The Iowa Hawkeyes can't afford a slow start against No. 3 Ohio State

In the first three of the four games this season, Iowa has had a slow start in the first half but found a way to turn it on in the second half offensively. The defense, as always, kept the Hawkeyes in it till the offense was able to wake up and put points on the board.

In their three wins this season, the Hawkeyes have averaged 36.3 points a game with the defense allowing an average of 11.6 points per game. In the season as a whole, the offense has an average of 397.8 yards per game with the majority of those yards coming from the run game.

The Iowa run game is second in the Big Ten, just behind Penn State and their two-headed monster running back room. The Hawkeyes were supposed to have a two-headed monster between Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson, but after an injury to Williams, Johnson took the lead in the backfield and has completely broken out.

Johnson has had the best season of his career to this point, with 685 yards on 82 carries and nine rushing touchdowns. He is also averaging 8.4 yards per carry, which is second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson. Johnson is leading the Big Ten in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rushing yards per game with 171.2 and is looking like one of the best backs in the conference, if not the country.

Since Iowa has had a slow start in the first half of all of their games this season, they are going to hope they don't follow suit in this matchup against No. 3 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the top team in the conference, and if there is one defense that has the best chance of slowing the Ohio State offense down, it's Iowa's.

If the Hawkeye's defense can slow the Buckeye offense down, then Cade McNamara and Johnson are going to have to get going earlier than the second half. McNamara has only 588 passing yards on the season, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He averages just 147.0 yards per game with a QBR of 117.0.

The Hawkeye offense will want to lean on the run game, but the only Big Ten defense that is better in the run game than Iowa is Ohio State. While the Hawkeye defense allows an average of 62.0 yards per game to opposing running backs, the Buckeyes are just barely better in allowing 31.8 rushing yards per game to opposing backs.

The wide receivers and tight ends are going to have to step up in the receiving game, especially if McNamara is forced to throw the ball more than he normally does. Tight end Luke Lachey is one of the top receivers on the team, with 97 yards on 12 receptions, but he hasn't found the end zone yet. Wide receiver Jacob Gill leads all receivers with 145 yards on 13 receptions and one touchdown.

Between receivers and tight ends so far this season, they have a. combined four receiving touchdowns versus the running backs and backup quarterback, who have a combined 11 touchdowns so far this season.

So, if the Hawkeyes want to get a big upset against No. 3 Ohio State, they are going to have to play the way they have in the second half of their wins this season. A slow start could put them behind, and the Buckeyes are going to come in with everything they have to throw at the Hawkeyes.