Game Analysis:
As we enter week 10 of the college football season, some teams are trying to put the finishing touches on their resume for the college football playoff committee, while others are trying to get a signature win to cap off an overall turnaround season. This matchup features two of those kinds of teams, as the 3rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Piscataway to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Buckeyes sit at 8-0, and have mostly dominated their way through their competition, with only a close call at Notre Dame in week 4. They will try to stay perfect ahead of their big matchup against Michigan in a few weeks. The Scarlet Knights on the other hand, sit at a very respectable 6-2 and appear to be on their way to their first winning season since 2014.
Let’s take a look at the visiting Buckeyes first. This is a team that’s relied way more on their defense than recent Ohio State teams, but so far they’ve been up to the task and dominated their way to a perfect record through 8 games. While their rushing attack has been fairly ineffective this season, the offense is still capable of putting up points at any point due to the best WR in the nation and likely top 3 pick in the upcoming NFL draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. In last week’s 24-10 win at Wisconsin, he hauled in 6 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns to add on to his excellent season. This was also a rare game in which the rushing attack led the way to victory, as RB TreVeyon Henderson carried the ball 24 times for 162 yards and a touchdown. Kyle McCord had a decent game going 17/26 for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also 2 interceptions. They will look to piece all the elements of their offense together more consistently ahead of their showdown with Michigan in the final week, and this will be another great opportunity for that against a respectable opponent.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are in the midst of a 6-2 campaign, and need just one more victory to secure their first winning season in 9 years, but they’ve yet to record a win against a “quality” opponent, which has them left out of the AP poll to this point, but what better opportunity to change that than a home showdown against the 3rd ranked team in the country. Rutgers will be fresh, as they enter this matchup off a bye week, following a 31-14 win at Indiana the prior week. They gave up an opening drive touchdown in that one to trail early, but dominated from that point on, led by their defense. The defense gave up just 126 passing yards, and didn’t let Indiana get into any kind of rhythm after that opening drive. However, they have a much tougher test in front of them this week, and I do not believe they are quite ready for the challenge. I expect the Buckeyes to make a statement with a blowout win, and add on to their playoff resume.
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