Just four days after earning the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, Ohio State put together a less-than-stellar performance against Rutgers on Saturday.
The Buckeyes trailed at halftime but used a Jordan Hancock pick six and a monster day from TreVeyon Henderson to win 35-16 and improve to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten.
In their first game as the top-ranked team in the country, the Buckeyes will head east to New Jersey to face a resurgent Rutgers program. Ohio State's lofty ranking comes after high-profile wins over Wisconsin, Penn State and Notre Dame, making up arguably the most impressive résumé of anyone in the country. Odds are a road win over Rutgers won't move the needle much further, but there's an argument to be made that it actually should. The Knights enter the game with a record of 6-2, and four of those six wins have come against Power Five competition.
Of course, there's also the 31-7 loss to Michigan and 24-13 loss to Wisconsin, but both losses came on the road. Still, if Rutgers is able to topple Ohio State it will be a historical moment. Ohio State is 36-2 in Big Ten games under coach Ryan Day, and both losses were to Michigan; the rest of the conference is 0-34 against the Buckeyes.
The play itself appeared to be a modified fumblerooski, as Rutgers faked the popular “Tush Push” to draw the defense in, then bouncing the ball outside for a big gain.
As the highlight hit social media, fans loved Rutgers’s creativity while facing a powerhouse team like Ohio State.
Holding a stunning 9-7 halftime lead, the Scarlet Knights’ dormant offense was marching downfield, converting first down after first down. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt converted a nine-yard pass to wide receiver JaQuae Jackson, the Buckeyes committed a defensive pass interference, Big Ten leading rusher Kyle Monangai had back-to-back double-digit yard carries and suddenly, the hosts were back in the red zone.
Ohio State has a significant win streak on the line Saturday.
The No. 1 Buckeyes are looking for their 10th-straight win against Rutgers since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten in 2014.
But Rutgers seems to be on a different trajectory in 2023, winning six of its first eight games of the 2023 season for the first time since 2012, and earning a spot in a bowl game for the second time in three seasons.
Ohio State will kick off against Rutgers at 12 p.m. Saturday on CBS.
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