Three key takeaways from Ohio State's victory over Rutgers

While missing wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes rolled past the 5-6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 42-9 Saturday.

Despite the confident victory, there are still some question marks for the Buckeyes as they prepare to head into Ann Arbor for “The Game.”

The biggest challenge Ohio State faced against Rutgers was the absence of their star wide receiver duo. Without both, two other offensive Buckeyes stepped up. In contrast, Ohio State’s defense had no such predicament, being led by a senior defensive end who is having his best season of his college career.

With one more game left in the Buckeyes’ regular season, here’s a look at three key takeaways from Ohio State’s domination over Rutgers.

Max Klare steps up in Smith, Tate’s absence

As Smith missed his first start this season, and Tate his third straight, the question of who would step up in the pass-catching roll loomed. Tight end Max Klare answered the call with 105 yards and a touchdown off seven receptions, his best game as a Buckeye.

The Purdue transfer was all over the field versus the Scarlet Knights. Whether having huge yard-after-catch gains, or getting himself wide open in the end zone on short red zone pass plays, the junior tight end filled the role of the No. 1 option for quarterback Julian Sayin.

Max Klare targets feeding families today pic.twitter.com/VPQDEgekKL
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) November 22, 2025

Klare proved Saturday that if Smith or Tate, or both, end up being sidelined for the Buckeyes’ trip up north, that he can be a reliable temporary replacement alongside someone like wide receiver Brandon Inniss. Speaking of Inniss, he had two receptions against Rutgers, one of which being a touchdown.

Caden Curry’s senior breakout continues, leading Buckeye’s top-ranked defense

Ohio State’s No. 1 defense held Rutgers to 147 total yards and nine points, which marks the seventh time this season the team has held an opponent to under 10 points. Leading the charge today was defensive end Caden Curry, sacking Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis twice, one of which being a strip sack that Curry recovered.

The Buckeye senior was about an inch away from earning himself a scoop and score on his strip sack, but nevertheless, the Buckeyes ended up scoring thanks to Klare’s touchdown catch.

Did Caden Curry score on this strip sack? Even if he didn't, it was a super cool scoop, so the refs should have called a touchdown.pic.twitter.com/huB70aT3zL
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) November 22, 2025

Replacing former Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, Curry has finally had his chance this season to shine. Amongst all the top defensive names the Buckeyes possess, Curry leads the team with nine sacks.

Backfield takes advantage of Rutgers’ bottom ranked run defense

In back-to-back weeks, the previously struggling Ohio State backfield came up big, showing that the running game can be leaned on if the passing game struggles. Starting with running back Bo Jackson, who rushed for 110 yards, 51 of which came on Ohio State’s opening drive, as well as two touchdowns.

Despite fumbling at the goal line to end his productive drive, Jackson solidified his place as the top running back for the Buckeyes. It wasn’t just Jackson either, James Peoples and Isaiah West combined for 103 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown run by Peoples to finish the day for Ohio State.

TOUCHDOWN JAMES PEOPLES‼️pic.twitter.com/xy0epaG8OC
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 22, 2025

This type of efficiency was expected against the Scarlet Knights, who came into the game allowing 6.8 yards per rush, the lowest in the FBS. A high-powered run game is exactly what Ohio State needed to work on as they march into rivalry week, and hopefully, into Lucas Oil Stadium.

It will be a challenge for the Buckeye backfield against Michigan though, who is ranked top 10 in rush yards per game allowed.