PISCATAWAY, N.J. – It took almost five weeks, but Ohio State's offense finally connected on the deep ball.
J.T. Barrett found Johnnie Dixon for gains of 70 and 39 yards and also found Binjimen Victor for gains of 46 and 23 yards as Ohio State plastered Rutgers on the road, 56-0, on Saturday night.
The big gains came in part because Rutgers played man coverage on most of Ohio State's receivers, allowing them to win one-on-one match-ups. Barrett said after the game that at the start of the game, though, he was trying to be perfect which resulted on a few early misses.
"I think I was pressing earlier in the game. On the one to Terry (McLaurin), I didn't give him a chance to touch the ball and that's my fault," Barrett said. "When you get man coverage, you have to let your guys make a play."
Perhaps the most impressive completion of the game for Ohio State was called back. In the third quarter, after already compiling three catches for 115 yards and a pair of scores, Dixon hauled in a long ball from Barrett up the Buckeye's sideline for what would have been a 64-yard touchdown. The play was called back on offensive pass interference on Dixon, keeping him from an even bigger night.
Dixon said after the game he didn't think the play should have been called back but was, overall, pleased with the way Ohio State was able to take the top off an opposing defense.
"It felt great. I am still a little mad about the one they called back. I was slapping his hand down because he was trying to hold me," Dixon said. "We are finally connecting. We are getting on a roll for sure. It's just a relief to hit it."
Dixon, who now leads Ohio State in receiving touchdowns with four, said that finally connecting on a number of deep passes only adds to the confidence of an offense which has accumulated 586 yards or more in each of its last three games.
"Seeing it (is great), now we have to improve on it," Dixon said. "I know we can do it again because we do it all the time. We hit them in practice, now it's just letting everybody else see it."
Victor finished the game with two catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, his third of the season.
While Dixon put together a career game, Victor also helped the Buckeyes move downfield with big plays. His 46-yard reception on 3rd-and-long was one of the longest pass plays through the air that Ohio State has hit all season.
Victor said coming into the contest, the wide receiver group knew that there would be opportunities to take shots in the passing game.
"We haven't seen man (coverage) all year, so knew that today was the day to make big plays," Victor said. "It was a great feeling. There is more to come for us. We worked so hard on that in the winter and the summer so we are going to keep making it happen."
Even though Ohio State had its success through the air, Barrett wasn't completely satisfied with his performance. The Buckeyes allowed a pair of sacks with Barrett on the field, something that he put on himself instead of the offensive line.
"We made some big plays downfield," Barrett acknowledged. "There was too much miscommunication on my part in some of the protection stuff, getting guys in the right position to make plays as far as the offensive line and pass protection."
At the end of the day, however, Ohio State hit on multiple passes of 20 yards or more and won the game, 56-0, against a Big Ten team that head coach Urban Meyer had identified as having an improved defense.
Moving forward, the Buckeyes – particularly their receivers – feel they can continue to haul in the long ball consistently, especially if opponents play press coverage.
"We are still progressing each and every day," Victor said. "I would not play man against us."
