What is success against Rutgers for Ohio State football?
By Alex Austin
The Ohio State football team enters their contest against Rutgers as huge favorites. So, what will success look like on Saturday?
Rutgers is not expected to be competitive on Saturday. With how the Buckeyes have taken care of business this year, that should come as a huge surprise. However, even if the Ohio State football team rolls, there are still some elements that you can watch to see if the Buckeyes are continuing to improve each week.
The first thing that you should be watching for is the ability of the Ohio State defense to shut down Rutgers. Points will be one thing to watch along with limiting the number of chunk plays. With the way Iowa was able to shut down the Scarlet Knights, Ohio State already has a bar of how good this unit really is. If the Buckeyes can limit Rutgers similar to what Iowa was able to do, it will be a very successful game.
The key areas to watch with this are how often Ohio State is able to get in the backfield. Is the defensive line able to create pressure on their own, or is a blitz necessary to pressure the quarterback? Are the cornerbacks doing a better job of keeping things in front of them and not letting open receivers behind them? Can the Silver Bullets make open-field tackles? These are all questions that the Ohio State defense is going to need to answer in the first half against Rutgers.
On offense, I want to see a balanced attack with chunk plays coming relatively easy. The running game should be able to average around 7 yards a carry or more with the passing game showing a completion percentage of at least 75. Similarly to Wisconsin last week, Ohio State should be driving down the field and scoring with ease.
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The outcome of this game should never be in too much question. Ohio State should be well ahead by halftime and starting to allow their backups on the field in the third quarter. However, part of Ryan Day’s competitive nature is making sure they do not overlook the competition, and the Buckeyes will want to make sure they are locked in and firing on all cylinders when they are on the field.