Julian Sayin throws for 324 yards and three touchdowns while Jeremiah Smith explodes for 206 yards as Ohio State beats No. 14 Iowa 31-14.

Ohio State needed a response after its loss to Texas, and the Buckeyes got one in convincing fashion Saturday.

No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 14 Iowa 31-14 at Kinnick Stadium, using a dominant passing performance from Julian Sayin and another huge afternoon from Jeremiah Smith to improve to 4-1.

Sayin completed 20 of 27 passes for 324 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, consistently creating explosive plays against an Iowa defense that had been one of the Big Ten’s toughest units.

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Smith was the biggest problem.

The star receiver caught 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard score in the third quarter that pushed Ohio State’s lead to 24-6 and effectively broke the game open.

Ohio State controlled nearly every major statistical category.

The Buckeyes outgained Iowa 484-238, averaged 6.5 yards per play and held the football for more than 38 minutes. They also protected the ball, finishing with zero turnovers while forcing two from the Hawkeyes.

Devin McCuin gave Sayin another reliable target, catching four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Ohio State also got enough from the running game to keep Iowa honest. Ja’Kobi Jackson rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Bo Jackson added 70 yards on 16 attempts.

Iowa struggled to generate consistent offense.

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Starting quarterback Hank Brown finished 12-of-27 for 132 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, while the Hawkeyes managed only 238 total yards. Jeremy Hecklinski provided a spark late, completing all five of his passes for 67 yards.

Iowa never found the end zone until the fourth quarter, when Bo Jackson scored on a 2-yard run and Hecklinski connected with Reece Vander Zee on the two-point conversion.

By then, the game was already out of reach.

For Ohio State, this was exactly the kind of performance the Buckeyes needed: efficient quarterback play, explosive production from Smith and a defense that controlled the game from start to finish.

The bigger takeaway may be that Ohio State’s offense looks much more dangerous when Sayin and Smith are clicking at this level.