Too many mistakes end Rutgers Football's upset bid at No. 1 Ohio State
Columbus, OH — Rutgers Football came into Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium 0-10 all-time against No. 1 Ohio State, falling by an average of 39.8 points per game. The Scarlet Knights (5-6, 2-6) would need to be squeaky clean, and see multiple bounces go their way to pull off an all-time stunner on the road.
Cleanliness was not a way to describe Saturday’s game.
Rutgers held tough with the defending national champions for most of the first half, but too many errors doomed the Scarlet Knights before the floodgates eventually opened for a 42-9 loss.
The Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0) dominated the trenches, particularly on the defensive side, stifling Rutgers’ offense for much of the game. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completed ten of his 20 passes for 81 yards and a lost fumble. AJ Surace entered the game after the two-minute timeout and handed the ball off three times.
Running back Antwan Raymond was held in check by Ohio State’s dominant defensive line, carrying the ball 15 times for 52 yards and a late score in the fourth quarter.
Rutgers’ wideouts also struggled in the passing game, as tight end Kenny Fletcher led the team with four receptions for 20 yards. Ian Strong was shut out in the first half, and finished with one catch for nine yards, while KJ Duff caught two passes for 34 yards.
Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin eventually found his footing after a slow start without his top two targets, completing 13 of 19 pass attempts for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Bo Jackson dominated on the ground with 19 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Tight end Max Klare served as Sayin’s go-to option in the passing game, as he caught seven passes for a season-high 105 yards and a score.
The early turning point
The opening drive did not go the way of the Scarlet Knights, going three-and-out after gaining only a yard, but the defense picked up a big-time stop early.
With the Buckeyes driving down to the goal line, linebacker Abram Wright forced a fumble on running back Bo Jackson, recovered in the end zone by fellow linebacker Dariel Djabome for a touchback.
With a chance to make an early statement in front of 100,023 fans in attendance for Ohio State’s Senior Day, Rutgers’ offense faltered against an elite Buckeyes defensive unit, coming up with a fourth and short after an eight-yard pass to DT Sheffield and a Raymond run that was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
Head coach Greg Schiano left the offense on the field, and Kaliakmanis appeared to try to get Ohio State to jump offsides with a hard count, before Schiano called a timeout as the play clock expired.
The offense emerged from the huddle once again, with a chance to come up with a big conversion. Raymond took another handoff, and for the third time on the drive, was tackled at the line of scrimmage.
The Buckeyes scored three plays later to open the scoring.
While Ohio State ultimately took over the game with its talent advantage at nearly every position on the field, the Scarlet Knights missing a chance early on offense put them at a disadvantage early.
Untimely errors
Even after the opening scoring sequence, Rutgers was able to hang in the game thanks to a solid defensive performance early on, and a Buckeyes’ passing attack that looked lost at times without star wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate due to injury.
Ultimately, while Ohio State likely would have found a way to put up points in bunches regardless, it was certainly helped by key mistakes by the Scarlet Knights on both sides of the ball.
The fourth-down stop set up the Buckeyes’ first touchdown, and the game stayed at a 7-3 margin for much of the first half after Jai Patel‘s 44-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
Rutgers appeared to come up with its second straight stop in the final three minutes, as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day opted to go for it on a fourth-and-two in the red zone. Junior backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz entered the game for the play, rolled to his left, and fired a pass to the sideline that Kaj Sanders broke up with an athletic play.
Then the laundry came out.
Defensive end Bradley Weaver was whistled for roughing the passer, hitting Kienholz two steps after he had released the ball, nullifying the stop and giving the Buckeyes a fresh set of downs.
Wideout Brandon Inniss hauled in a seven-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone two plays later, putting the home team up 14-3 at halftime.
Even after the defense got a big stop to start the third quarter, another mistake effectively ended the comeback attempt. Defensive end Caden Curry got to the backfield in a hurry and strip-sacked Kaliakmanis, and Curry then pounced on the ball at the goal line. The Buckeyes added another score three plays later.
Ohio State’s fourth touchdown was also scored two plays after a defensive pass interference.
Again, the Buckeyes likely come away with a decisive victory even if this game had been played differently, but Rutgers sped up the process with numerous mistakes in critical moments.
A look ahead
The Scarlet Knights could only hold on for so long, until the floodgates opened.
Similar to how many of Ohio State’s games have ended, the talent advantage took over. The Buckeyes outscored Rutgers 28-6 in the second half, with even the second-team offense for Ohio State marching down the field, led by Kienholz, as James Peoples ran for a 49-yard score in the fourth quarter following Raymond’s lone score of the day.
Ultimately, this was not a game Rutgers had much of a chance in – and neither do approximately 100 teams in the FBS ranks – but the Scarlet Knights did hold on for much of the first half to keep it competitive.
With one week remaining, Rutgers will play for bowl contention against Penn State, with the Nittany Lions possibly needing the same depending on how Saturday night’s showdown against Nebraska goes.
The defense appeared to take a step forward against a Heisman-contending quarterback – even without his star wide receivers – and will need a similar effort to get to the postseason.
This also continues the trend that Schiano seemingly always keeps the team competitive throughout the season, even with back-to-back four-game losing skids threatening a season on the edge of derailment.
The bowl hopes will stand in the balance for seven more days, and can come off this performance feeling good about its effort level, even if the execution was not there.
Up next
Rutgers Football will return to New Jersey for the regular season finale and a bowl berth on the line, as it hosts Penn State on Saturday, November 29th.
That game will kick off at 3:30 pm ET and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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