MY THOUGHTS.....Rutgers

 

Despite a horrific first half performance, the Ohio State Buckeyes came away with a 35-16 win at Rutgers.  The Rutgers defense came in as on of the league’s better defenses and they lived up to their billing for the most part.  They held Marvin Harrison Jr. to a mere 25 yards on four catches after he had four straight games of over 100 yards.  But, they couldn’t keep him out of the end zone, as two of those short catches went for touchdowns.  Rutgers played a two-deep safeties look thought out much of the game, which no doubt caused issues in the first half and limited Harrison Jr., but it also opened the way for TreVeyon Henderson to do it all.  Henderson piled up 208 total yards (128 rushing, 80 receiving) to lead the way in both categories.  His speed, burst, and lateral movement have helped mask the offensive line’s inconsistent run blocking, even though it looked better in this game.  He is also providing a valuable checkdown for Kyle McCord; as Rutgers tried to adjust their defense to cover Harrison, they left huge gaps open in the flat, giving up a 65-yard catch and run by Henderson on one of his five receptions.  TE Gee Scott Jr. played an entire game due to an injury to Cade Stover and caught three passes, including the game’s first touchdown.  Kyle McCord was generally on target except for the one bad pass intended for Scott that was picked and allowed Rutgers to take the lead before the half.

The defense once again, rose up and bailed out the struggling offense, especially in the first half, as Rutgers drove inside the ten yard line three times and each time, had to settle for a field goal.  Jordan Hanock made the biggest play of the day with his 93-yard interception return.  Tommy Eichenberg led the way with 12 tackles and I was most impressed with the play of LB Cody Simon who had his best day of his young career with nine stops and a pass broken up.  Sonny Styles, playing in place of the injured Lathan Ransom, also turned in an outstanding performance with seven tackles and forced a Rutgers fumble to put an end to a drive in Ohio State territory.  In the second half, the defense forced back-to-back turnovers on downs and held Rutgers to seven points.

 Next week, the Buckeyes return home to face a struggling Michigan State squad that had lost six in a row this season.  However, the Spartans secured their first conference victory with a 20-17 win over Nebraska on Saturday.