COLUMBUS — Ohio State is set to face Iowa on Saturday in a high-stakes Big Ten matchup inside the Horseshoe.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day met with the media Tuesday, and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz met with the local media in Iowa City, as well.

Ferentz, who has been the head coach at Iowa since 1999, had plenty to say about Ohio State on Tuesday. He believes this Buckeyes program is really strong heading into this weekend’s matchup.

“Needless to say we turn our attention now to the challenge that awaits us in Columbus this weekend,” Ferentz told reporters. “I’ll say three facts about Ohio State. First and foremost, they have really good players in all three phases and I think are deserving of their ranking. They’ve had great production in all three phases, and they’re really well-coached in all three phases. It’s kind of what you’d expect of them, a top-ranked team like that, very impressive in all regards.

“On top of that, we’re playing in a very hostile environment. The Big Ten is full of a lot of tough venues to go to, and certainly Columbus fits that bill.”

On the Ohio State offense, Ferentz was highly complementary of the Buckeyes.

“They’re balanced and they have good talent at all positions,” he said. “It’s not like you can load up in any one area, you just have to play great team defense. It’s probably the only way you have a chance to slow them down.”

And Ferentz clearly thinks the Buckeyes defense is loaded with talent — especially up front. And everyone knows that Ferentz knows good defense when he sees it.

“Even when games in the first ten, they’ll roll some guys in there, keep their other guys fresh,” he saiod. “But they’re physical. They’ve got good size, and they use that size. They play physically aggressively. They make you block them, and it’s easier said than done. It’s going to be a good challenge for us, and their backers are very athletic and very active, and they do a good job letting those guys roam and get to the ball, and they’re good tacklers when they get there.

“Their stats are really impressive defensively, and it’s for a reason.”

ICYMI: Jeremiah Smith earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors

Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is finally earning some recognition from the Big Ten office.

Smith has been incredible in all four games so far this season. It took two one-handed catches in primetime for the league to give the former five-star prospect the Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. He earned it from his performance against Michigan State on Saturday night.

Smith’s final stat line of five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown isn’t even his best of the year so far. But the highlight reel is certainly his best of his college career to date.

Smith just keeps showing that he can be the top receiver in all of college football as early as this season. He has 19 grabs for 364 yards and five touchdowns through four games. Expect more of that from him as the season goes on.

Former Buckeyes honoring Woody Hayes’ legacy

Former Ohio State football players are making sure the legacy of legendary former Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes and his wife Anne live on.

Several former Ohio State players have come together and will present an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, which, according to the release from the National Football Foundation, will be awarded each year to one member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.

“The establishment of the Woody & Anne Hayes Scholar-Athlete Award is a remarkable tribute, honoring the legacy of one of college football’s most legendary coaches,” NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said in a release. “The connection between a coach and his players is profound, and we are thrilled that Coach Hayes’ former players have chosen to highlight the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program as a meaningful way to celebrate that bond.”

Hayes won at least a share of five national titles and 13 Big Ten championships. Across his career, Hayes was 239-72-10 as a head coach.

What many believe is one of Hayes’ best teams, the 1974 team, will be honored at halftime of the Ohio State game against Iowa on Saturday, so the former Buckeyes decided to make this announcement for a Hayes Award this week in conjunction with the honoring of Hayes and the 1974 team that lost the Rose Bowl by one point to USC after finishing the regular season 10-1, beat Michigan and won the Big Ten.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Iowa: 3 days
Ohio State at Oregon: 10 days
Ohio State at Penn State: 31 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 59 days

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