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.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said “Kamala Harris’ open border” has “destroyed” the lives of American citizens in Springfield, Ohio, before having his mic cut by debate moderators.

In Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate on CBS, Vance claimed undocumented immigrants are pushing up home prices and overwhelming local schools across the country, at the expense of American citizens.

“In Springfield, Ohio, and in communities all across this country, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed, you’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed, you’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable, because we’ve brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes,” the Ohio senator said.

Springfield has been the center of a national debate on immigration since former President Donald Trump claimed in his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last month that Haitian immigrants were eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. Local officials said they had “no credible reports” of that actually happening.

Vance, who initially raised the claim days before Trump amplified it, did not repeat it during the vice presidential debate.

But standing across from Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Vance said undocumented immigrants are inflicting a major toll on Americans.

“The people that I’m most worried about are the American citizens that have had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’ open border. It is a disgrace,” Vance said.

The influx of migrants in Springfield has strained some local resources in the city. But most of the Haitian migrants there are there legally, and local officials have strongly disputed Trump and Vance’s portrayal of the city.

Local Republicans like Mayor Rob Rue and Gov. Mike DeWine have pushed back on Trump and Vance’s claims, saying that the Haitian migrants are looking for jobs, that they’re there legally, and that they have become a part of the community.

Trump has dismissed Rue and other local officials.

“The mayor of the town, I don’t know him, but he seems like a nice man, but he … doesn’t want to say anything bad. He wants to be politically correct,” Trump said at a news conference in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

At Tuesday’s debate, things grew heated around Springfield after CBS News moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan interjected to note the Haitian immigrants in Springfield have legal status before trying to move on.

Vance objected, speaking over the moderators and preventing them from asking their next question.

“The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check. And since you’re fact-checking me,” Vance said, “I think it’s important to say what’s going on.”

Vance made an argument for why the Haitian migrants should not be considered legal, because their protected status was decided by the federal government after they arrived in the U.S. At recent rallies, Vance has said his interpretation of the law means they technically immigrated to the U.S. illegally.

Walz jumped into to add his own fact-check. But both were then cut off, when their microphones were muted.

The moderators had warned at the beginning of the debate that they reserved the right to cut the mics at anytime to uphold the debate rules.

News

Climatologist gives update on Mississippi, Ohio River levels

A climatologist says water levels along some portions of the Mississippi River have increased due to recent rain events stemming from Hurricane Helene.

Dennis Todey says the higher river levels could be beneficial for ag transportation. “Some of those heavier rainfalls out in the east going through the Ohio River Valley were going to push levels along the Ohio River and the Mississippi River south of Cairo, Illinois because of the heavier rainfalls leading to increased runoff.”

But he tells Brownfield, “The Mississippi is not going to be able to deliver much water again for a while because we don’t see a lot of precipitation coming. While there will be a short-term fix on the Mississippi, I would expect some river level issues to come back.”

The weather systems recently brought several inches of rain at the Ohio River and north of the I-70 corridor from Illinois to Ohio.

INTERVIEW: Dennis Todey, USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub