COLUMBUS — Ohio State is now into its Big Ten slate, starting league play with a road win over Michigan State on Saturday night. The Buckeyes dominated the game throughout — but still have a lot to fix if they’re going to reach their championship season.
Next on the calendar: the Iowa Hawkeyes. Yes, Ohio State will welcome Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) to the Horseshoe for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff with improvement on its mind.
The Buckeyes opened Sunday morning as a 21.5-point favorite over Iowa, according to the folks at Fanduel Sportsbook . The total for the matchup is the lowest total for Ohio State so far this season: 42.5 points.
Even in a 31-point road win on Saturday night over Michigan State, the Buckeyes are finding plenty they need to correct and build on — especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Spartans had success on offense early in the game.
“I thought we did a really good job of shutting them down, especially in the second half, but there’s some things we have to look at in the film and figure out,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Early on, some explosive plays in there that we have to clean up. I think that we were watching the film at halftime, we were close to getting to the quarterback with a couple things. We just needed to hang on coverages to tick longer. But, you know, listen, they’re a good team, and they’re well-coached, and they have good players too. But I thought we responded and made the changes appropriate, and game adjustments were solid.”