THE RUNNING START
When: Saturday, October 1, 2016
Where: Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Stadium
TV: Noon, BTN
Announcers: Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen and Lisa Byington
This is the third game between Ohio State and Rutgers in football and the Buckeyes lead the series 2–0.
Below you will find some interesting facts about the teams, key offensive player stats, coach information, and team stats.
THE LAST TIME...
- Ohio State played Rutgers was last year in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Buckeyes won 49-7.
- Rutgers defeated Ohio State was never.
- The Buckeyes played against a former defensive coordinator was Week 2 against Tulsa.
- An opponent scored a rushing touchdown against OSU's defense was Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
ON THE HORIZON
- J.T. Barrett (55) is third on Ohio State's all-time passing touchdown list. Barrett is one touchdown pass behind Joe Germaine and two behind Bobby Hoying.
- This game is Homecoming for the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 69–19–5 in Homecoming games.
- When given more than a week to prepare for an opponent, Urban Meyer is 44–3.
- This will be the first time Urban Meyer and Chris Ash face each other as head coaches.
- Urban Meyer has had three winning streaks of at least 12 games during his time in Columbus. The Buckeyes have currently won five consecutive games.
- Meyer is 6–1 against former assistant coaches.
Piscatway, New Jersey
GET TO KNOW RUTGERS
- The Rutgers University is located in New Brunswick, Piscataway and Camden, NJ.
- The university was established in 1766. It was formerly known as Queen's College (1766–1825) and Rutgers College (1825–1925).
- The Scarlet Knights are 2–2 this season.
- Rutgers is 29–26 (.530) since 2012.
- Chris Ash's team lost to Iowa 14-7 last week following wins over Howard and New Mexico.
- Since joining the Big Ten, Rutgers is 4–13 against conference opponents.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
- Ohio State had back-to-back games delayed by weather. Prior to this season, when was the last time the Buckeyes had a game delayed or ended by inclement weather?
- Rutgers only has four conference wins since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Can you name the first Big Ten opponent the Scarlet Knights defeated?
- How many losses has Urban Meyer had with the Buckeyes against unranked teams?
- Against Oklahoma, Noah Brown tied an Ohio State record with four receiving touchdowns in a single game. Who was the last Buckeye to accomplish this feat?
Answers at the bottom of today's article.
RUTGERS' INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 13/24 | .540 | 190 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 59/113 | .522 | 647 | 5 | 2 |
| CAREER | 257/448 | .574 | 3,001 | 21 | 15 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 106 | 5.1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 358 | 6.2 | 1 |
| CAREER | 1,555 | 5.4 | 14 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 74 | 6.7 | 0 |
| 2016 | 136 | 4.7 | 0 |
| CAREER | 1,005 | 4.3 | 7 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 33 | 11.0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 108 | 13.5 | 3 |
| CAREER | 812 | 12.5 | 8 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 21 | 7.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 161 | 20.1 | 2 |
| CAREER | 161 | 20.1 | 2 |
OHIO STATE'S INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 14/20 | .700 | 152 | 4 | 0 |
| 2016 | 49/73 | .671 | 650 | 10 | 1 |
| CAREER | 345/534 | .646 | 4,476 | 55 | 15 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 123 | 6.8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 351 | 6.5 | 1 |
| CAREER | 351 | 6.5 | 1 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 98 | 8.9 | 1 |
| 2016 | 260 | 8.1 | 2 |
| CAREER | 775 | 7.2 | 9 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 20 | 10.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 259 | 16.2 | 2 |
| CAREER | 643 | 13.3 | 4 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 72 | 14.4 | 4 |
| 2016 | 134 | 14.9 | 5 |
| CAREER | 143 | 14.3 | 5 |
THE RUNOFF
Urban Meyer
53–4 (.930) at Ohio State (5th year)
157–27 (.853) overall (15th year)
Meyer is 91–15 against coaches he faces for the first time.
Chris Ash
2–2 (.500) at Rutgers (1st year)
2–2 (.500) overall as a college coach (1st year)
First meeting as a head coach against Ohio State.
CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER
- Dan Mullens is the only former assistant Urban Meyer has lost a game to.
- Ohio State has won a nation's best 19 consecutive road games.
- Since 2012, the Buckeyes (.930) have the highest winning percentage in the FBS. Alabama is second at .900.
- In 2016, OSU's defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown, but has recorded four pick-sixes.
- The Ohio State single season for interception returns for touchdowns is four, set in 1996 and 1987.
- Four 2016 Buckeyes are from New Jersey: Noah Brown, Kevin Feder, Jordan Fuller and Darius Slade.
- Brian Hartline has the longest punt return in Ohio State's history. He returned a punt 90 yards against Kent State in 2007.
- Karl Edwards booted a school record 87 yard punt against Illinois in Champaign in 1983.
- The Ohio State record for team punt return yards is 178, it was set against Michigan State in 1973.
- Ohio State is 74–42–10 in the fourth game of the season and is 51–25–8 as the home team.
- Cameron Johnston pinned all five of his punts against Oklahoma inside the 20 yard line. He improved his school record to 91 punts downed inside the 20. He is second in the FBS averaging 50.6 yards per punt.
- Jordan Hall was the last Buckeye running back to throw a touchdown pass (Eastern Michigan 9/25/2010).
- The Buckeyes' last game on October 1st was a 10-7 home loss to Michigan State in 2011.
- Ohio State is 12–4 on this date and 2–1 when the fourth game of the season is played on October 1st.
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| OFFENSE | ||||
| 56.7 | 3rd | POINTS FOR | 27.3 | 80th |
| 306.0 | 7th | RUSHING OFFENSE | 220.3 | 35th |
| 239.3 | 61st | PASSING OFFENSE | 167.0 | 111th |
| 545.3 | 9th | TOTAL OFFENSE | 387.3 | 86th |
| .537 | 8th | 3rd DOWNS | .362 | 90th |
| .929 | 25th | RED ZONE | .750 | 101st |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| 12.3 | 9th | POINTS ALLOWED | 26.0 | 64th |
| 102.3 | 20th | RUSH DEFENSE | 181.8 | 88th |
| 176.0 | 24th | PASS DEFENSE | 180.8 | 28th |
| 79.6 | 3rd | PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE | 131.5 | 73rd |
| 278.3 | 14th | TOTAL DEFENSE | 362.6 | 47th |
| .267 | 14th | 3rd DOWNS | .281 | 17th |
| .500 | 2nd | RED ZONE | .375 | 1st |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| 7.9 | 66th | PUNT RETURN | 14.0 | 23rd |
| 26.0 | 23rd | KICKOFF RETURN | 32.5 | 5th |
| 47.2 | 2nd | NET PUNTING | 33.0 | 114th |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
| + 3.0 | 1st | TURNOVER MARGIN | - 0.5 | 84th |
| 9.7 | 120th | PENALTIES | 4.8 | 17th |
| 14 | EDGE | 4 | ||
TODAY'S TRIVIA ANSWERS:
Ohio State had back-to-back games delayed by weather. Prior to this season, when was the last time the Buckeyes had a game delayed or ended by inclement weather?
Answer: 1990. The game against USC ended early due to a thunderstorm.
Rutgers only has four conference wins since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Can you name the first Big Ten opponent the Scarlet Knights defeated?
Answer: Michigan. Rutgers defeated Brady Hoke's team 26-24 in Piscataway, NJ.
How many losses has Urban Meyer had with the Buckeyes against unranked teams?
Answer: One, Virginia Tech.
Against Oklahoma, Noah Brown tied an Ohio State record with four receiving touchdowns in a single game. Who was the last Buckeye to accomplish this feat?
Answer: Dane Sanzenbacher caught four touchdowns against Eastern Michigan in 2010. Terry Glenn (Pitt, 1995) and Bob Grimes (Washington State, 1952) are the other Buckeyes to accomplish this achievement.
