Rutgers made its first-ever trip to Ohio Stadium on Saturday and it surely didn't go as the Scarlet Knights had hoped, as Ohio State rolled to a 56-17 victory in a game that was never in doubt.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUTGERS | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| OHIO STATE | 14 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 56 |
Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett had another outstanding performance, guiding the Buckeyes' offense to 585 total yards as he was 19-for-31 through the air for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Barrett also carried the ball seven times for 107 yards and had a pair of touchdown runs in the third quarter.
The game was never close as Ohio State forced a three-and-out on Rutgers' first possession, then drove down the field for a six-play, 52-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 12-yard pass from Barrett to Nick Vannett for the score. After another stop, Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to finish off an eight-play, 74-yard drive to put the Buckeyes up 14-0 just six minutes into the game.
Vannett added a second touchdown catch early in the second quarter and Elliott had 12 carries for 69 yards in the game as Ohio State led 35-7 at halftime.
The Buckeyes tied a school record with their fourth consecutive game of 500 yards or more and set a school record of scoring 50-plus points in four straight contests.
GAME NOTES
| OHIO STATE | STAT | RUTGERS |
|---|---|---|
| 585 | TOTAL YARDS | 345 |
| 324 | RUSHING YARDS | 149 |
| 40 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 38 |
| 8.1 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 3.9 |
| 4 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 2 |
| 261 | PASSING YARDS | 196 |
| 19—31 | COMPLETIONS—ATTEMPTS | 18—29 |
| 13.7 | AVERAGE PER COMPLETION | 10.9 |
| 3 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 31 | 1st DOWNS | 18 |
| 19 | RUSHING 1st DOWNS | 7 |
| 12 | PASSING 1st DOWNS | 10 |
| 0 | PENALTY 1st DOWNS | 1 |
| 71 | TOTAL PLAYS | 67 |
| 8.2 | YARDS PER PLAY | 5.1 |
| 5-6 | RED ZONE | 2-3 |
| 5-9 | 3rd DOWNS | 3-13 |
| 2-3 | 4th DOWNS | 1-2 |
| 4-28 | PENALTIES | 0-0 |
| 28:34 | POSSESSION | 31:26 |
- With the win, Urban Meyer improves to 38-3 overall and 7-1 at Ohio State when he has more than one week to prepare for an opponent.
- Ohio State's 500-plus yards of offense for the fourth straight game ties the school record with the 1998 team.
- Rutgers totaled 345 yards of total offense as it came into the game averaging 426.7.
- Ohio State has now scored a touchdown on its opening drive in four straight games.
- Vannett's two touchdown catches marked his first multi-touchdown game of his career. He also became the first Ohio State tight end with two TD catches in a game since Jake Stoneburner did it against California in 2012.
- J.T. Barrett completed his first nine passes of Saturday's game. He also completed his final three passes against Maryland, giving him 12-straight completions, which ties a school record.
- Barrett's 107 rushing yards were a career high.
- Barrett was responsible for five touchdowns Saturday against Rutgers, which makes it four straight games he's had a hand in at least four TDs.
- Devin Smith's 42-yard catch in the third quarter was the 100th reception of his career.
