The Ohio State Buckeyes hit the road for the second consecutive week as they head to Piscataway. Kickoff between Ohio State and Rutgers is slated for noon ET with live coverage on CBS.

HOW THE KNIGHTS STACK UP:

Rutgers sitting at 6-2, having already earned bowl eligibility is quite impressive. The problem for them is that their two losses were against Wisconsin and Michigan, their only two opponents with winning records. Showing that they’ve beaten the teams they should but haven’t really been competitive against quality opposition.

The Scarlet Knight offense is run by Junior QB, Gavin Wimsatt. He is by no means slinging the ball around the field, as he only has 1,134 passing yards coupled with 7 touchdowns, but also 4 interceptions. However, his real threat comes with his legs. Wimsatt has 73 carries which has resulted in 362 yards and 7 touchdowns.

The go-to running back this season has been Kyle Monangai, on 144 carries he’s tallied 744 yards, good for 5.2 per carry, while also scoring 7 times. However, he is irrelevant in the passing game only catching 2 balls all season. The ability for both Monangai and Wimsatt to be serious threats on the ground means the Buckeyes must respect the ground game first and foremost.

The real strength of this Scarlet Knight group is the defense. Their play has resulted in the ranking of 9th in the country in total defense. They hold opponents to an average of 4.4 yards per play and 276.8 yards per game. Their leading tacklers are Tyreem Powell, Deion Jennings, and Mohamed Toure who have all exceeded 50 tackles. They also have a pretty stout defensive line and a solid secondary. They stack up as the 2nd toughest defense Ohio State has faced, only behind Penn State.

THE BUCKEYES:

After escaping Camp Randall with a 14-point victory despite 3 Kyle McCord turnovers, the Buckeyes have to remain prepared. Complacency against a defensively sound Rutgers could spell more potential trouble on the road.

The offense needs to get going quickly, meaning McCord has to be sharp off the rip and shake off the past mistakes. This offense has truly had no issue moving the ball, as long as they stay out of their way. Avoiding early turnovers and cashing in scoring opportunities is the surest way to avoid being on upset alert.

Marvin Harrison has been the go-to guy for McCord and the offense, especially with Emeka trying to get back. Emeka’s availability and level of game readiness remain in question. So, it’s Harrison again who should receive a steady flow of targets. His counterparts have been Xavier Johnson, Cade Stover, and future star Carnell Tate. While Tate hasn’t been asked to catch a lot of balls, his ability to block and run crisp routes has drawn defensive attention. Cade Stover was locked up by Wisconsin leading to some opportunities for Gee Scott. It is this “next man up” mentality that makes the Buckeyes so great.

As far as the running game goes it has been a whirlwind trying to keep guys healthy and find success. Miyan Williams will now miss the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury and subsequent procedure. This leaves Tre, Chip, Hayden, and Johnson as your ball carriers. TreVeyon Henderson has shown his immense value to the backfield since getting healthy. His elusiveness, quickness, and hole-finding abilities make this offense deadly. While Chip has done a great job of making things happen through veteran savvy and sheer will. Hayden’s role may also increase with the loss of Miyan, per Ryan Day, despite the desire to red-shirt him.

The Ohio State defense remains extremely stingy and it is undeniable that Coach Knowles has the Silver Bullets back. This group held Wisconsin to just 10 points and 259 yards. This tenacity and unwillingness to break allowed the Buckeyes offense to get going and overcome 3 ugly turnovers by McCord. The loss of Lathan Ransom to injury, for how long yet to be answered, is disappointing and a ding in the Ohio State armor. However, Coach Knowles expressed his confidence in both Hancock and Styles to pick up the slack. Buckeye fans should feel comfortable with this. Both young players have shown little weakness on the field and the potential for greatness. The key for the defense is to slow the run and continue their dominance.

HOW IT PLAYS OUT:

Ohio State is an 18.5-point favorite on the road with the O/U sitting at 42.5. What this tells you is that Vegas expects Ohio State to win easily with Rutgers’ offense as the the downfall. I agree with this assessment, they only put up 13 against Wisconsin and 7 against Michigan. Against a Buckeye team that has only failed to reach 20+ points just once, that simply won’t be enough. I expect maybe a couple of competitive series or maybe the whole 1st quarter. But eventually, the Buckeyes will pull away.

Final: Ohio State 31, Rutgers 13