After beating Penn State, 39-38, on Oct. 28, Ohio State is going to be on a high when it rolls into Kinnick Stadium.
The Buckeyes have been one of the best teams in the Big Ten all season, with their only loss coming against then-No. 5 Oklahoma.
Other than that slip-up, the Buckeyes have been dominant. Excluding the win over the Nittany Lions, Ohio State’s smallest win margin in the conference is 28 points at Indiana in the opener. The Buckeyes pose a threat in all aspects of the offense. With J.T. Barrett at the helm and J.K. Dobbins set at running back, they can attack opposing teams from all angles.
Behind a great defensive line sits an incredible defense that stops nearly everything in front of it.
Coming off of the big win, Ohio State will try to avoid a letdown. Here’s a look at the Buckeyes, by the numbers.
J.T. Barrett passing touchdowns:
It seems as if Barrett has been at Ohio State longer than Jess Settles was at Iowa, but his senior season has been something special. He ranks third in the country with 25 touchdown passes, which puts him on top of the Big Ten.
What’s just as amazing is that he has only thrown 1 interception all season. Those stats help him to a 176.2 quarterback rating, placing him atop the conference once again.
When Barrett’s not tossing touchdowns, he’s probably running the ball, where he’s second on the team with 529 yards on the ground. He has also rushed for 5 touchdowns, tied for the most on the team.
Even given Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Iowa hasn’t played a quarterback like Barrett all season.
Josey Jewell and Company will have to be at full force if they want a chance at slowing down Barrett.
Red-zone scoring:
Ohio State has been crazy good this season when it comes to getting points from inside the 20-yard line.
While the Buckeyes have scored on 42-of-48 attempts, they have held their opponents to 14-of-20, good for 70 percent.
Thirty-three of those scores were touchdowns, meaning Ohio State has been great at turning its chances into big points.
Iowa, on the other hand, has scored on 68 percent of its attempts from inside the 20, while allowing opponents to score on 79 percent of theirs.
J.K. Dobbins yards per rush:
It’s hard to believe that Dobbins is only a freshman because of the season he’s having, but it’s true.
The La Grange, Texas, native has rushed for 863 yards, second in the Big Ten and top-20 in the country.
He is also tied with Barrett and Mike Weber for the team-high in rushing touchdowns with 5.
With his stats so far, Dobbins is set to become just the fourth freshman running back in Ohio State history to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season, joining Weber, who did it last year, as well as Maurice Clarett and Robert Smith.
Barring some kind of unfortunate event, Dobbins, along with Wisconsin running back and fellow freshman Jonathan Taylor, will own the Big Ten’s ground attack for years to come.
