Buckeye B-@-tle Cry: Ohio State's First-Half Cheers Turn to Second Half Jeers in 22-point Win over Rutgers

By David Regimbal on November 9, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Red-misted Ryan Day
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Every week, Eleven Warriors dives into the mentions of Ohio State's coaches and players to bring you the #HotTakes and ramblings of Buckeye Nation. This week, we're reviewing the excitement of the first half and the meh in the second of a 49-27 win over Rutgers.

It was the tale of two halves when Ohio State faced off against Rutgers in Ohio Stadium Saturday night.

Quarterback Justin Fields and the No. 3 Buckeyes (3-0) got off to a hot start against the Scarlet Knights (1-2), scoring 35 of the 38 points in the first half to take a commanding lead into the locker room. It looked and felt like Ohio State took its foot off the gas pedal in the second half, and Greg Schiano's squad — which just pulled off another successful trick play during the duration of you reading this sentence — fought and clawed its way to a weirdly respectable 22-point defeat.

Day took the game as an opportunity to challenge his team. Nearly every remark from Ohio State's post-game coverage echoed the sentiment that the Buckeyes cruised in the second half, which opened the door for a hungry Rutgers team.

RELATED Ryan Day, Ohio State Disappointed About Failure to Finish Strong in 49-27 Win Against Rutgers

The result was a 49-27 victory that put Ohio State one step closer to its fourth consecutive Big Ten title and a repeat run to the College Football Playoff.

With that said, let's get to the mentions.

@ Ryan Day

The vibes were off very early, then turned, only to turn sour again late. We'll get to that, but let's look at the bright side before it gets ugly.

Day's fake punt call early was gutsy and perfect, which helped the Buckeyes race to the big first-half lead.

Hoooo buddy are you in for a surprise.

Seems good FYI IMHO.

The Buckeyes led 42-9 heading into the fourth quarter with complete control of the game. That's when Rutgers ripped off a scoring run, using trick play after trick play to turn a big blowout into a smaller blowout.

Ohio State fans weren't pleased.

Y'all just need to do better.

One of the guys responsible for Iowa and Purdue was coaching on the other sideline, FYI BTW. Speaking of that guy...

@ Greg Schiano

I'm breaking the rules a little bit here, but that's admissible because this is the B-@-tle Cry, and it's a lawless land where I do what I want.

This space is typically reserved for the mentions of active members of Ohio State's football program, but I'm making an exception and including the former Buckeyes defensive coordinator.

His role in making this game much closer than it needed to be deserves as much.

But before the game started, there was a weird string of Tennessee fans pining for Rutgers' head man after the Volunteers — who nearly hired Schiano a couple years ago — fell in a 24-13 loss to Arkansas. 

There's such a weird energy in Schiano's mentions. Volunteer fans long for him while Rutgers fans applaud him. All the while, Buckeye fans just lament.

Indeed.

RT, and also maybe save those amazingly successful plays for a game you can win, Like Michigan or Penn State.

Still a loser.

Heh. // sobs //

Regardless of your feelings, this is impressive.

@ Justin Fields

Ohio State's quarterback continued his impressive play by completing 24-of-28 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns against no interceptions. He added another touchdown on the ground to lead the Buckeyes to 517 yards of total offense.

Fields now had as many touchdown passes on the season (11) as he does incompletions, which is an impressive stat considering there have been several drops from catchable passes through three games.

Buckeye fans were impressed, but like Tennessee fans hopping in Schiano's mentions, Georgia fans mourned their quarterbacks in Fields' timeline.

Needless to say, these tweets rolled in as No. 8 Florida bullied its way to a 44-28 win over No. 5 Georgia. The Bulldogs, who had Fields on their roster before he transferred to Ohio State in 2019, now have a tough situation at quarterback. Their two scholarship options combined for nine completions against the Gators, which is two fewer completions as Fields has incompletions through three games.

It makes you think, for sure. 

Anyway, Buckeye fans documented their appreciation for Fields Saturday night.

It certainly feels like it, Kate.

Evergreen tweet.

Another evergreen tweet.

My dude still has wheels.

What uh... is this?

Please diversify your gif library, Buckeye Nation.

I gasped when this play resulted in a touchdown and not an interception. The precision is uncanny. Fields is a cyborg.

Seriously I need an answer.

Just... perfection.

I've blocked every Twitter account I've seen that's even remotely associated with Barstool Sports because they're garbage reasons, but I appreciate Evan giving me the chance to see this absolutely awful take via quote retweet. 

I frequently think about how terrible life would be if we only got one season of Fields in a Buckeye uniform. Just a terrible timeline.

This is so filthy I don't know how Twitter hasn't censored it yet.

The accuracy...

The men on this defense had families, Fields. Sheesh. Let's just review the carnage.

Ohio State is now 3-0 and in position to continue its march to the College Football Playoff. Fields is also on his way to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and his former Georgia team just suffered its second loss of the season.

I guess the Bulldogs will have to let us know how it feels to watch the playoff race unfold from their couches. See you guys after Maryland's funeral.

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