MY THOUGHTS.....Rutgers

                     With J.T. Barrett making his first start of the year Ohio State churned out 528 yards of offense and the defense came within seconds of a shutout in a 49-7 beat down of Rutgers.  The offense, after recovering from a Barrett fumble on the first drive, rolled to over 500 total yards with Barrett himself accounting for 324 of those yards and five touchdowns.  Even though it was against a depleted Rutgers secondary, Barrett’s 14 of 18 in the passing game cannot be discounted, particularly his deep throws.  The 45-yarder to Braxton Miller is highlight material and he also had a perfect 30-yard strike to Curtis Samuel.  For the second time this season, Ohio State produced two 100-yard rushers; Barrett managed 101 yards and two scores and Ezekiel Elliott overcame a sluggish first quarter to garner 142 yards.  For the first time this season, this combo was in full gear and there’s every reason to believe they both can get over 100 on the ground every week against all, but the very best defenses.  But what impressed me the most was the absence of mistakes and sloppy play.  After the fumble by Barrett on the first possession, the Buckeyes played error-free ball on the offensive side the rest of the way.  I can’t say enough that, for the first time this year, there were NO PENALTIES.  That’s right, ZERO.  In addition to Braxton Miller, I saw great play from Jalin Marshall and Michael Thomas.  Marshall made a great play to catch a touchdown pass and Michael Thomas showed his moves and speed in the open field in the first half, by catching a ball near the sideline, turning on a dime and then turning on the jets as he left Rutgers defenders in the dirt on his way to a touchdown.  

The defense showed pretty good improvement over the past several games.  Rutgers opened the game with a 10+ play drive that netted 62 yards and it ended with a field goal attempt that hit the left upright. That was their best chance to score until only a few seconds remained and the defense was manned by second and third stringers and were just 13 seconds away from a shutout.  After giving up long runs in each of their prior three games and allowing Penn State’s Saquan Barkley 194 yards, the Ohio State defense allowed a mere 104 yards on the ground and just 293 yards of total offense to the Scarlet Knights.  Through the first ten Rutgers possessions, the Ohio State defense registered a three-and-out on four of them and an interception by Gareon Coney on the first play of another.  While taking into account, Rutgers star receiver Leonte Carroo was hobbled, it’s still worth saying the pass defense held Rutgers to 100 yards below their per-game average.  Joey Bosa continued his improved play with two tackles for loss and a sack, while MLB Raekwon McMillan was all over the field as usual; leading the team in tackles with seven.  I was particularly impressed with the play of nickel back Marshon Lattimore, who was excellent in medium and deep coverage, breaking up two passes.  Lattimore seems to be gaining a lot of comfort and confidence in his role as a nickel back and he seems to complement the rest of the secondary really well.  I was also impressed with the play of the Ohio State defensive line, with Tommy Schutt not playing.  But Joel Hale, Michael Hill and Donovan Munger all played well.

The Buckeyes will head into their bye week seeming to have found the answers on offense, as their production the last three games would indicate and hopefully guys like Tommy Schutt will have a chance to rest and heal from their assorted bumps and bruises.  This week, I will publish a piece to discuss the Ohio State season to date, what has worked, and what needs improvement.  But the most important thing is they are 8-0 and still at the top.