The Ohio State Buckeyes overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 35-16.
What did we learn about the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday?
TreVeyon Henderson is Vital for the Buckeyes
After an extended absence, TreVeyon Henderson returned to the field last weekend and was electric. For the second straight game, Henderson proved to be a difference-maker for the OSU offense as he went for 208 total yards and a touchdown to pace the Buckeyes. Marvin Harrison Jr. was held to only 25 yards on four catches, although he did have two touchdowns, which meant OSU needed others to step up. Henderson answered the bell. It was the second game in a row he exceeded 200 total yards of offense, getting involved as a running back and a pass-catcher. This was his third straight 100-yard rushing game, and Henderson accounted for 63% of the Ohio State yardage on the afternoon. He masked a lot of deficiencies for OSU: Kyle McCord, the offensive line’s inconsistent play, and no secondary receiver to help out Harrison Jr. Without Henderson, it’s possible the Buckeyes would have suffered their first defeat.
Silver Bullets Slay the Knights
Ohio State’s offense is not elite. There is enough work and a large enough sample size to definitively say that the Buckeyes have a good but not great offense. In the first six offensive possessions of the game, OSU had only seven points. As has been the case all season, the defense carried the team to a win. Rutgers scored nine points in the first half, with two of the field goals coming off of short fields thanks to OSU offensive blunders. With the Buckeyes trailing 9-7 and Rutgers driving in the third quarter, the defense flipped the game. Josh Proctor tipped a pass that Jordan Hancock then intercepted. The defensive back took the ball the other way for a 93-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes the 14-9 lead. OSU did not look back. Rutgers had six trips to the red zone but scored only one touchdown and had two turnovers.
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Full Speed Ahead to Michigan
The win at Rutgers was the final road trip for the Buckeyes before the November 25 clash at Michigan in Ann Arbor. Ohio State, the No. 1 team in the country, now has home games against Michigan State and Minnesota before the mammoth game against the Wolverines. That game will likely decide the winner of the Big Ten East again. Can Ohio State beat the Wolverines if the offense continues to sputter, particularly in the first half of games? OSU has failed to score more than ten points in the first half of six of the nine games they have played. While the adjustments made at halftime have been successful and have helped keep OSU unbeaten, the Buckeyes will need a complete 60 minutes to have a chance at a win in Ann Arbor. The following two weeks will be about finding ways to achieve offensive success in the first half of games.
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