We are officially in the week of The Game.
The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 42-9 on Senior Day in Columbus behind 254 yards rushing and another dominant defensive performance.
The Buckeyes moved to 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten, while Rutgers is now 5-6 overall and 2-6 in conference play. The Scarlet Knights will play Penn State (5-6) next week as both teams play for bowl eligibility.
Here is our report card from the Buckeyes’ eleventh win of the season.
A+: The Game
It is the best week of the season. We have finally made it, and some could argue the season begins now with The Game, a conference championship berth, and College Football Playoff seeding on the line.
Just. Beat. The. Team. Up. North.
A+: Team defense
The defensive dominance has been the biggest conversation of the season so far for the Buckeyes, but the effort against Rutgers was one of the more impressive performances to date. The Silver Bullets allowed 147 total yards, 81 passing, and 66 yards on the afternoon.
Rutgers has weapons on offense, with running back Antwan Raymond and wide receiver KJ Duff, both of whom came into the game second in the B1G in their respective yards per game categories. However, OSU held Raymond to 52 yards rushing on 15 carries (despite running for 240 yards last week against Maryland), and Duff only had two catches for 34 yards.
A: Rushing game
If there has been a weakness for the Buckeyes this season, it has been the running game. It hasn’t been bad, but there has been a lot of room for improvement. However, after running for 254 yards and four touchdowns against Rutgers, the Buckeyes have now rushed for 476 yards and eight touchdowns in the last eight games.
This is always a hot topic of discussion entering the Michigan game, and, for context, Rutgers and UCLA are the two worst rushing defenses in the conference, so OSU had to be able to run the ball effectively against them if they wanted to have any chance of being balanced against TTUN.
Since Michigan is the third-best rush defense in the Big Ten, will OSU be able to both run and throw the ball on Saturday? Only time will tell.
B+: Max Klare
I have been predicting every game would be the “Max Klare Game,” and after 11 games, I was finally right. Klare had seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. However, he did fumble the ball, so he can’t get an A. However, I let him keep the + next to the B, since the fumble didn’t result in a turnover.
With Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate out, Klare became the top target and took advantage of the opportunity.
B: Bounce back Bo
True freshman running back Bo Jackson hadn’t really made any major mistakes during his rookie campaign until he fumbled on the opening drive at the one-yard line against Rutgers. However, he came back and scored on the next drive and finished with 110 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns.
Jackson made his first real mistake of the season and immediately made up for it. For a true freshman, that was great to see heading into the most important stretch of the season.
F: Injuries
I will give up my own happiness in life to have Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate play in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Injuries are the worst.
