3 Iowa Hawkeyes Players To Watch vs Ohio State Buckeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes are preparing for a pivotal Big Ten matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday. They have a chance to prove to the world that they aren’t pretenders, especially after getting smoked by ranked teams last season.

If Iowa is going to have any chance of beating Ohio State, some unsung heroes must step up.

Here are three Hawkeyes players to watch against the Buckeyes.

By now, you probably know about Kaleb Johnson, Iowa’s breakout running back who has already racked up 685 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

But a potentially lethal No. 2 back is emerging for the Hawkeyes: Jaziun Patterson.

Patterson began seeing action two weeks ago, and in his two appearances, he carried the ball 26 times for 138 yards and a score.

Against a stingy Ohio State run defense, Iowa may need some diversity in its backfield. A two-pronged attack of Johnson and Patterson would go a long way in helping the Hawkeyes keep things close in Columbus.

Early on in the season, Iowa has uncharacteristically given up some big plays, and cornerback TJ Hall was on the business end of a couple of them.

Following a pair of rough outings against Iowa State and Troy, there was chatter that the Hawkeyes could potentially bench Hall in their matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but they elected to keep him in the starting lineup.

The problem is that the Buckeyes boast what is probably the nation’s best receiving corps, and if Hall is going to be lined up against Jeremiah Smith, calamity could ensue.

Keep an eye on Hall in the early stages of the game. If he struggles out of the gate, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz could opt to make a move.

The Hawkeyes’ aerial attack has been largely non-existent this season, and while Cade McNamara’s struggles under center have played a major role in that, Iowa has also not gotten much help from its receiving corps.

Jacob Gill is the only Hawkeyes wide receiver with double-digit catches on the year, so McNamara will likely look to him as a security blanket versus Ohio State.

Gill appears to be the No. 1 receiver in Iowa’s offense thus far, with 6-foot-4 freshman Reece Vander Zee representing the other option.

The Buckeyes have a phenomenal secondary led by cornerback Denzel Burke and safety Caleb Downs, so it will be interesting to see if Gill is able to get open.