Man, where do you even start with that one? “College GameDay” was in town, we were still flying high after beating Michigan, and everyone had this wild belief we could do it again against Ohio State. The Buckeyes came in and absolutely stomped Kirk Ferentz’s crew, winning 31-14, and honestly, it felt worse than that. From the jump, we just couldn’t get anything going, and now there are way more questions than answers about the 2026 Hawkeyes.
Foot-Shooting Frenzy and the Costly Mistakes
You know what it takes to beat a ranked team? A clean game, zero mistakes, playing smart football. We did none of that. It was like we were actively trying to shoot ourselves in the foot. Remember that first drive? A false start turns a simple 2nd-and-2 into a much tougher 2nd-and-7. Then, boom, Hank Brown gets strip-sacked on the very next play, and Ohio State scores two plays later. Just like that, the air was out of the balloon.
It didn’t stop there, either. Later, we’re trailing 10-6, got a 3rd-and-7 near midfield, and Brown hits DJ Vonnahme for what looks like a clutch conversion. Nope. Illegal formation call. Play negated. We punt. What does Ohio State do? Drives right down the field and punches in another touchdown right before halftime. Those two plays weren’t the only times we messed up, but they were glaring, momentum-killing errors. You can’t beat a team like Ohio State when you’re giving them gifts like that. This game was anything but clean.
QB Carousel Incoming? And That Run Game…
Look, Hank Brown was clutch last week. We all saw it. But that magic? It disappeared on Saturday. He ended up 12 of 27 for just 132 yards, one interception, and that awful fumble on the strip-sack. There were absolutely chances for big plays downfield, but the passes just weren’t accurate. He never found his rhythm, and it totally burned us. It’s tough, because you want to see that consistency, but we didn’t get good enough quarterback play to win.
Here’s the kicker: our only touchdown drive came when Jeremy Hecklinski actually got into the game. He went a perfect 5 of 5 for 67 yards. That’s gotta open the door for a serious quarterback decision for next week, right? We simply can’t afford to keep struggling under center like that.
And then there’s the run game. What can you even say? It’s a real problem. We can gashed Northern Illinois and UNI, sure, but against any power conference opponent, it’s lifeless. We only rushed for 39 yards against the Buckeyes, averaging a pathetic 1.9 yards per carry. Compare that to 93 yards (3.2 YPC) against Iowa State or even 58 yards (2.4 YPC) against Michigan. It’s a huge issue. Until we can become a two-dimensional offense against legitimate defenses, we’re going to keep struggling. That offensive line and running back group just didn’t get it done, and it felt like we had no answers for Jeremiah Smith tearing us up on the other side either.
This loss stings, especially after the high of last week. What’s at stake next week? Everything. We need to figure out who’s under center and how to get any semblance of a run game going. This team has a lot to prove, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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