4 Takeaways From Ohio State’s Win Over Rutgers on ‘Massive Midday Saturday’

[ad_1] Ohio State flexed its steadiness and muscle, steamrolling Rutgers with a dominant speeding assault and a protection that by no means budged.

After shaking off a gradual begin, the Buckeyes unleashed a bruising working recreation that piled up 254 yards and 4 touchdowns, led by freshman working again Bo Jackson’s 110-yard, two-TD afternoon.

The protection matched that with one other smothering efficiency, holding Rutgers to only 147 complete yards and limiting the Scarlet Knights to 5-of-16 on third and fourth down. It resulted in a 42-9 win for the Buckeyes that regarded each bit as lopsided as the ultimate rating.

Listed here are my takeaways.

1. Ohio State's protection is enjoying nationwide championship soccer

Since 2006, solely 5 groups have allowed fewer than 7.6 factors per recreation by means of their first 10 contests: 2006 Ohio State, 2011 Alabama, 2021 Georgia, 2023 Michigan, and this 12 months’s Buckeyes. The final three groups to achieve that 7.6-points-allowed benchmark by means of five-sixths of the season went on to win the nationwide title.

Saturday introduced extra of the identical from Ohio State, which cruised previous Rutgers in its closing dwelling recreation of the 12 months.

The Buckeyes’ protection confirmed their power once more. Within the first half, they held Rutgers to only 3-of-9 on third-down makes an attempt and solely 76 complete yards, even after an early offensive turnover put them in a troublesome spot.

Ohio State defensive finish Caden Curry opened the second half together with his ninth sack of the season and a pressured fumble contained in the Rutgers 5-yard line. The takeaway arrange a landing that pushed OSU’s result in 21-3 halfway by means of the third quarter, permitting the Buckeyes to coast the remainder of the way in which with Michigan looming subsequent week.

2. Rutgers harm itself again and again

The Scarlet Knights’ protection performed its finest soccer within the first half, solely to observe the offense fail to attain a landing.

First, Rutgers pressured a fumble from Jackson on the 1-yard line, recovered by linebacker Dariel Djabome. However the offense squandered the chance, turning the ball over on downs simply 5 performs later after getting stuffed on fourth-and-1.

Then, on fourth-and-2 from the Rutgers 24, the protection got here up with one other cease, solely to see it erased by one of the vital baffling personal-foul penalties of the season. Rutgers defensive finish Brandley Weaver was flagged for roughing the passer, gifting Ohio State a brand new set of downs.

The Buckeyes didn’t waste it. They turned that chance into their second landing of the day. Regardless of these errors, Ohio State went into halftime main solely 14–3, with simply 175 complete yards.

Rutgers entered the sport permitting 7.5 yards per play, but it surely held the top-ranked workforce within the nation to solely 5.1 within the first half, and if not for these self-inflicted errors, the Scarlet Knights ought to have been taking a look at no worse than a one-possession deficit heading into the break.

3. Bo is aware of speeding

The Buckeyes made working the ball a precedence early on, as Jackson had 12 rushes for 75 yards, a landing and a fumble within the first half. It was a superb begin for an Ohio State assault that had topped 200 yards towards a Energy 4 opponent solely as soon as this season.

Jackson stored rolling within the second half, surpassing 100 speeding yards on simply 19 carries and including a second landing. Behind their freshman star, the Buckeyes eclipsed 200 speeding yards for the second straight week.

Bo Jackson rushes for a 15-yard TD, giving Ohio State the lead over Rutgers 4. No Jeremiah Smith. No Carnell Tate. That’s an issue.

All through the primary half, the absence of the nation’s finest wide-receiver tandem — Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate — noticeably impacted the Buckeyes’ passing assault, which has been a defining power of the 2025 workforce. Along with his prime two targets sidelined, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin hardly ever attacked downfield and completed 13-of-19 for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Each large receivers had been held out with lower-leg accidents. It was Smith’s first missed recreation of the season and Tate’s third straight.

Their absence opened the door for Ohio State tight finish Max Klare to emerge as Sayin’s prime choice. Klare grew to become the primary Ohio State tight finish since 2000 to report three consecutive video games with at the least 5 receptions. He completed with season highs in catches (seven), receiving yards (105), and added a landing.

In the meantime, wideouts Brandon Innis and David Adolph struggled to separate towards Rutgers’ secondary. For the primary time shortly, we noticed each the boundaries of Ohio State’s receiving depth and the true worth Smith and Tate deliver to this offense.

4 ½: What's subsequent?

If you do not know, you do not know ball.

The Sport. Michigan vs. Ohio State. Midday ET. Saturday. FOX.

Tune in.

RJ Younger is a nationwide faculty soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports activities. Observe him @RJ_Young.

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