IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, two to Jeremiah Smith, and No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 14 Iowa 31-14 on Saturday.
Sayin was 20-of-27 passing, and his favorite target was Smith, the nation’s top receiver. Smith had 11 catches for 206 yards, becoming Ohio State’s leader in receptions (207), receiving yards (3,381) and receiving touchdowns (36).
One of Smith's longest catches of the day was a 54-yarder in the second quarter in which Smith caught the ball in the middle of triple coverage.
“That was not a great read, but a ridiculous throw and an unbelievable catch," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "There's times where (Smith is) covered and (Sayin) still makes the throw. We make the throw and the catch, which just speaks to (Smith's) ability and Julian’s trust with him.”
Asked about Smith's catch in the middle of all that coverage, Sayin said, smiling, “Which one?”
“He's extremely talented,” Sayin said about Smith. “But he's somebody who's a great worker, a hard worker.”
It was Smith's second consecutive game of 200 or more receiving yards.
“I was surprised I had 200 yards,” Smith said. “I didn't know I had that much.”
Smith caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Sayin with 12 seconds left in the first half to give the Buckeyes (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) a 17-6 lead.
Sayin threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Smith with 6:11 left in the third quarter. Smith struck a Heisman pose toward the Iowa fans in Kinnick Stadium’s north end zone after the catch.
“You've got to keep the Heisman voters, or whoever it is, knowing that I'm the best player in the country,” Smith said.
“This is somebody who is not selfish, but he's very, very competitive,” Day said. “All he cares about is winning.”
Sayin opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin McCuin on Ohio State’s first possession for an early 7-0 lead.
Ja’Kobi Jackson closed the scoring for the Buckeyes with a 7-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Iowa (4-1, 1-1) got its only points on two field goals and Braeden Jackson's fourth-quarter 2-yard touchdown run. The Hawkeyes were held to just 238 yards as Ohio State, which had 484 yards, had almost a 17-minute advantage in time of possession.
“If you're going to beat a team like that, you've got to play clean,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “If you want to give yourself a chance, you have to do that. But we came up short today.”
Day issued a letter during the week to the parents and the children at the University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital, located across the street from Kinnick Stadium.
“We know you are facing challenges that take real strength,” Day said in the letter. “You do not have to take on everything at once. Focus on the current step, the current day, and the people who are there to support you.”
Asked about the letter, Day said after the game, “It's the least we can do. It's just letting them know that there are a lot of people pulling for them and supporting them.”
Day called the “Wave,” when fans, officials and both teams wave toward the hospital in between the first and second quarter, “one of the great traditions in college football.”
Ohio State: Sayin and the Buckeyes slowly carved into Iowa’s defense, then hit the big play late with the long touchdown pass to Smith. Since the 24-23 loss to Texas on Sept. 12, Ohio State has outscored its last three opponents 136-36.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes were carrying momentum coming off last week’s 20-19 win over Michigan, but were too conservative early in this game. They answered Ohio State touchdowns with field goals, and that wasn’t going to be good enough in a game like this.
Ohio State: Hosts Maryland next Saturday.
Iowa: At Washington on Friday night.
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Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) is tackled by Iowa linebacker Cam Buffington during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
