No. 11 Ohio State is back in Big Ten play.
After winning two of its three non-conference games, the Buckeyes are back to its conference schedule. Ohio State (3-1) is set to travel to Piscataway to take on Rutgers (3-1).
Let’s set the stage.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 2
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: SHI Stadium Piscataway, N.J.
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: 97.1 The Fan
Line: Ohio State -14
Series: Ohio State leads 7-0
Streak: Ohio State — seven-game win streak
Last meeting: Ohio State 49, Rutgers 27 at home, Nov. 7, 2020
NUMBERS TO KNOW
19 — Number of freshman who have taken the field for Ohio State in the past four games
55.1 — Percent of total passing yards by the Ohio State offense were recorded after a catch
11.6 — Average yards per carry by Ohio State freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson, his second-straight game in which he averaged more than 11 yards each time he touched the ball
2 — Number of catches senior wide receiver Chris Olave has recorded in each of the last two games
461 — Number of pass-block snaps, per PFF College, that Ohio State offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere has failed to allow a sack: the longest streak of any Big Ten offensive tackle
9 — Number of sacks Ohio State's defense recorded against Tulsa, nearly doubling its season total from the previous three games
8 — Number of Ohio State sacks against Tulsa coming from the defensive tackles
2.2 — Average yards per carry by Tulsa and Akron's rush offenses against the Ohio State defense in each of the past two weeks
KEYS TO THE GAME
Start with the ground game. It seems like a broken record, but it's something Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is still striving for. In redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud's starts against Oregon and Tulsa, the Buckeye offense was in one of two extremes: the heavy passing game against the Ducks and the heavy running game against the Golden Hurricane. If Stroud returns, setting up the ground game will be a good start, forcing a Rutgers defense that has only allowed 3.2 yards per carry and 1.3 rushing touchdowns per game — a unit that shut down Michigan in Week 4 — to zone in on freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson to create space on the outside for Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba against a turnover-happy secondary.
Defensive ends need to pick up where the defensive tackles left off. The middle of the Ohio State defensive line wrecked havoc a week ago, recording eight of the Buckeyes' nine sacks against Akron. The pressure seemed to come from the middle, halting the Zips' ground game to 1.9 yards per carry. Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral has only been sacked five times in four games — four times against Syracuse in Week 2. If Ohio State wants to assert its dominance defensively and do what it wants in the back half, it's going to need to start up front, especially on the edges with the amount of attention guys like Tyleik Williams and Haskell Garrett had last week.
Assert dominance early with big plays. Much of the attention has been on the rise of Rutgers and the fall of Ohio State early in the 2021 season. The Scarlet Knights started the season with three wins, coming close to a fourth, but falling short to Michigan on the road. The Buckeyes, however, have looked beatable, falling to Oregon while beating Tulsa in a much closer game than anticipated. But the talent differential between the two Big Ten East opponents still clearly favors the Buckeyes. Whether it's a turnover — something that's evaded the Rutgers offense all season with only one fumble lost — a sack or a big touchdown on offense, Ohio State must execute on a chance early to move the momentum permanently to their sideline, especially with a line that's only gotten closer and closer as the week's gone on.
SGR Prediction
Ohio State knows what's at stake here. After a few shaky performances during the non-conference schedule, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said his team is starting to settle in with players beginning to find their particular roles and finding its overall identity. Well, as the meat of Big Ten play arrives, this is the time to show that, especially against a team with a lot more confidence than normal — nearly beating Michigan on the road last weekend — in a road atmosphere. With C.J. Stroud back and healthy, looking as good as he has looked all year according to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, with a defense that has shown its capabilities, especially up front, whether or not Ohio State is winning is not the major part of the conversation. It's how much confidence, how much momentum can the Buckeyes take from its return to conference play, something the Scarlet Knights definitely have an opportunity to disrupt. No. 11 Ohio State 31, Rutgers 17
