Welcome to DTE Helmet Stickers. Since 1968, Ohio State has rewarded its top performers with stickers for big plays, wins and key milestones. We at Dotting the 'Eyes can't physically reward any stickers but we're doing our part to highlight the players that stood out the most in every Buckeyes contest, win or lose.
COLUMBUS — For the ninth straight time, Ohio State put up at least 49 points on its way to a cruising -- and at times snoozing -- win over Rutgers.
The Buckeyes didn't sleepwalk per se, but it was a late afternoon matchup that felt clunky for Ohio State. Ryan Day's offense managed just 59 plays against Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights. That seemed to be the game plan for Rutgers coming into Ohio Stadium and it challenged the Buckeyes to play against type.
"The big challenge in college football, is you have to bring it every week and that’s the competitive standard we’ve been talking about," Day said post-game. "Every single week you have to bring it. As good as this feels and as much as we want to celebrate this, we can’t spend too much time patting ourselves on the back after this thing, which is hard because it’s one heck of a win for us.
"To play like we did tonight, it was a lot of work, I’m very proud of our team; I’m proud of our players, proud of the way the defense came in and some of the guys stepped up."
Who stepped up in the biggest ways for Ohio State? That's what the crew of Dotting the 'Eyes is breaking down on Sunday morning.
Offensive Player of the Game: RB Miyan Williams
It's not a secret anymore: Miyan Williams is a pretty darn good running back and has proven all season long that he's capable of being the feature back for Ohio State if needed.
Because Treveyon Henderson was a late scratch on Saturday, Williams stepping up and showing out was needed and he delivered in a record-breaking way. The Buckeyes third-year back scored five times and averaged nine yards per carry against a Rutgers defense that was daring Ohio State to run the ball.
The effort -- and continued productivity of Miyan Williams -- may make future Buckeyes opponents think a bit differently.
Defensive Player of the Game: DE Zach Harrison
Neither turnover ended up in his hands, but Zach Harrison orchestrated both of them in another quietly productive outing for the veteran defensive lineman. Harrison used his athleticism and energy to keep pursuing a tackle in the first quarter, forcing a fumble that helped spark some early life into the Buckeyes. And then he put his size to good use by getting his hands in a passing lane in the second half, deflecting a pass that Steele Chambers was able to turn into an interception as Ohio State pulled away for the blowout.
The individual numbers might seem rather modest, but Harrison is consistently proving to be a defender the Silver Bullets can count on up front.
X-Factor of the Game: LB Steele Chambers
Rutgers was never really a threat to consistently move the ball on Ohio State's defense, but the few times the Scarlet Knights did get the ball on the edge, it seemed like Chambers was always there to clean it up. Chambers' speed and athleticism have been apparent at linebacker since he switched to the position full-time last year. His tackling, however, has not always been the surest. Well, it was pretty solid on Saturday,
He led the team with 11 tackles, eight of those solo stops, two tackles for loss, an interception and a quarterback hurry. It was the first time in Chambers' short collegiate linebacker career that he had two TFLs and double-digit tackles.
