No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Keys To The Game
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The Ohio State Buckeyes travels to Piscataway, New Jersey, on Saturday to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a clash of top 10 national defenses.
Although Rutgers has struggled to pass the ball this season, they are as good as anyone in the Big Ten on the ground with junior running back Kyle Monangai. On the other side of the ball, their secondary competes with the top passing defenses in the country.
That said, Ohio State has been equal if not better in all regards, likely except for the run game — but they just got back junior TreVeyon Henderson. The Buckeyes' passing offense, headed by junior quarterback Kyle McCord and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., ranks No. 1 in the conference and 15th nationally.
Ohio State wins if…
… it continues its ground attack and keeps the noise out.
Even when McCord had a poor game in Wisconsin Saturday, Henderson made up for it, breaking out for 200 scrimmage yards after three missed games. McCord could certainly struggle again this week as he faces a top-five passing defense nationally and nurses an ankle injury.
With senior Miyan Williams also out for the season, Henderson's health the rest of the season will be paramount.
In addition, Ohio State was named the No. 1 team in the country Tuesday by the College Football Playoff Committee, with arguably the best resumé in the country.
While the Buckeyes have played like it, they have come out with close wins or started off slowly against unranked teams in many games. If they can tune out the noise about being the No. 1 team, they should be fine.
Rutgers wins if…
… it adapts its defensive scheme.
The Knights have held up one of the top secondaries in the country for a reason this season. However, they have not faced a receiver like Ohio State's Harrison yet.
The cornerback-safety duo of juniors Robert Longerbeam and Flip Dixon can attempt to do all they can against Harrison and it may still not be enough. But Ohio State has enough elite pass-catchers to where if they can lock down at least a couple, that should be considered a win.
Linebacker Tyreem Powell has been yet another bright spot of this defense and should make an impact on Saturday.
Despite being heavy underdogs, Rutgers has a chance to pull off an upset this weekend. They have one of if not the best secondary Ohio State has played thus far by stats, and they should certainly give McCord a difficult time.
