THE PERTINENT INFO

When: Saturday, October 2, 2021
Where: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
TV: 3:30 // BTN
Announcers: Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis and Rick Pizzo

This will be the eighth time Ohio State and Rutgers have faced each other in football. The Buckeyes hold a 7–0 advantage in the all-time series and are 3–0 when playing the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway.  

Greg Schiano's team is coming off of a 20-13 heart-breaking loss to Michigan. The Scarlet Knights have a +82 point differential, a program best through four games since 2007. 

Below, you will find some interesting facts about the teams, key offensive player stats, coach information and team stats.

THE LAST TIME...

• Ohio State played Rutgers, in Piscataway, the the Buckeyes won, 56-21. 
• The Buckeyes played on October 2nd was 2010. The team defeated Illinois 24-13 in Champaign. 
• The Scarlet and Gray lost the fifth game of the season was 2011. Michigan State beat Ohio State 10-7 in Ohio Stadium.
• Ohio State had four players rush for a touchdown was against Rutgers in 2016.
• The Buckeyes had a 3:30 kickoff on the road was the 56-21 victory at Rutgers on Nov. 16, 2019. 

ON THE HORIZON

• Chris Olave is two touchdown catches away from tying Cris Carter (27) for third on the all-time career touchdown list.
• Olave is 61 yards away from surpassing Dee Miller for ninth on the all-time receiving yardage list.
• Olave is three catches way from being in Ohio State's all-time top 10. 
• Garrett Wilson is four receptions shy of 100 for his career.
• Wilson is 57 yards away from passing Michael Thomas for 20th on the all-time receiving yardage list.

GET TO KNOW RUTGERS

• Rutgers University is located in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, NJ. 
• The university was established in 1766. It was formerly known as Queen's College (1766-1825) and Rutgers College (1825-1925). 
• The Scarlet Knights are 3–1 this season.
• Since joining the Big Ten, Rutgers is 10–52 (.161) against conference opponents.
• The original mascot for Rutgers was named Chanticleer, a fighting rooster. It is believed the school switched to the Scarlet Knight after students complained about being represented by a chicken.
• Rutgers and Princeton played in the first collegiate football game on November 6, 1869. Rutgers won the game by a score of 6 runs to Princeton's 4. The rules of the game were believed to be closer to soccer than the football we are accustomed to.
• Notable alumni are: Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama), Keir Dullea (2001, A Space Odyssey), Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Jane Krakowski (Ally McBeal) Bernard Marcus (Home Depot founder), Ozzie Nelson (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), Matt Pinfield (MTV's 120 Minutes), Bill Rasmussen (ESPN founder), Roy Scheider (Jaws), David Stern (former NBA Commissioner) and Jim Valvano (NC State basketball coach and inspiration of the V Foundation).

STRANGE NEW JERSEY LAWS

You are not allowed to pump your own gas in New Jersey.
This law began in 1949 and is still on the books today. If you're tired of filling up your own tank, a move to New Jersey might be in your future. NJ and Oregon are the last states to have this law.

In Mount Laurel, it is against the law to get drunk and annoy others in your house. 
I have a feeling everybody reading this at some point wishes this was a law in Ohio. Then again, some of you (me) might have been arrested.  

It is illegal to slurp your soup in Ocean City.
And Seinfeld thought the Soup Nazi was tough.

Profanity is not allowed in Raritan.
Well, shit. That's a damn shame. 

You are not allowed to sell ice cream after 6:00 p.m. in Newark, unless your customer has a note from his doctor.
What? I'm guessing there's a shady doctor out there selling dirty notes so the people of the Garden State can get their ice cream fix after six.

It is illegal to annoy someone of the opposite sex.
Lots of couples and married people are in serious trouble.

​TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1. Haskell Garrett had 3.0 sacks against Akron, what former Buckeye has the program record of 3.5 sacks for a DT in a single game?
2. Ohio State has defeated every B1G opponent by double digits with Ryan Day as head coach, except one. Can you name the conference opponent who lost by less than 10 points?
3. The Buckeyes had four different players with a rushing touchdown against Rutgers in 2016. Three of the players were Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Mike Webber, who was the fourth?
4. Can you name the first Big Ten team Rutgers defeated as a member of the conference? 

Answers at the bottom of today's article.

2021 Player Comparison

OFFENSIVE LEADERS
CJ STROUD	963 YDS // 8 TD // 3 INT	PASSING	NOAH VEDRAL	762 YDS // 5 TD // 0 INT
TREVEYON HENDERSON	439 YDS // 9.5 YPC // 6 TD	RUSHING	ISAIH PACHECO	259 YDS //  4.0 YPC // 3 TD
GARRETT WILSON	319 YDS // 3 TD	RECEIVING	BO MELTON	253 YDS // 2 TD
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
RONNIE HICKMAN	33	TACKLES	OLAKUNLE FATUKASI	33
HASKELL GARRETT // TYLEIK WILLIAMS	3.0	SACKS	OLAKUNLE FATUKASI	3.5
RONNIE HICKMAN	2	INTERCEPTIONS	MAX MELTON	2
SPECIAL TEAMS
GARRETT WILSON	1.7 YPR	PUNT RETURNER	ARON CRUICKSHANK	21.3
EMEKA EGBUKA	27.3 YPR	KICKOFF RETURN	ARON CRUICKSHANK	22.0
JESSE MIRCO	44.4	PUNTING	ADAM KORSAK	50.3
6		EDGE	5

 

THE COACHES

Ryan Day

• 26–3 (.947) at Ohio State
• 26–3 (.947) overall

Day's hometown is Manchester, NH. He attended Manchester Central High School and attended college at New Hampshire. Day has been in coaching for 19 years and is Ohio State's 25th head coach. 

Over his three seasons, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have outscored their B1G opponents 822-297. That is an average victory of 46-17. 

After 29 games with Day as head coach, Ohio State has put up a program record 1,326 points. Urban Meyer's teams had 1,204 points after 29 games

 

Greg Schiano

• 74–74 (.500) at Rutgers (12th year)
• 74–74 (.500) overall as a college head coach (12th year)
• 3–7 (.300) in B1G conference play

Schiano played linebacker for Bucknell. He was awarded All-Conference honors during his junior season after he led the team with 114 tackles. Schiano was a captain during his senior season and was named to the Sporting News Pre-season All-American Team. 

The high school ranks is where Schiano started his coaching career. He was an assistant at New Jersey's Ramapo High School in 1988. Schiano then spent one year at each Rutgers and Penn State as a graduate assistant. He was hired as the Nittany Lions' DB coach for the 1991 thru 1995 seasons.

The Bears called on Schiano in 1996 and he remained in the Windy City until the Miami Hurricanes hired his as their defensive coordinator in 1999. Following the 2000 season, Rutgers hired Schiano as the Scarlet Knights' head coach. His best season in Piscataway was 2006. The team started 9-0 and finished the year by defeating Kansas State, 37-10, in the Texas Bowl. The bowl win was the program's first.

In January of 2012, the NFL came calling again. This time, Schiano was hired as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His stint lasted two years and Schiano was shown the door after 11 wins and 21 losses. After the short stint in Tampa Bay, Schiano returned to the high school ranks before joining Urban Meyer's Ohio State staff in 2016.

CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER

• 0.....wins for Rutgers against Ohio State.
• 1.....regular season loss for Ryan Day.
• 2.....Buckeyes national rank in total offense.
• 3......away games for Ohio State in its first four B1G games.
• 4......B1G Freshman of the Week Awards for Ohio State this season.
• 6......PBU for Denzel Burke.
• 8.......plays of 50+ yards for the Bucks.
• 9.......sacks against Akron.
• 10.....receivers caught at least one pass against the Zips.
• 12.....tackles-for-loss by the Buckeyes' defense against Akron.
• 15.....the Buckeyes are 15-0 when starting the season against B1G foes.
• 16.....straight conference wins under Ryan Day.
• 18.....times Ohio State has finished a season with at least 11 wins.
• 19.....consecutive Big Ten wins for the Buckeyes.
• 20.....years Ryan Day has been a coach.
• 22.....consecutive season-opening victories.
• 25.....consecutive games Garrett Wilson has had at least one reception.
• 33.....Ohio State's average margin of victory with day as head coach (32.6).
• 33.....straight seasons ranked in the AP preseason Top 25.
• 35.....completions for C.J. Stroud against Oregon, second most in school history.
• 40.....the number of Big Ten titles the football team has won.
• 46.....returning lettermen are on the 2021 roster. 
• 49.....years Archie Griffin's freshman single-game rushing record stood.
• 70.....yards TreVeyon Henerson blazed for his first touchdown.
• 71.....yards Miyan Williams rumbles to score the Buckeyes' first TD in 2021.
• 85.....the number of yards gained when Kyle McCord connected with Emeka Egbuka.
• 89.....Consensus All-Americans.
• 100...this is the 100th season the Scarlet and Gray have played in Ohio Stadium.
• 132....number of years for Buckeye football.
• 152...the number of years The Ohio State University has been in the education business.
• 170...number of passing touchdowns since 2017 (Ryan Day's arrival).
• 270...rushing yards for TreVeyon Henderson against Tulsa, a freshman record.
• 455...victories for the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium.
• 463...Ohio Stadium victories for the Buckeyes when including the 2010 season.
• 934...number of official wins for the program (we know it's actually 946).
• 938...times Ohio State has been ranked in the AP poll.
• 963...yards Stroud has thrown for in the first three games of the season – the most ever for a Buckeye to start the season. 

2021 Statistical Comparison

OFFENSE
43.2	7th	POINTS FOR	34.0	45th
222.2	18th	RUSHING OFFENSE	157.2	75th
337.0	10th	PASSING OFFENSE	194.0	99th
559.2	2nd	TOTAL OFFENSE	351.2	99th
.533	13th	3rd DOWNS	.426	58th
.923	31st	RED ZONE	.789	94th
DEFENSE
23.2	67th	POINTS ALLOWED	13.5	7th
155.2	82nd	RUSH DEFENSE	112.8	39th
255.5	102nd	PASS DEFENSE	150.0	15th
120.0	48th	PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE	95.7	8th
410.8	89th	TOTAL DEFENSE	262.8	11th
.462	113th	3rd DOWNS	.216	3rd
.867	88th	RED ZONE	.800	56th
SPECIAL TEAMS
1.7	118th	PUNT RETURN	20.1	10th
22.3	49th	KICKOFF RETURN	22.0	50th
42.7	25th	NET PUNTING	48.3	1st
MISCELLANEOUS
+0.3	9th	TURNOVER MARGIN	+1.8	4th
7.3	97th	PENALTIES	3.5	3rd
7		EDGE	11

TODAY'S TRIVIA ANSWERS

Haskell Garrett had 3.0 sacks against Akron, what former Buckeye has the program record of 3.5 sacks for a DT in a single game?

DT David Thompson had 3.5 sacks against Illinois in 2002.

Ohio State has defeated every B1G opponent by double digits with Ryan Day as head coach...except one. Can you name the conference opponent who lost by less than 10 points?

Answer: Indiana lost by 7, 42-35, in Ohio Stadium last year.

The Buckeyes had four different players with a rushing touchdown against Rutgers in 2016. Three of the players were Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Mike Weber, who was the fourth?

Answer: Demario McCall scored on a 20-yard scamper with 3:36 remaining in the third quarters. McCall's touchdown made the score 51-0, the Buckeyes went on to win 58-0.

Can you name the first Big Ten team Rutgers defeated as a member of the conference? 

Answer: The Scarlet Knights defeated Michigan, 26-24, on October 4, 2014.