PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Ohio State moved to 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten on the season Saturday, pummeling Rutgers, 56-0, on a record night from quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Barrett became the first player in school history to account for 10,000 total yards against the Scarlet Knights, and also became the all-time passing yards leader in school history, passing Art Schlichter.
The Ohio State signal caller completed 14-of-22 passes for 275 yards and three scores, two of which went to Johnnie Dixon in the first half. He added 89 yards on the ground on just 10 carries before being shelved midway through the third quarter.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #11 OHIO STATE | 7 | 28 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
| RUTGERS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Barrett connected on touchdown passes of 70 and 39 yards to Dixon and also found Binjimen Victor for a long pass up the Rutgers sideline for 46 yards on a 3rd and 13 in the second quarter.
His third touchdown pass of the night also went to Victor, a 23-yard jump ball in the front corner of the end zone with 8:02 to play in the third quarter.
Dixon finished with three catches for 115 yards and the two scores, all of which tied or marked career highs. He also had a 67-yard touchdown in the third quarter called back due to offensive pass interference.
Buckeye running back Mike Weber earned the most playing time he has had this season, carrying 10 times for 44 yards and three scores, all of which came in the first half. J.K. Dobbins, who started his fifth straight collegiate game, finished with 53 yards on six carries, but did not score.
While Barrett, Dixon and Weber stole the show in the first half, Ohio State's defense also played well, allowing just 77 offensive yards in the first 30 minutes. The highlight for the Buckeye defense was a first-quarter interception by Dante Booker with Rutgers threatening inside the red zone.
Tracy Sprinkle tipped the pass at the line of scrimmage, and Booker was able to make a circus catch at the Ohio State 13-yard line.
| Ohio State | RUTGERS | |
|---|---|---|
| 628 | NET TOTAL YARDS | 209 |
| 286 | RUSHING YARDS | 117 |
| 38 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 41 |
| 7.5 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 2.9 |
| 4 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 342 | PASSING YARDS | 92 |
| 19-30 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 11-27 |
| 18.0 | AVERAGE PER COMPLETION | 8.4 |
| 4 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 24 | 1st DOWNS | 13 |
| 11 | RUSHING 1st DOWNS | 4 |
| 11 | PASSING 1st DOWNS | 7 |
| 2 | PENALTY 1st DOWNS | 2 |
| 68 | TOTAL PLAYS | 68 |
| 9.2 | YARDS PER PLAY | 3.1 |
| 3-3 | RED ZONE | 0-3 |
| 5-11 | 3rd DOWNS | 0-0 |
| 1-2 | 4th DOWNS | 0-1 |
| 10-106 | PENALTIES | 10-80 |
| 24:34 | POSSESSION | 35:26 |
The second half featured much of the same for the Ohio State defense, as Damon Webb collected his second interception in as many games on the first defensive possession of the third quarter.
Both Scarlet Knight interceptions were thrown by Johnathan Lewis, who finished the night with 21 yards on just 3-of-10 passing. Starter Kyle Bolin added 56 yards passing on just 5-of-14 passing for Rutgers.
Rutgers was led on the ground by Miami (FL) transfer Gus Johnson, who finished with 43 yards on 10 carries.
The Buckeyes added a pair of fourth quarter scores, both courtesy of Demario McCall.
Dwayne Haskins found McCall for a 35-yard score on a wheel route out of the backfield before McCall ripped off a 48-yard run with 8:06 to play in the game. The North Ridgeville, Ohio native finished with 103 yards on the ground.
Ohio State played the game without three of their usual players, including a key starter. Defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones did not make the trip to Rutgers after it was announced he suffered a cut in the Ohio State locker room following practice that required stitches.
Safety Erick Smith and reserve running back Antonio Williams also did not make the trip to Piscataway.
Game Notes
- Barrett joined Colin Kaepernick, Tim Tebow and Dan LeFevour as the only FBS players with 80 pass touchdowns & 30 rush touchdowns in a career.
- Barrett also passed former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long on the Big Ten total offensive yards list, moving him into 10th in conference history.
- Weber's three touchdowns were the first of the season and his first since a 30-27 double-overtime win over Michigan in November 2016.
- The Buckeyes amassed 600 or more yards of total offense in back to back games for the first time since 2013 (vs. California and Florida A&M).
- A 13-yard second-quarter completion to Terry McLaurin gave Barrett the school record for career passing yards. He currently stands at 7,563 yards.
- Ohio State’s defense held Rutgers scoreless over the first 15 minutes of the game and has allowed just seven first-quarter points all season.
- The Barrett-to-Dixon 70-yard touchdown in the second quarter was Ohio State’s Big Ten-leading sixth play of 50 yards or more this season.
