Poor execution from the start doomed the Hawkeyes' chances of securing an upset victory at Kinnick Stadium.
For as much anticipation as No. 14 Iowa's showdown against No. 5 Ohio State had, the actual football game was a disappointment for Hawkeye fans.
The Buckeyes are one of the nation's top teams, and they didn't give anyone inside Kinnick Stadium any reason to believe they weren't, cruising to a 31-14 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Ohio State improves to 4-1 with the win, while Iowa drops to 4-1.
Here are some instant takeaways from the Hawkeyes' defeat:
Bad start
Iowa entered this game knowing it had to play a mistake-free game if it wanted to have any chance of pulling the upset, but those dreams were dashed just two plays in. A promising seven-yard completion to Tony Diaz jumpstarted the Hawkeyes' maiden drive, but Iowa then followed that up with a false start and a fumble by quarterback Hank Brown.
Two plays later, Ohio State was already in the end zone, sucking some of the wind out of the Kinnick Stadium crowd in the process. Iowa responded with a field goal on its next drive, but opening with a negative play certainly wasn't the start the Hawkeyes were looking for and set the tone for what was to come.
Iowa couldn't finish drives in first half
The Hawkeyes didn't have too much trouble moving the football against the Buckeye defense, but their main problem in the first half was turning those successful drives into touchdowns. Iowa's next two possessions after the opening drive fumble were 50 and 40 yards, respectively, but the Hawkeyes just couldn't stick the ball in the end zone when it needed to.
The run game wasn't perfect, but it did show signs of life near the end of the first half thanks to L.J. Phillips Jr. The third-year back has been banged up for the entire season, but was finally back out there for this game. He got Iowa near midfield with a couple of tough runs, but offensive coordinator Tim Lester seemed to abandon the run game at times in the half, and the passing plays just didn't connect.
The turnover to begin the game was bad, but the Hawkeyes failing to answer back is what dug themselves into a hole that they never recovered from.
Jeremiah Smith is in fact good at football
Iowa did whatever it could to cover star OSU wideout Jeremiah Smith in this game, but no matter what coverage the Hawkeyes used, Smith still found a way to tally another impressive outing. A remarkable 54-yard catch in traffic gave him a boost, and when he finds a rhythm, it's best to just hope for the best. Smith finished with 206 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions - his second-straight 200-yard performance. His 12-yard score in the first half was especially important because it gave the Buckeyes a two-possession lead just before the half.
And if you thought Smith was done for the day, think again. Iowa did a good job avoiding a big play until the third quarter. That's when Smith broke free behind the defense for a 57-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 24-6 lead.
Iowa does nothing after turnover on downs
Ohio State was consistently winning the battle at the line of scrimmage in this game, but Iowa's rare win put itself in a huge position to get points. The Buckeyes decided to go for it on 4th and 1 just inside Iowa territory, and the Wildcat formation play design for running back Bo Jackson went nowhere, allowing the Hawks to take over at their own 43 down by just 11?
The ensuing result? Three incompletions from Hank Brown. The Smith touchdown occurred on the next possession, and that essentially dashed any hope of an Iowa comeback.
Hank Brown struggles
Brown entered this game playing pretty good football - completing 72% of his passes and not turning the ball over - but this game was a major step backwards for him. Brown just looked flustered from the start (the fumble didn't help), ultimately going 12-for-27 for 132 yards and one interception.
The lopsided score by the fourth quarter probably would've ended Brown's day anyway, but leaving the game in the fourth in favor of Jeremy Hecklinski wasn't what Iowa wanted to see from their No. 1 quarterback on Saturday.
Up Next
Iowa will hit the road for its final game before the bye week for a game against Washington in Seattle. The Huskies are 3-1 overall and have a game at USC later tonight. This will be the first meeting between these two teams in Seattle since 1963.
Kickoff from Husky Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. CT on Fox or FS1.
