- PASSINGJ. Barrett223 Yds
- RECEIVINGM. Thomas103 Yds
- RUSHINGE. Elliott142 Yds
TEAM LEADERS
- PASSINGC. Laviano117 Yds
- RECEIVINGC. Agudosi76 Yds
- RUSHINGP. James56 Yds
GOhioSt 10OhioSt 20OhioSt 30OhioSt 4050Rut 40Rut 30Rut 20Rut 10G
FIVE THINGS: BARRETT EXPLODES FOR FIVE TD AS BUCKS SILENCE KNIGHTS
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.
Follow the road to the 2015 College Football Playoff at The Football Four, our home to rate and debate the nation's best.
The full AP Top 25: October 26, 2015
1. Ohio State (39)
2. Baylor (7)
3. Clemson (6)
4. LSU (5)
5. TCU (4)
7. Alabama (1)
8. Stanford
9. Notre Dame
10. Iowa
11. Florida
12. Oklahoma State
13. Utah
14. Oklahoma
15. Michigan
16. Memphis
17. Florida State
18. Houston
19. Ole Miss
20. Toledo
21. Temple
22. Duke
23. Pitt
24. UCLA
The sky is the limit for Ohio State with J.T. Barrett at QB
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — As Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett walked off the field late Saturday night, two television cameras shadowing his every step, his face was expressionless.
Barrett remained stoic, focused and not at all caught up in the giddiness of a 49-7 win against Rutgers, his first start of the season. To him, this sort of performance should be routine. To him, the offense should always fire on all cylinders. To him, this was not a unique night.
“There were no nerves,” Barrett said later. “I didn’t really feel pressure to play well or not. It was just letting the game come to me. Pressure is something if you aren’t prepared. If I were not prepared for the game, I’d feel a little pressure. But I feel like we prepared well offensively all week. I prepared myself well.”
Barrett had prepared himself well each of the past seven weeks, too, he said. He’d put in the time and effort as if he were theBuckeyes ' starter, which he wasn’t. He wasn’t because he didn’t beat out Cardale Jones — until now.
“He’s in full swing now,” said Ohio State coach Urban Meyer , who officially named Barrett his starting QB this past week. Finally. He said this after he’d watched his offense look like it should. Finally.
And now, the move makes No. 1 Ohio State (7-0) the clear favorite to win a national championship. Finally.
A Barrett-led offense creates something that Jones couldn’t quite manufacture: Fear. Against the Scarlet Knights, Barrett threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 101 yards and two more scores. It’s a small sample size for a starter, but it’s exactly the kind of performance he put on many times over a season ago.
“He is the prototype dual-threat quarterback, and he puts a tremendous amount of stress on your defense whenever he has the football,” Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. “Because he can run it like a running back, and he throws it very well.”
Meyer termed it this way: Barrett creates a conflict for opposing defenses — particularly when he shows he can throw the deep ball, which he did against Rutgers. Meyer pointed out that his quarterback has to complete those shots down the field, not just take them. He also said his offense is “now” efficient, meaning it wasn’t with Jones.
All offseason and then throughout the first seven weeks of the season, one quarterback couldn’t exist without a comparison to the other. Meyer couldn’t get through a week without questions and some anxiety surrounding the position. As he enters the idle week having just watched Barrett take his offense to heights it hadn’t seen since last postseason, Meyer was asked if he feels more comfortable, now, with certainty at the position making a difference.
“It really does,” Meyer said. “I don’t want to admit that, but it does.”
And it does change things for the players themselves. Barrett said he prepared as if he were the starter every week of the season, just in case something happened to Jones. He certainly seemed ready when he entered the game in red zone situations the past few weeks. But he also reflected on why he hadn’t earned the starting job out of fall camp.
“I just didn’t play well,” Barrett said. “It was a simple as that. I didn’t play to the level I knew I was capable of playing at. I think that was the main thing. It was all on me, just trying to do too much. Coming back, being the No. 1 team in the country, all these great things, high expectations. I was trying to do too much myself. I was forcing stuff, trying to make the big throw or a big run instead of just letting the game come to me. I think that was one of the reasons I didn’t start.”
Now, Barrett feels he’s taking what the defense is giving him. He’s not trying too hard to make a splash; he’s swimming smoothly. He’s leading Ohio State the way he knows how — making smart decisions with the ball, allowing the Buckeyes to ride their rushing attack, develop the play-action passing threat and also “pitch and catch” with receivers down the field.
“That’s how we expect to play,” offensive lineman Taylor Decker said.
It took until Week 8 to do it, but the Buckeyes have found their offensive identity once again. It starts and ends with Barrett under center, just as so much of last year’s success did until his season-ending ankle injury. But this time around, Barrett is the key to the postseason, too.
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