Ohio State Defense, Emeka Egbuka Clinical vs. Iowa

The Ohio State Buckeyes earned another convincing victory after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 35-7 on Saturday.

Despite a dominant defensive performance, Ohio State's offense only managed to score seven points in the first half. The lack of scoring chances certainly changed in the second half.

Here are the players whose stocks saw an increase and the players whose stocks saw a decline for the Buckeyes.

Even though the Buckeyes only reached the end zone once in the first half, star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was ready to play from the first whistle. His effectiveness continued throughout the game and led to three touchdowns.

In addition to scoring 60 percent of his team's touchdowns in the game, Egbuka also hauled in 11 receptions for 71 yards.

Egbuka clearly appears to be a future fifth-round draft pick in 2025, and this game only reinforces that likelihood.

So far, Reese has had an excellent season for the Buckeyes. However, the game against the Hawkeyes wasn't his best.

Although Reese made a tackle, he made a costly mistake on Iowa's only touchdown. The Buckeyes pitched a shutout, but when the backups went on defense, Iowa started moving the ball.

Kaleb Johnson had been held in check the entire game, but was able to get a turnover in the middle and find some space in a gap left by Reese. Reese took a step to the left and that misstep allowed Johnson to hit the hole, slip the arm tackle and run into the end zone for six.

This is a great learning opportunity for the young linebacker who has developed into a potential star for the future.

Sawyer has caused disruption in the backfield all year, proving why he is expected to be one of the first edge rushers selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite a ton of pressure, he was just a step or two away from numerous sacks.

This time he came home not once, but twice. One of the two sacks also led to a strip and a fumble recovery for the Buckeyes. Sawyer also had two tackles.

That kind of pressure will be important against the Oregon Ducks soon.

Gee Scott Jr. is an excellent receiver-tight end, having previously been a wide receiver for the Buckeyes. Not only does he have great size and good hands, but Scott is also a strong blocker.

After a touchdown reception against the Michigan State Spartans, I was hoping Scott would get more involved in the receiving game.

Unfortunately for the entire tight end room, they were only targeted once. Will Kacmarek scored the only goal. Scott will have to wait another week to get more gigs at receiver.

Cody Simon was once again tough against the run and dominated the middle of the defense. Both he and Sonny Styles led the way with four total tackles, but Simon had three solo tackles.

Simon's leadership on the field really helped shut out Kaleb Johnson while the starters were on the field.