Episode Details

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 390 — Maryland week notes. OhioStateVOCFB. Host Mark Rogers with Bucknuts247’s Steve Helwagen, Buckeye Weekly’s Tony Gerdeman, and Inside Maryland Sports’ Jack Sheehan.

Aired after Ohio State’s second straight Big Ten win at Iowa, with Maryland next in Columbus and Indiana the week after.

Final at Kinnick: Ohio State 31, Iowa 14 (or 31-6 before a late Iowa score while OSU was managing the clock). OSU 484 total yards. Largest margin by a visitor in Iowa City since 2013, per the show. Iowa won the toss, took the ball, and lost it two plays later.

Iowa recap — 1:12 to ~35:00

Opening sequence (3:06). Iowa’s decision to receive backfired. Kenyatta Jackson stripped the quarterback; Julian Sayin hit Devin McEwen for a TD. 7-0. Early lull after that: 7-3, 10-3, 10-6, plus a missed long field goal. Defense calibrated early in the second quarter. Iowa went five real possessions without a score (not counting the half-ending kneel). OSU scored before the half, again in the third, and the game was effectively over at 24-6 / 31-6. Hank Brown missed elementary throws and is not viewed as a Big Ten-caliber quarterback. OSU’s last drive: 16 plays, about 9:30, only ~55 yards, clock killed. Children’s Hospital wave noted; Helwagen and Stephen Means were the only press-box people waving.

Tony’s read (1:32). Expected script. If Sayin has time, it is not close — and it still was not close when he did not. Jeremiah Smith plus generally accurate Sayin, plus enough run game. Jacoby Jackson and Bo Jackson stayed on schedule; count RPOs as rush yards. Defense “fixed” some Illinois issues, but holding Iowa to 14 means little until it is tested by a real offense. Maryland is a soft test. Indiana is the real one: they will run it at you.

Smith workload (7:10–13:00). 15-ish targets vs. Iowa after 16 vs. Illinois — running-back volume. Back-to-back 200-yard receiving games, first in OSU history, both against Big Ten teams, eight days apart. Bill Landis stat: six 200-yard receiving games in the first 135 years of OSU football; Smith just did it twice. Tony’s line: his amazing is now his average. Helwagen’s Mount Rushmore framing (Ari Wasserman): Orlando Pace, Archie Griffin, Jeremiah Smith; Chic Harley as the fourth. Helwagen calls him the 1-2-3 Heisman vote as of Oct. 6 and says no one else needs to show up in New York. Tony’s caveat: against Maryland he may only play a half if it is 28-3, with Indiana next.

Devin McEwen (7:26). Four catches, 80 yards. Tony’s point: this cannot be only Smith, same way 2019 was not only J.K. Dobbins with Wilson and Olave also there.

Triple-coverage catch (15:22). Sayin threw into double and triple coverage. Smith lightly tapped the defender in front, jumped, caught it between three, then ran ~30 more into the red zone. Drive ended in the doinked field goal.

Kicking / special teams (16:18–22:00). Connor Hawkins hit the upright from ~55; missed by about nine inches, not 20 yards wide. Also missed the end-of-Texas kick. Tony: fan PTSD is real; punting has been average for three years; Day talks about wanting better and accepts average. Nick McLarty never got consistent; they did not portal a punter. Return game is non-existent by design — fair catch, start at the 25. Devin McEwen fair-catches because Legend Bey is not trusted back there. Iowa pinned OSU at the 4; OSU’s answering punt from near midfield went to the 24. Helwagen’s counter: Michigan has lost two straight in part because of special teams (100-yard Iowa kick return; muffed punt vs. Minnesota).

Penalties. Four pre-snap on offense, one on a punt, two PI on Devin Sanchez, a hold. Loud building. False starts included Van Sickle, Searveld, and Will Kacmarek jumping with Searveld so he was not singled out.

Run game (31:26–35:0