the second quarter in the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing
Nick King/Lansing State Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Through four games this season, Ohio State is cruising right along and has not been tested yet. Now into their second Big Ten game, that could change. 

Last week, Ohio State beat Michigan State by a score of 38-7. This week it will be a step up in competition with the Iowa Hawkeyes making the trip to Columbus.

Ohio State is going to be challenged by the running game specifically. Kaleb Johnson has been one of the better running backs in college football this year and gave quite a comment recently about the Buckeyes.

“Even if they would’ve offered me, I wouldn’t have like went because I feel like I want to beat them,” said Johnson

Now, it is up to Ohio State to not allow Johnson to make his plan happen. On Wednesday, Day answered back the way you would expect a coach to and admitted that he has followed Johnson’s career.

"Followed his career, and he's done great,” Day said. “He's developed into a really good football player. We can't sign everybody. We're proud of guys that leave the state and do well, and he’s playing really good football right now."

As a freshman at Iowa in 2022, Johnson hit the ground running with 779 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Last year his production dropped to 463 yards, but he is playing the best football of his career in 2024. The Ohio native has 685 yards on the ground with nine touchdowns in just four games played.

Johnson is going to be a problem and quite the take to slow down. Of Iowa’s 406 yards a game, 250 of those come on the ground. The Buckeyes are allowing just 61.8 yards on the ground per game, which is fourth-best in the country.

The task of limiting Johnson is likely the biggest obstacle for the Buckeyes to grab a win on Saturday. If they can do so, they should breeze on by to make it to 5-0. 

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