Ohio State has been unstoppable over its last three games, winning each by 20-plus points. Yet behind that dominant run, the scars of the Texas loss still linger inside the Buckeyes’ locker room. The defeat left its mark, and Ohio State has made one thing clear: it will not let the same mistakes happen again.

“That’s a feeling that you won’t forget. We just learn from our mistakes, and then we come in Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday throughout the week and perform on Saturday. But yeah, we knew for sure that we couldn’t have a game like that against, you know, today, especially since they didn’t want to run the ball,” said defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

“Then we had a bad game against Illinois last week with 200 rushing yards. So we just came in, came into this week, and just wanted to play a whole game, and I think we did that today,” he further added.

While Ohio State has made some big inroads on offense, its defense remains a slight concern. Texas exposed problems with fourth-quarter execution, while Illinois highlighted another vulnerability against the run. Despite giving up only 19 points against Illinois, the Buckeyes surrendered 462 yards, suggesting the unit still has plenty to clean up.

Overall, Ohio State’s defense has been impressive, allowing just 63 points through five games. However, 38 of those points came in the fourth quarter, raising questions about the unit’s ability to close out games.

The Buckeyes, in particular, have been searching for defensive answers since three top-11 NFL Draft picks, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs, left the team.

After adding 51 players and giving Matt Patricia time to mold the unit, Ohio State’s defense still looked unsettled. But against Iowa, the Buckeyes showed encouraging signs.

After forcing a fumble on Iowa’s first drive, the Buckeyes gave up 90 yards on the next two drives. The Hawkeyes converted them into two field goals. But the Buckeyes quickly tightened up, limiting the Hawkeyes to 238 total yards and only 39 on the ground.

“That was a huge step for this group in the right direction collectively,” Ryan Day said postgame. “I think there’s no question that replacing those guys doesn’t just happen overnight. So figuring out what’s right for this group is part of the process.”

For Jackson, the change in Ohio State’s defense this week came down to one simple difference: “People did their job, that’s it.”

Ohio State made sure Iowa settled for less, and they certainly did, holding the Hawkeyes to well below their 429-yard average entering the game. The Buckeyes kept Iowa out of the end zone until 9:30 remained in the fourth quarter, when the Hawkeyes marched 75 yards on eight plays after Ohio State had built a 31-6 lead.

Ohio State’s defense continued to make plays, with Kenyatta Jackson Jr. forcing a fumble early and Alabama transfer Qua Russaw registering his first sack as a Buckeye. The momentum carried into the second half, as Ohio State forced back-to-back three-and-outs before Jaylen McClain came up with an interception.

Ryan Day gives his honest take on Ohio State’s defense after Iowa

When asked after the game whether this year’s defense was more of a bend-but-don’t-break unit than last year’s nation-best group, Day did not necessarily agree with that assessment.

“We’ve had some things that we gotta get better at, but I think we answered some questions today. The idea of bend but don’t break, I don’t know. I think there’s times we have to apply pressure. I think we played some man (coverage) early on, and they did a nice job with some of those man routes,” said Day.

“But overall, I think the way that our defense played, creating turnovers was critical. Getting those three-and-outs was big. I know everybody on defense wanted to finish that last drive and get off the field, but overall it was a good team win,” he further added.

While the Buckeyes are yet to reach the level of the elite defense they had last year, they certainly showed signs of progress. There are tougher challenges awaiting Ryan Day’s team, especially against Indiana at Bloomington.