With J.T. Barrett making his first start of the year Ohio State churned out 528 yards of offense and the Silver Bullets came within seconds of a shutout in a 49-7 beat down of Rutgers.
The win marked number 150 for Urban Meyer – in just the 14th season of his coaching career – and improved his record to 46-3 at Ohio State.
Dominating from start to finish, Ohio State tallied two 100-yard rushers and one 100-yard receiver while the defense held Rutgers to under 300 yards and one meaningless touchdown coming with just 13 seconds left in regulation.
The Buckeyes now sit at a perfect 8-0 and have a bye week before hosting Minnesota in another prime time tilt. Before we dig into the Gophers, here are Five Things from a near-perfect night in Piscataway.
O-H WHAT A NIGHT
Making his first start since last year's Michigan game, J.T. Barrett looked at ease – and maybe more importantly so did his teammates – as the offense rolled with Barrett at the controls.
The redshirt sophomore was still not quite 100% during fall camp which played a role in Cardale Jones being tabbed the starter to open the season but last night Barrett left no doubt he's the best man for the job posting 324 yards and five touchdowns.
Through the air he was nearly perfect completing 14 of 18 passes for 223 yards and two scores. Not that a 78% completion percentage isn't great but he was actually better than that as one of his incompletions – while slightly underthrown – fell victim to a waved-off pass interference call and another was a perfectly thrown bomb to Mike Thomas but the defender pulled on Mike's left arm (PI, anyone?) keeping him from making the grab.
In addition to that well-placed ball to Thomas, Barrett looked sharp on a few other deep throws including a 45-yard strike to Braxton Miller and a 30-yard teardrop to Curtis Samuel hopefully putting to bed some of the chatter that he isn't good enough on shots down the field.
On the ground it was business as usual for the read-option specialist as he racked up 101 yards on 13 carries with two scores while his running mate, Ezekiel Elliott, churned out 142 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns giving the Buckeyes a lethal combo in the backfield.
SHUT 'EM DOWN
Rutgers, despite their general suckery, actually came into the game featuring a decent offense but the Buckeye defense wasn't having any of it.
It would've been nice to hang on to the shutout but what matters most is when the starters were in Rutgers couldn't move the football. In fact, through the first 10 Rutgers possessions (their TD was the 11th) the defense registered a four-and-out or better on seven of them including four three-and-outs and an interception by Gareon Conley of the first play of another.
With 4:34 left in the third quarter the defense had yielded only six first downs and one 3rd down conversion in nine tries along with 150 total yards, 62 of which came on the game's opening possession.
It can't be discounted that stud wide receiver Leonte Carroo was hobbled but it's still worth noting the pass defense held the Rutgers passing attack to about 100 yards under their league average and nickel Marshon Lattimore seems to be gaining comfort in his role complementing the rest of the secondary.
the disappearance of mr. hanky
Through the first five games Ohio State was ranked 104th in the country committing an average of eight penalties per outing which was a bit overshadowed by the turnover woes (2.6 per game, ranking 117th).
The flags contributed to the offense's woes as the playbook got off-schedule while the defense allowed opponents to extend drives with their own mental miscues.
Last night, for the first time this season, the Buckeyes played penalty-free football.
In fact, it was Ohio State's first flag-free game since week three of the 2010 season when the Buckeyes posted a donut in a 43-7 win over Ohio University.
The perfect night was the culmination of a three-week trend of improved mental focus as the Buckeyes tallied six flags against Maryland before dropping to five in the win over Penn State last weekend giving them a 3.7 penalties/game average over the span.
CHUNKY STYLE
A staple of Urban Meyer's offense is the ability to create chunk plays which include runs of 10+ yards and pass plays of at least 15 yards.
Against Rutgers the Buckeyes churned out 12 such plays with Barrett involved in eight of those including six in the first half.
Barrett unleashed a 39-yard run on the opening drive thanks to a nifty move at the line of scrimmage. Later on he added runs of 11, 16 and finally a 10-yarder for a touchdown to make it 35-0.
Through the air Barrett hit Thomas on a perfectly thrown slant for 20 yards on Ohio State's first scoring drive. Two possessions later he found Thomas on a short route but Mike used a mean stiff-arm and fleet feet turning it into a 50-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
On the ensuing OSU possession Barrett found Miller on a 45-yard streak down the right sideline. It was more of a great catch than a great throw but just like Jones last year, Barrett put the ball out there and let his receiver make a play on the ball. Two snaps later it was 21-0. Finally, to start the third quarter, Barrett hit Samuel with a pretty throw for a 30-yard score and a 28-0 lead.
PUTTING IT ALL ON THE LINE
It was obviously a total team effort last year when Ohio State marched to the national title but the work done by the offensive and defensive lines may have been the most pivotal factors.
This year the offensive line has had fits of penalties, spotty pass blocking, a handful of bad snaps and a bit of concern at right tackle. On the other side of the ball Ohio State's pass rush has been solid and the trio of Joey Bosa, Adolphus Washington and Tyquan Lewis have been beastly but nose guard position has been a big reason why the Buckeyes have been soft against the run especially up the gut.
Last night the offensive line again did work run blocking as OSU racked up 281 rush yards on 5.7 per carry despite a stacked box and surrendered just one sack. The pass pro effort was aided by Barrett's mobility but is still a step in the right direction for a unit that might finally be turning the corner towards a return to the form shown late last season.
The defensive line held Rutgers to 104 yards on the ground (3.6 per carry) a week after Penn State's Saquon Barkley gashed them for 194.
The 104 serves as the defense's best effort to stop the run since Hawai'i ran for 80 yards on 35 carries in week two.
The improved effort came with nose guard Tommy Schutt on the shelf with a broken wrist paving the way for Joel Hale, Michael Hill and Donovan Munger to see time in the rotation.
How well these two units continue to fare as Ohio State enters the home stretch will be every bit as important as who takes the snaps as the Buckeyes prep for the stretch run.
