VIRTUAL RECAP: Sermon, Cooper Deliver Standout Performances in 59-0 Trouncing of Rutgers

After a terrifying opening-week scare at Illinois that left many fans feeling annoyed, frustrated and concerned, Ohio State left little doubt in the outcome Saturday afternoon with a 59-0 trouncing over Rutgers in Columbus.

The Buckeyes, after narrowly escaping Champaign last week following an odd 27-24 nail-biter, rebounded with their annual trouncing of the Scarlet Knights behind a standout day for running back Trey Sermon.

He erupted for a staggering 308 rushing yards on just 19 carries, falling just shy of the Ohio State single-game record (314) held by Eddie George. Sermon scored three touchdowns on the day, as he and George are the only two players in program history to eclipse 300 yards in one game.

OSU carried a 31-0 lead into the break after a lopsided first half, punctuated early in the second quarter by a 72-yard run from Sermon. The Buckeyes methodically added another four TD’s after intermission, three of those being rushing scores by way of Justin Fields.

The standout quarterback posted five total touchdowns on the day. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown, while doing a ton of damage on the ground in scampering 15 times for 179 yards and four scores. Heralded freshman Julian Fleming paced the receiving corps with three catches for 86 yards.

Ohio State’s defense was spearheaded by a memorable performance from Jonathon Cooper, who finished the game with a ridiculous seven sacks for a new Buckeye single-game record. The previous best was four, held by multiple players. Cooper had 11 total stops, nine being for a loss.

Ohio State finished with a 639-70 edge in total offense and limited the Scarlet Knights to just 2 of 11 on third downs. Offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere and Wyatt Davis combined for 35 pancake blocks.

Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral, under pressure all afternoon, completed 19 of 27 for exactly 100 yards. Greg Schiano falls to 0-2 beginning his second stint coaching the program, which has dropped 21 Big Ten games in a row.

The Scarlet and Gray will return to action next week, traveling over to West Lafayette for a matchup with Purdue 12 p.m.