🏈 No. 5 Ohio State (3-1) at No. 14 Iowa (4-0)
📅 Sat 10/3, 3:30pm ET
📺 CBS
Coach's Corner
Ryan Day | Head Coach
On what sets Jeremiah Smith apart:
"But what separates him is the mindset, the discipline, and then the skill set."
Asked after the Illinois win if Jeremiah Smith is at a level he's never been:
"I think his routes have become more refined"
On Jeremiah Smith as the example for teammates, on his Thursday radio show:
"if I'm a player on the team where I'm a young player, I just look to him as the example."
On the defense in the Illinois win:
"I think there was too many big plays"
On what it takes to win at Iowa:
"you got to show up and you got to swing from the first punch and you got to play all the way for four quarters"
On how Iowa feeds off opponents at home:
"teams that try to come in there and get cute, and we can't get cute."
Arthur Smith | Offensive Coordinator
On the matchup with Iowa:
"it's going to be a heavyweight fight and styles make fights, you know, to use a coach Tomlin quote. And we're a physical team. They're a physical team and that's what you want."
On getting Jeremiah Smith the ball:
"when you've got a player like Jeremiah, it's hard not to try to give him the ball every which way you can."
Brotherhood Bites
Jeremiah Smith | Wide Receiver
Asked after his four-touchdown game if he wanted a fifth:
"I'm pretty good with four."
On wanting to score:
"That's my mindset every time I touch the ball."
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. | Defensive End
On the run defense against Illinois:
"200 rushing yards is, you know, it's terrible."
On fixing it:
"it's all fixable."
Payton Pierce | Linebacker
After the Illinois win, on what opponents throw at Ohio State:
"I mean we're Ohio State. Everyone's going to bring their, you know, it's their Super Bowl every week."
Jaylen McClain | Safety
On what he took from playing with Caleb Downs, on Thursday's radio show:
"his mindset and the way he went about every day and the way he played, you know, rubbed off on me a lot."
On the cornerbacks beside him:
"I trust my corners, you know, with everything"
Julian Sayin | Quarterback
On tuning out the noise:
"don't really listen to the outside noise"
On the road trip to Iowa:
"it's going to be a hostile environment."
Recruiting
Jordan Hall | 3-Star 2027 RB Target
Jordan Hall, a three-star running back from Cincinnati Princeton, said he will commit Oct. 23 and is choosing among Missouri, Ohio State and Penn State.
On his official visit to Ohio State:
"They love me and I can tell they want me there. That's what stood out on my official visit. We have a great relationship and it's great having a Big Ten school that wants me."
Anthony Blalock Jr. | 4-Star 2028 OL Target
Anthony Blalock Jr., a four-star offensive lineman from Youngstown, ended his commitment to Alabama on Tuesday.
Program News
Jeremiah Smith had 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State's 42-19 win over Illinois, tying the program's single-game record for touchdown catches. He became the first player in program history to surpass 3,000 career receiving yards and now has 3,175. He was named AP National Player of the Week and Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week.
Julian Sayin completed 27 of 36 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns, all to Smith, and added a rushing touchdown.
Injury update: On this week's Big Ten availability reports, nickel back Jay Timmons, right tackle Phillip Daniels and tight end Bennett Christian were among the players listed as questionable. Defensive end Zion Grady was not listed, which means he is cleared to play.
GameDay. ESPN's College GameDay is in Iowa City for the game.
What to Watch For
Jeremiah Smith's record chase.
Smith has 196 career catches, chasing Emeka Egbuka's school record of 205, and needs two touchdown catches to break Chris Olave's school record of 35.
Iowa's defense.
The Hawkeyes are 4-0 and lead the nation in scoring defense at 8.0 points per game. Julian Sayin called them "very fundamentally sound."
Stopping Iowa's run game.
Iowa runs for 215.5 yards per game.
Legend Bey's role.
The freshman running back didn't play against Illinois, and Devin McCuin handled kickoff returns. On Tuesday, Ryan Day said whether Bey plays depends on how practice goes this week, adding, "we definitely would like to see him on the field."
No interceptions.
Iowa's QB Hank Brown hasn't thrown an interception this season. Can the Buckeyes end this streak?
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