Rutgers Report Card: Offense

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - It wasn't pretty, but Ohio State got the job done in Piscataway. Moving to 10-0 on the season, this wasn't the cleanest of wins the Buckeyes have had this season, but these late season Big Ten games often bring drama with them that nobody can predict, and there was a fair amount of weirdness that took place in this one.

While the second and third teams left a bit to be desired, Ohio State's starters on offense generally did what they wanted to Rutgers with the exception of an inexplicable goal line stand by the Scarlet Knights. Taking the good with the bad, we grade out Ohio State's offense against Rutgers.

Justin Fields was the best player on the field Saturday. In his best passing performance of the season, Fields went 15-of-19 for 305 yards and four passing touchdowns. The 305 yards is a career high for Fields and his second highest completion percentage with Ohio State. Factoring in that a couple of passes were throwaways, it was pretty close to a perfect day for Fields who ate against this Rutgers defense.

Behind Fields, Chris Chugunov got close to an entire half in the game, and things didn't go quite as well for him as they did for Fields. Chugunov finished the game 5-of-14 for only 61 yards, though he did throw for two touchdowns. Some of this probably had to do with the obvious dip in quality on the offensive line when going from the ones to the twos, but Chugunov performed better against a better Maryland defense last weekend, so it was obviously just a down game for him.

Fields would obviously earn an A+ this week, but when factoring in the other quarterback who had not such a good game while playing an entire half, I feel the need to ding the group just a little bit.

Grade: A

This was a bit of a subdued performance from the running backs against Rutgers, but given the spread out carries, it makes sense that there wasn't one true standout against the Scarlet Knights.

J.K. Dobbins finished the game with 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns while not receiving a second half carry. Master Teague III picked up 45 yards on 10 carries and even Stelle Chambers was able to get in on the action with 56 yards on nine carries.

The rushing game slowed down a bit in the second half when Ohio State made the switch to their second team offensive line, but the backs who received most of their action in the second half *Teague and Chambers) still averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry.

Another good day from the running backs where the passing performance by Fields didn't really necessitate them in the game plan, but they had a good showing regardless.

Grade: A

Simply put, this was another Chris Olave game. The sophomore finished with four catches for 139 yards, and average of nearly 35 yards per catch, though he couldn't find the end zone on Saturday. This was a career high in receiving yards for Olave, besting his 93 yards put up against Wisconsin just a few weeks ago. Binjimen Victor led the team with five receptions while K.J. Hill's four receptions inch him closer to David Boston's career receptions record.

The one lone sore spot for Ohio State's offense on Saturday was Garrett Wilson. Usually surehanded, he muffed a punt that led to points by Rutgers and later dropped a pass, only finishing with one reception for 13 yards. Demario McCall handled returns after that one though Wilson was out with McCall on some punt returns, so there are presumably lessons to be learned during the week for Wilson from the coaching staff.

Overall, besides Wilson, it was a great day for Ohio State's receivers.

Grade: A

Saturday was a special day for Ohio State's starting offensive line. Not only did they play well in not giving up a sack and helping lead the Buckeyes to 217 team rushing yards, but Jonah Jackson got the opportunity to reunite with his former team in a heart-warming post game photo. This was a big day for Jackson since he played for four years at Rutgers and was a captain his senior year, and it showed in his play.

For the second consecutive game, Fields' jersey did not get dirty and he had all the time in the world to throw the ball. A team total of 217 rushing yards means the running lanes were wide open, so it was another strong performance from the offensive line against Rutgers.

Grade: A+