The Michigan Reason Ohio State Buckeyes Have Extra Motivation vs Iowa

Ohio State Buckeyes star Jack Sawyer has some extra motivation to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 6, and the Michigan Wolverines are connected.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) reacts to a hit during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing to face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon, and while a Big Ten matchup is always intense, this one may have some extra meaning to Ohio State.

Why? Because Cade McNamara is quarterbacking Iowa, and the last time the Buckeyes saw McNamara, he was under center for Michigan during the Wolverines' win over Ohio State in November 2021.

As a result, Buckeyes defensive lineman Jack Sawyer has some extra juice.

“Maybe a little bit,” Sawyer said, via Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors. “Yeah, definitely.”

McNamara didn't exactly have a banner performance on that crisp autumn day three years ago, going 13-for-19 with 159 yards and an interception. However, he led Michigan to its first win over Ohio State since 2011, and that's all that really mattered.

The 24-year-old transferred to Iowa in December 2022 and was expected to transform the Hawkeyes' offense. However, he tore his ACL after a very disappointing five games in 2023, and this season, he has thrown for just 588 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62.7 percent of his passes through four games.

“He's a different player now, obviously a lot more experienced,” Sawyer added. “You can definitely look back and pick up a little bit from those previous games when he was at the team up north. But he's also a different player now in a different system. So it's kind of hard to really pick something that's going to be really exactly the same.”

Sawyer has logged 14 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery thus far in 2024.

We'll see if the star pass rusher can add to his totals against McNamara and Iowa.