The passing game has still been there these past two weeks. Julian Sayin has made plenty of great throws. Max Klare stepped up as the Buckeyes' best pass catcher without Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate today.
It’s without a doubt been the running game to lead Ryan Day, Brian Hartline, and Keenan Bailey’s offense in the absence of Tate and Smith. Ohio State’s 42 points were just above their 11th-ranked 37.5 points per game. Their 430 total yards were right around their top 25, 441.3 per game, too.
Great to see the passing game have a solid drive without Tate and Smith. Captain Inniss gets the touchdown pass from Julian Sayin!! https://t.co/Yrgx4tzdIe
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 22, 2025
However, the passing and rushing were much different than usual. Ohio State had been averaging 279.5 passing yards per game (19th in college football) and 161.8 rushing yards per game (61st in the nation). Against Rutgers, it was the other way around.
The passing game was modest: 14 of 22 (completing 63.6% instead of their nation-leading 80%) for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State’s tight ends did most of the work in this one, too. They caught 9 of those 14 for 129 of those 176 yards and one of those touchdowns.
The running game was where it was at today, and freshman phenom Bo Jackson led that. Jackson had a bad early fumble at the goal line but made up for it with 19 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Senior CJ Donaldson would get a touchdown run, as would James Peoples. Ohio State would finish with 38 rushes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. They ran for 92.2 more yards than their season average.
They were near their usual in first downs, reaching the sticks 25 times while averaging 23.4 per game, tied for fourth-best in the nation. The Bucks converted 50% of their third downs, nearing their second-ranked 56.1% average.
The offensive line protected well, giving up four tackles for a loss, near their fifth-best average of 3.2 per game. The Buckeye lineman allowed zero sacks, keeping their season total at six. That’s less than their average of 0.6 per game, which is fourth in college football.
They will need that offensive line to keep playing like that to beat that team up north. They may need a big game like that from them even more than they need Smith and Tate back. The cheaters up north have had a pretty great defensive front this season, and nothing will get done without addressing them first.
Ohio State will need to follow the USC plan for beating the Wolverines. The Trojans did what Urban Meyer used to do: spread them out to run on them, then kept them spread out for the passing game. The offensive line’s ability to keep a clean pocket for Julian Sayin and the skill players’ ability to not turn the football over will decide if Ohio State will get its first victory in The Game since 2019.