Examining the Series History Between Ohio State and Rutgers
Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014 and frankly, they've struggled to be competitive. Given Ohio State's national prominence in the time since Rutgers joined the conference, it won't come as any surprise to learn how lop-sided this series has been so far. Let's take a look at the series history:
Opponent: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
All-Time Record: OSU, 6-0
First Meeting: October 18, 2014 (No. 13 OSU, 56-17)
Last Meeting: November 16, 2019 (No. 2 OSU, 56-21)
Current Streak: OSU, 6 wins
Rutgers has never been able to slow down Ohio State's high-octane offense. The Buckeyes have never scored fewer than 49 points in any of the six games in the series, while Rutgers has only reached double-digits twice (the first and most recent games as referenced above).
The 2014 game against the Scarlet Knights came during Ohio State's national championship season with then freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett. On the heels of nearly 600 yards of total offense, Ohio State won it's 18th consecutive conference game. The 56-17 defeat was the worst in Rutgers program history, and they also played in front of the largest crowd in team history that night (106,795).
J.T. Barrett had a couple of fantastic career performances against Rutgers.
In 2016 and 2017, the Buckeyes registered back-to-back shutout wins by scores of 58-0 and 56-0. In 2016, Barrett broke the school record with his third of four touchdown passes and Rutgers was forced to punt on all 10 of its drives. In 2017, the Buckeyes racked up 628 yards of offense in a dominating win. DeMario McCall ran 11 times for 103 yards and Barrett passed for 286 yards and three scores.
DeMario McCall ran for over 100 yards against Rutgers in 2017.
Last year, the Buckeyes struck early and often, benefiting from a pair of turnovers by the Scarlet Knights in their first four plays from scrimmage.
Justin Fields was efficient throughout the game, completing 15-of-19 attempts for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Chris Olave led the receiving corps with 139 yards on four grabs, including a 58-yard catch. J.K. Dobbins added two TD's of his own during his 89-yard effort on 17 touches.
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