RECAP

Ohio State dominated Rutgers from start to finish in this game, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 52-3 in a weather condition that would have been more comparable to a typical Seattle September day. Before the game, Chris Ash has commented that he knew this game would be a good measuring stick for Rutgers, and this game proved that even though they have made progress, they still have a long way to go to compete with the elite teams.

Dwayne Haskins continued to impress against an overmatching team, passing for 20 out of 23 for 233 yards, and added on 4 more passing touchdowns, bringing his current total touchdowns to 9 for the season. Impressively, Tate Martell entered in on the fifth series and completed the drive with a 51 yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, showing off his growth as a passer. He finished the game with a perfect 10 for 10 with 121 passing yards, and ran for 95 yards and a touchdown.

The running back duo didn’t have the same success this week as they did against Oregon State, with Mike Weber having a low volume day of 31 yards on 8 carries, and JK Dobbins lead all running backs with 73 yards on 12 carries. Mike Weber has the opportunity next week against TCU to rush over 2000 yards for his career.

The wealth was spread once more with our veteran wide receiver group, showing that the offense so far has been about getting the ball in the hands of their playmakers. As we get deeper into the season and play tougher opponents, we will see if this is the same trend for the offense.

The defense stepped up from last week, holing the Rutgers offense to 134 total yards, which was a large improvement against Oregon State. They will go against a much tougher opponent in TCU next week. Jordan Fuller came back from his injury, and Chase Young was disqualified for the remainder of the game in the 4th quarter. Fortunately, he will be able to still suit up for the Buckeyes when they take the field in Arlington.

Rutgers started the game with their freshman quarterback Artur Sitkowski who led the offense for the first quarter, but after successive hits from Chase Young and Nick Boss, he was forced to step out and was replaced by Giovannu Rescigno. There was not a lot of bright spots on the muggy afternoon for the Scarlet Knights, but I am sure Chris Ash prepared them for the outcome, and hopefully Rutgers has better success and continues to grow throughout the season.

Turning Point

There really wanting a turning point in this game. Ohio State dominated from start to finish, and the outcome of the game was never in question. It took until the second half for the Scarlet Knights to get past the 50 yard line into Ohio State territory. Anytime though that the Rutgers offense was able to get momentum, the defense was able to make a stop, and limit the Scarlet Knights to a field goal.

Star of the Game

Dwayne Haskins looked efficient again once more this game, but I am going with Tate Martell. He was impressive with his time with the offense, and the fact he was able to make plays with the second team shows how talented of a player he is. We knew he was dynamic with his legs, bur what impressed me most was his 51 yard touchdown pass to McLaurin. I am not saying this is a quarterback competition we should be worried about this year, but it is clear that in order to have the best players get the ball, Martell has to be involved in some capacity.

Playoff Picture

Ohio State worked on the defensive side of the ball which was the biggest national question mark. We know they can beat teams that they should be, and we will know more about this team and their national championship potential this week against TCU.

Looking Ahead

Ohio State (2-0) will play TCU (2-0) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. College GameDay has announced they will hold their show at this game next week.

Rutgers (1-1) will be on the road once more against Kansas (1-1).