Breaking Down the Ohio State Route to Victory vs. Rutgers
By Willie Lutz
Rutgers game another tune-up for Ohio State?
When Ohio State took down the UNLV Rebels 54-21 last weekend, there was a lot left to be desired, most notably in the margin of victory column. Earlier this week, a fellow Scarlet & Game writer commented on the lack of blow-out victories done onto lesser opponents.
In cake-walk games against Army and the aforementioned UNLV team, the Buckeyes didn’t look interested in sealing the deal. Instead, they took the high road to victory, thus allowing an extra score or not finishing an extra one to two drives.
The Rutgers team the Buckeyes will face on Saturday is in essence, another tune-up game. The 1-3 Scarlet Knights are nothing like the No.11 Buckeyes. Without talent matching a team like Army, perhaps drawing just even with UNLV, a blowout is incredibly likely to ensue.
Urban Meyer’s bunch are 30.5-point favorites on the road, but the narrative shouldn’t be about the road; it’s about that margin of victory. JT Barrett showed the capability to hit receivers with regularity (FINALLY) against the Rebels last weekend. Let’s see that again (please).
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Staying on the offensive side of the ball, Mike Weber Jr is finally healthy enough to play consistent snaps. If he’s what he was in 2016, the combined rushing threat of Barrett, Weber, and JK Dobbins (who has the 6th most rushing yards in college football at 520) should display a lot of speed against an inferior opponent.
From the perspective of the defense, that has looked pretty tough through the first set of games, this match-up looks like a classic game of turnover ball. Quarterback Kyle Bolin’s accounted for six interceptions in the team’s first four games, which is pretty ugly considering his senior status.
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I’d expect the Buckeyes not to mess around in this game. In a showing of pure dominance, quarterback pressures, and a bulldozing rushing attack, the Buckeyes win 62-20, improving to 2-0 in the Big Ten (4-1 overall).