Game Preview: Ohio State Resumes Big Ten Play With Trip To Rutgers

The Buckeyes hit the road for the second time this season to take on the improved Scarlet Knights.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Oct 1, 2021 3:29 PM EDT

Ohio State resumes Big Ten play on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Rutgers, which is still looking for its first win over the Buckeyes since it joined the conference in 2014.

The closest the Scarlet Knights have kept it in seven tries was 22 points, which came during last year’s pandemic-shortened season and was aided by several trick plays. This meeting has the potential to be even closer than that, though.

Rutgers is 3-1 in head coach Greg Schiano’s second stint with the program, knocking off Temple, Syracuse and Delaware before losing by seven points at unbeaten Michigan last weekend. As a result, the Scarlet Knights are only a 15-point underdog heading into this game – a far cry from the 51-point spread from when Ohio State last visited Piscataway in 2019.

“I think Schiano has done a very, very good job these past two years of getting his team ready," Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said earlier this week. "He does a good job coaching in all three phases. It is a challenge going on the road. You see what he did last year. Last week, they took The Team Up North to the fourth quarter. They played excellent defense in the fourth quarter. He has the guys believing and playing hard.

“It’s going to be a Big Ten Conference road game that we have to do a really good job of getting on the road and handling the environment. It will be rocking . We need a great week of preparation. When you start playing against better competition, every little inch matters and things get tighter.”

After last week’s easy win over Akron, which is among the worst teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision and has won just two games over the last three seasons, Ohio State will face a much stiffer test in Rutgers.

A convincing win would show the Buckeyes have turned the corner defensively, while a loss or close game would raise more questions at the wrong time of the season, as the schedule only gets tougher from here.

General Info

Date: Oct. 2, 2021
Where: SHI Stadium (Piscataway, N.J.)
Expected Weather: 75 degrees, mostly sunny
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m.

Current Betting Numbers

Spread: Ohio State (-15)
O/U Total: 58
Betting: Check out the new SISportsbook!

How to Watch/Listen

Television: BTN
Streaming: fuboTV (get a 7-day free trial)
Announcers: Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst) and Rick Pizzo (sideline reporter).

Local Radio: Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield IMG College
Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The Fan
Announcers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter), Skip Mosic (pregame/halftime/postgame host and producer)

Series History

Ohio State leads Rutgers, 7-0
* OSU record at home: 4-0
* OSU record on the road/neutral: 3-0

LAST TIME THEY MET
2020: Ohio State 49, Rutgers 27

Coaching Matchup

* Ryan Day
* At Ohio State: Third Season, Record: 26-3
* Overall: Same

* Greg Schiano
* At Rutgers: 13th Season, Record: 74-74
* Overall: Same

Ohio State Team Capsule

After missing last week’s game against Akron with a shoulder injury, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is expected to start against Rutgers.

“I thought C.J.’s had a good week of work, so we’re looking forward to getting him back on the field this week,” Day said on Thursday. “I think stepping away has been good, too. It allowed him an opportunity to heal up and rest his shoulder, but also (offered) a different perspective watching practice.”

Stroud has shown flashes of greatness through three starts this season, throwing for 963 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s also struggled with his consistency at times, as evidenced by his three interceptions and handful of passes that sailed just out of reach of his receivers.

Stroud will have to be sharp if the Buckeyes are going to avoid being upset by the Scarlet Knights, who allow just 150 passing yards per game and are tied for fourth in the country with a plus-seven turnover margin. If practice this week was any indication, though, he should have his best game of the year.

“He looked good,” junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson said during his post-practice media availability on Wednesday evening. “He seems like he’s healthy again. That’s the best I’ve seen him spin it in a while, so he definitely looked good practice-wise.”

If Stroud struggles in his first game back, the Buckeyes would be wise to rely upon freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has rushed for 370 yards and five touchdowns in the last two games. Redshirt junior Master Teague was impressive against the Zips, as well, rushing for 71 yards and two scores of his own.

Rutgers’ run defense has been solid, but Ohio State could easily keep the ball and grind out a win.

Rutgers Team Capsule

The biggest reason reason for Rutgers’ turnaround is its defense, which is giving up just 13.5 points and 262.8 yards per game this season, good for seventh and 11th in the country, respectively.

The Scarlet Knights are led by senior linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, who was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and semifinalist for the Butkus Award last season. He currently leads the team with 36 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss – which ranks second in the conference – and 3.5 sacks.

“They have some talent, they have a good scheme, they believe in it and they’re not going to give you anything,” Day said. “They force you to execute all the way down the field, do a good job on third down and play well in the red zone.”

Offensively, Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral will look to capitalize against an Ohio State defense that has struggled to get pressure and with containment. He’s not someone who is going to take over a game with his arm, but he could easily extend drives with his legs when he gets outside the pocket.

Vedral has some solid targets at wide receiver, including senior Bo Melton (24 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns) and junior Aron Cruickshank (14 receptions for 104 yards). The latter could play a significant role on special teams, too, as he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last season and already has a punt return for a score this year.

A return touchdown, or even a few good returns, will only help the Scarlet Knights in their bid for an upset.

"I think the Big Ten is a very tough league, and every game is its own entity," Schiano said at his press conference on Monday. “I liken it much to the NFL and my time there. Any team can beat any other team in the league on any given Saturday.”

Major Storylines

Schiano served as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator from 2016-19

Rutgers outgunned Michigan in total yards, 352-275, in last week’s 20-13 loss in Ann Arbor.

Ohio State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett recorded a career-high three sacks against Akron.

The Buckeyes recorded 12 tackles for loss in the win over the Zips, the most since the 2019 blowout victory against Miami (Ohio).

Ohio State ranks second nationally in total offense with 559.2 yards per game, including a season-high 624 yards of total offense against Akron.

The Buckeyes have played 19 true freshman across four games this season, including Henderson and quarterback Kyle McCord, who threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start last week.

Ohio State has five players on its roster who played their high school ball in New Jersey, including Tyler Friday (Don Bosco Prep), Javontae Jean-Baptiste (Bergen Catholic), Ronnie Hickman (DePaul Catholic), Luke Wypler (St. Joseph Regional) and Cody Simon (St. Peter’s Prep).

The Buckeyes have won 19 consecutive regular season conference games dating back to a loss at Purdue in 2018. That stretches to 22 if you include wins in the Big Ten Championship Game.

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