Takeaways as Iowa football drops disappointing game to Ohio State

The day started with so much promise. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in town. Iowa was still riding high off the Michigan win, with plenty of belief that they could do it again. Ohio State ensured that Iowa didn’t.

The Buckeyes completely dominated Kirk Ferentz’s team in all facets of the game, winning 31-14. From the opening drive of the game, the Hawkeyes didn’t execute well enough to win. The result was a disappointing effort that leaves a lot more questions than answers about the 2026 Hawks.

From a lack of discipline to some major questions about the offense, here are the biggest takeaways from Iowa’s home loss to Ohio State:

When Iowa beats ranked opponents, it’s because they play a clean game and limit mistakes. That didn’t happen in this game. On the very first drive of the game, a false start turned a 2nd-and-2 into a 2nd-and-7. The very next play was a strip sack of Hank Brown. Ohio State scored two plays later.

Later in the half, Iowa had a 3rd-and-7 from near midfield, trailing, 10-6. Brown completed a pass to DJ Vonnahme for the conversion. Iowa was called for an illegal formation, negating the play. An incomplete pass and punt would follow. Ohio State took the ball and drove down the field for a touchdown right before halftime.

Those two mistakes weren’t the only ones Iowa committed, but they’re among the most glaring. Beating Ohio State is already hard enough. It’s nearly impossible when you shoot yourself in the foot. This wasn’t a clean enough game at all.

Jaylen McClain and the Buckeyes defense come up with another turnover. pic.twitter.com/e7crVYz6ym

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 3, 2026

Brown was clutch in the fourth quarter last week. That effort didn’t carry over on Saturday. He finished the game going just 12 of 27 for 132 yards and an interception. He also had the fumble on the strip-sack. There were opportunities for big plays through the air. Brown missed them, with too many inaccurate passes. He never got into a groove, and it burned Iowa.

Iowa’s only touchdown drive came when Jeremy Hecklinski got into the game. He went 5 of 5 for 67 yards. It opens the door for another quarterback decision heading into next week. Iowa didn’t get good enough quarterback play to win this game.

Iowa can’t run the ball against legit defenses. They’ve gashed Northern Illinois and UNI this season, but looked lifeless against power conference opponents. Against the Buckeyes, Iowa rushed for just 39 yards, averaging 1.9 yards per carry.

They rushed for 93 yards on 3.2 yards per carry against Iowa State. They rushed for 58 yards on 2.4 yards per carry against Michigan. It’s a real problem. Until Iowa becomes two-dimensional against good teams, the offense is going to struggle. This was another poor performance for the offensive line and running game.

JEREMIAH SMITH REACHES FOR IT AND SCORES! pic.twitter.com/46TZwzmrZd

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 3, 2026

Smith is the best player in college football. He showed exactly why in this game. Just like Michigan’s receivers last week, he torched the Iowa secondary to the tune of 11 receptions, 206 yards, and two touchdowns. It didn’t matter what Phil Parker did. Smith was unstoppable on Saturday.

It does raise additional questions about Iowa’s pass defense. That’s back-to-back weeks where they’ve looked poor. Injuries played a small role in things, but not everything. Parker needs to find some answers on the back end.

The Hawkeyes entered the game down safety Tyler Brown. They proceeded to lose defensive back Zach Lutmer. Deshaun Lee also briefly exited during the game. Even defensive lineman Bryce Hawthorne ran off the field, holding his shoulder in the second half. With a short week coming up, that’s a bad sign for this defense.

Lutmer is a crucial piece of the secondary. Losing them for any significant period of time could spell doom for a defense that’s struggled to defend the pass in recent weeks.

This was a massively disappointing game for the home team, but it’s just one loss. The win last week gave Iowa the luxury of being able to drop a game and still control their destiny. This sucks in the moment, but the Hawkeyes have everything to play for. It’ll be very interesting to see how they bounce back against Washington on Friday.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways as Iowa football drops disappointing game to Ohio State