5 Ohio State players to watch against Iowa

Iowa football will be going up against its most talented opponent on the 2022 schedule this weekend.

No. 2 Ohio State, led by a quarterback who could be in the mix for the first overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, has outscored its opponents, 244-74.

Here are five Ohio State players to watch:

QB C.J. Stroud

As a redshirt freshman in 2021, C.J. Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist, the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year and tied an Ohio State record after being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times.

Stroud is having another stellar season in his second year leading the Buckeyes’ offense.

The Inland Empire, Calif., native has completed 70.6 percent of his passes while throwing 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions. That’s 12 times as many touchdowns as Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras has this season.

Stroud has found the end zone at least twice in the Buckeyes’ last 11 games, dating back to 2021.

Rutgers has done as good of a job at slowing Stroud as anyone this season. He was 13-for-22 for 154 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Ohio State didn’t need any more production from him, though. Its rushing attack racked up 252 yards and 7.4 yards per carry en route to a 49-10 blowout.

WR Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka has been a big-play machine at wide receiver.

In all six games this season, Egbuka has had at least one reception of at least 25 yards. He hauled in 50-plus yard receptions in two games this season.

Egbuka’s 35 receptions and 655 receiving yards are team highs. His 18.7 yards per catch is tied for the team high. He also handles punt returns for the Buckeyes.

The 6-foot-1 wideout showed some flashes of what he could do as a true freshman in 2021. Egbuka’s first catch of his Ohio State career went for 85 yards against Akron, with the bulk of those yards coming after the catch as he eluded nearby Zips defensive backs.

DL Michael Hall Jr.

Michael Hall Jr. has been a statistical leader on Ohio State’s defense.

He has a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks despite missing one of Ohio State’s six games with an injury and having a limited workload in other games.

The second-year defensive lineman had 2.5 sacks in Ohio State’s last game against Michigan State on Oct. 8. Hall had his big performance against Michigan State despite playing only eight snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

“His production for seven plays is exceptional,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said, according to Cleveland.com. “We’d like to play him more as he gets healthier.”

RB TreVeyon Henderson or RB Miyan Williams

TreVeyon Henderson came to Ohio State in 2021 as the top running back nationally in his recruiting class, and his stats through his first two seasons in Columbus reflect that.

Henderson, after averaging 6.8 yards in 2021, is averaging 6.3 yards per carry in 2022.

The 5-10, 214-pounder is coming off back-to-back games with 100-plus rushing yards.

Fellow Ohio State running back Miyan Williams missed Ohio State’s Oct. 8 game against Michigan State because of an injury. If he is healthy enough after the bye week to handle a full workload, he also could pose quite the challenge for Iowa’s defensive front.

The Cincinnati native is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and has more touchdowns than Iowa’s entire offense. His least efficient performance of the season came against Arkansas State on Sept. 10, but even then, he averaged 5.8 yards per carry.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Another player with injury uncertainty is wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba has only appeared in two games this season. But like Williams, a healthy Smith-Njigba could be quite the weapon for the Buckeyes.

Many draft experts consider Smith-Njigba as one of the best wide receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft class. Smith-Njigba was the Rose Bowl MVP last year after recording 15 catches for 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

If Smith-Njigba is unable to play or has workload limitations, Marvin Harrison Jr. will be another key receiver to watch. Harrison has a team-high nine touchdown receptions and is second on the team with 536 receiving yards.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com