Ohio State Football gets back on track, benefits from youth movement

The Ohio State football team seemed to right the ship after a shaky start to the 2021 season. The Buckeyes traveled to Piscataway and came away with a 52-13 victory against the Scarlet Knights.

While Ohio State has made a routine of handily beating Rutgers in previous years, this game was supposed to be different. Rutgers came in fresh off of a competitive battle with Michigan – a game they lost by just seven points, and had a great chance to win. The oddsmakers listed Schiano’s 3-1 Rutgers team as just 15-point underdogs, but history ended up repeating itself in the latest edition of this series.

Young players finding their step

As the season has progressed, and Matt Barnes has taken over play-calling duties from Kerry Coombs, the defense is improving. Albeit against lesser opponents, the Silver Bullets are finding a rhythm that they didn’t have early on. Most surprising is the fact that the resurgence has been led largely by young talent across the field.

Freshman Denzel Burke is a budding star at defensive back, providing stability to a secondary that desperately needed it. On Rutgers’ second drive, Burke was in the right position to make an interception on an overthrown ball – one that likely would have been picked off by Cam Martinez if it was on target.

Ronnie Hickman continues to lead the defense from the bullet position, averaging over 8 tackles a game this season. He finished with 11 tackles on Saturday in his return home and continues to fly around the field, tackle well in space, and effectively defend in coverage. He has been the anchor of the defense and will need to keep producing as the unit grows.

Freshman Tyleik Williams has been another bright spot on the defense. With four sacks on the season, Williams leads the team and comes in at third in the Big Ten. He plays with a very high motor and has shown energy that this defensive line has lacked given its expectations.

Offense is clicking

After taking a week off to rest his injured shoulder, C.J. Stroud made his return on Saturday in a big way. He connected on 17 of 23 attempts for 330 yards and five touchdowns. By far his best completion percentage of the season, Stroud looked comfortable.

He benefitted from some effective play-calling that helped Chris Olave and Garret Wilson exploit some of the zone coverage Rutgers was showing. Additionally, tight end Jeremy Ruckert was utilized in a way we have not seen this season, as he reeled in four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown

Despite the weapons that Stroud has through the air, it’s becoming obvious that this offense runs through TreVeyon Henderson. The true freshman running back scored on a 44-yard touchdown on the 2nd play of the first offensive drive and is averaging a whopping 9.4 yards per carry. When your running back averages almost a first down every time he touches the ball, there is little reason to take the ball out of his hands.

Henderson will take on more and more of a workload as the Big Ten schedule progresses, and will be the backbone of this offense. The Ohio State football team is being led by its young talent right now. Early indications are that they are up to the challenge, but the question remains until Ohio State meets some of its’ tougher tests down the road.