You can expect a certain reddish hue to figure prominently on the gridiron Saturday afternoon in Columbus when Ohio State and Rutgers tangle in the Horseshoe. The Scarlet Knights, embarking on their first ever Big Ten road trip, will endure a baptism by fire of sorts as the Scarlet and Gray welcome them to Ohio Stadium. Very rarely if ever have the boys from Piscataway experienced an in-conference away environment the likes of what they should expect to see this weekend.
Not much was expected from Rutgers going into their first-ever year as a member of the conference, but here they are at 5-1 and a win away from bowl eligibility. A season-opening 41-38 win in Seattle against Washington State built a great deal of positive momentum. In fact, they could easily be undefeated if not for a 13-10 home loss to Penn State in their conference debut where the Nittany Lions were able to muster an 80-yard touchdown drive late in the game to seal the win.
Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova has certainly had his fair share of ups and downs, both this season and throughout his college career. In the Penn State game, his five interceptions were likely the difference between victory and defeat. Despite those series of blunders, the Knights still led the game 10-6 with just over three minutes to play and could’ve still come out victors with one more defensive stop.
Nova redeemed himself in a big way when the Buckeyes big rival from up north came to town two weeks ago. The senior from Elmwood Park, NJ had his best game of the season, throwing for 404 yards, three touchdowns and not a single pick as the Scarlet Knights picked up a signature 26-24 win over the Wolverines. Yes, Michigan is significantly down this year but when you can notch a victory over one of college football’s most storied programs as a conference newcomer it’s an accomplishment to be proud of no matter what.
These two teams destined for a duel in Columbus on Saturday are both coming off bye weeks and will be meeting for the first time in their respective programs’ history. From the Buckeyes’ perspective, they’re in a similar position as two weeks ago in that regard, since they had never faced Rutgers’ fellow Big Ten newcomer Maryland before. That meeting went pretty well, with Ohio State coming away with a dominating 52-24 triumph in College Park.
Quarterback play should be on full display, as Nova and Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett have been putting up impressive numbers of late. Both are ranked in the top five nationally in passing efficiency, with Barrett third (186.3) and Nova fifth (170.9). They’re also similar in the sense that they’ve had one hiccup game apiece. Nova’s obviously came against Penn State which I’ve discussed before, and it’s safe to say Barrett’s three interception performance against Virginia Tech qualifies in this category.
The redshirt freshman signal caller for the Buckeyes has been on quite a roll since that mistake-filled night against the Hokies. In the three games since, he’s thrown for 909 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception. No Ohio State quarterback in history has thrown that many touchdowns during a three-game span. He also currently leads the Big Ten in total yards per game with 326.
When you have a running game that can gain massive chunks of yards and move the chains at will, it takes a lot of pressure off the quarterback. The Buckeyes have proven in emphatic fashion they have this in recent weeks and head coach Urban Meyer isn’t afraid to utilize it on zone read plays. On OSU’s first drive of the game against Maryland which culminated with a Rod Smith rushing touchdown, seven of the eight plays were on the ground. Ezekiel Elliott, who has pretty much assumed the position of feature back after the team began the season with a more multi-pronged approach, had four carries for 45 yards on that initial drive.
Something has to give in the trenches. Both defensive fronts can create havoc for opposing quarterbacks and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Rutgers averages 4.00 sacks per game which is tied for 2nd in the nation. Freshman defensive end Kemoko Turay has already established himself as one of the Big Ten’s best sack masters, leading the conference with six so far this year. Though OSU’s offensive line has been slowly but surely improving as the season has progressed, they could be in for a challenge if they’re not careful.
For the Buckeyes, sophomore Joey Bosa has 3.5 of his own sacks and has forced three fumbles, all of which have led to points for Ohio State. True freshman Raekwon McMillan is living up to the hype as the highest rated inside linebacker in the 2014 recruiting class according to Rivals.com with two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
While we’re on the topic of the defense getting their hands on the football and moving it in the opposite direction, it’s something the OSU secondary has been able to do more often than you think. Though they have been susceptible to the big play as evidenced by the three touchdowns of 60 or more yards they conceded in the Cincinnati game, they’ve also shown an affinity for forcing turnovers. Ohio State currently ranks 11th nationally in interceptions with nine and have played one less game than all the teams ahead of them. Redshirt freshman cornerback Eli Apple, who hails from the home state of the Buckeyes’ Saturday opponent, leads the team with a pair of picks on the season.
With the season halfway old after this week and both of their open dates out of the way, Ohio State has a seven-game gauntlet to close out the season that begins Saturday. If they can survive these next three contests, which includes a trip to Happy Valley next week to face Penn State, defending conference champion Michigan State looms on November 8th in a showdown that could reestablish the Buckeyes into the Playoff discussion with a win. As I wrote in last week’s column, much of that will depend on whether or not the comprehensive juggernaut that is the SEC West slices and dices itself.
First thing’s first, though. Defend the home field and hold serve against the pretty steep underdog that the Scarlet Knights are. Am I the only one that considers it completely mind blowing that Rutgers is a 22-point underdog in Columbus two weeks after beating Michigan? If that’s not a glaring indication as to how far the Wolverines have fallen, I don’t know what is. But, I digress.
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