PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- -- Rutgers' Greg Schiano has a warning for the rest of the teams in the Big Ten Conference: No. 11 Ohio State is finding its stride.
CJ Stroud threw for 330 yards & five touchdowns after sitting out a game to rest a shoulder & the Buckeyes scored their 20th straight conference win at Rutgers on Saturday with a 52-13 Won the game
After suffering his worst loss since returning for a second stint with the Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2), Schiano said, "We had a bad day & we were up against a team that was looking to make progress. has been." "The result was to be seen."
What everyone saw was a dominant Ohio State (4-1, 2-0) showing an absolute must, especially on offense. The country's No. 2 offense scored on its first six possessions & its defense gave a pick-6.
"After a win like this last month, it just gave us a little bit of juice now," said Ohio State coach Ryan Day. This, we don't panic, & we can have a good team in October, November. "
Stroud joined Chris Olev on touchdown passes for 56 & 11 yards, found Garrett Wilson on a 32-yard catch-and-run, & hit Jeremy Ruckert & Mitch Rossi on the tight end on scoring passes of 19 & 1 yard, respectively. The freshman, who threw four TD passes against Minnesota in the opener, scored 17 of 23 and did not throw an interception. Olev finished with five catches for a team-high 119 yards.
"That's what he's capable of," Day said of Stroud. "And now he has to get it done & be persistent."
Ohio State has beaten Rutgers eight times in a row. The Buckeyes overcame the Scarlet Knights 541–346, flown through a defense that had conceded only 54 points in their first four games, & had Noah Vedral three times.
Freshman Trevian Henderson opened the scoring with a 44-yard touchdown run on the Buckeyes' second play from scrimmage. Freshman Denzel Burke scored 40 seconds later on a 23-yard interception return.
The Buckeyes extended the lead to 24-0 on a 23-yard field goal by Noah Ruggles & Wilson TD dropped 2:34 in the opening quarter.
Rutgers' only major play in the game was a 75-yard catch-and-run by Aaron Cruikshank, who was on a short pass in the middle of the next series. The distance was career best for both the players. Vedral finished 16 of 26 for 152 yards.
Cole Snyder added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Josh Youngblood with 7:40 to play to close the scoring & close the yardage gap for the Scarlet Knights.
"Major credit to Ohio State," said Rutgers defensive end Mike Tverdov. "They came out, they did their job. It's a very good football team & we can't do what we did today against a team like that. Salute to them They came here & took over the business."
The result was a major disappointment for Rutgers after a 20-13 loss to No. 14 Michigan on the road last weekend. He played very well in that game. He didn't follow through this week & Schiano contributed to the problem early in the series, using a trick play on a punt, giving a small field to backfire.
Ohio State has never scored fewer than 49 points against Rutgers.
THE TAKEAWAY
Ohio State: This team can do it all, especially on offense with Stroud throwing the ball to a trio of top wideouts & Henderson running through huge holes. The defense might have played its best game this season, giving up one play early.
Rutgers: While it has made up little ground on Michigan, Michigan State, & Penn State since Schiano returned last year, it remains light years behind Ohio State in the Big Ten pecking order. The Scarlet Knights were seriously outplayed in all phases of the game, & certainly outcoached. Schiano's decision to throw a pass on fourth-&-8 from its own 46 put Rutgers in a hole it never left.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Ohio State: The Buckeyes were outstanding on both sides of the ball. Except for one long TD in the opening half, it was a near-perfect performance. If anyone loses or plays a poor game, they are back in the Top 10.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights were hoping to follow a strong showing in a loss against Michigan with a good game against the Buckeyes. The hope was that an upset would get them a first spot in the poll since 2012. Obviously, they have a long way to go.
UP NEXT:
Ohio State: Hosts Maryland on Saturday.
Rutgers: Hosts No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday.