Ohio State has now outscored Rutgers 219 to 24 since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten.
Look, we all knew this was going to be a bloodbath, that was no secret. What we didn't know was that Ohio State was going flash the most exciting passing offense its shown since Tom Herman's departure.
This wasn't just your regular annual wrecking of Rutgers, this looked like a Buckeye offense finally finding its form. J.T. Barrett was slinging the ball all over the place with confidence, the receivers were getting all kinds of separation down the field and the play calling seemed near perfect.
All the while, the defense owned Rutgers, not so much as surrendering a single point on the way to a 56-0 shutout victory.
It may not have been an impressive opponent, but this was Ohio State's most impressive game of the season.
Let's debrief.
Quick Breakdowns
Offense
Oh, so you wanted a downfield passing attack?
Ohio State torched Rutgers through the air on Saturday, unleashing a variety of downfield throws.
J.T. Barrett racked up 275 yards and three touchdowns through the air in just over two quarters of action. Barrett had beautiful touchdown passes to Johnnie Dixon and Binjimen Victor, and threw perfect deep balls to those same receivers, though one was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty.
For the first time in a long time, the Buckeyes looked unstoppable on offense. They finished with 628 total yards and 56 points, which is good.
Defense
You can't ask for much more than a shutout.
The Silver Bullets absolutely dominated the Rutgers offense on Saturday, limiting the Scarlet Knights to just 209 total yards on the game despite Rutgers holding possession for over 10 minutes longer than the Buckeyes.
The defensive line was absolutely unstoppable, owning the trenches almost every play. Rutgers was simply outmatched at the point of attack and it showed.
Who Earned a Buckeye LEaf?
Offense: Johnnie Dixon
Remember when Johnnie Dixon exploded for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game and everyone questioned if he would be able to do it in an actual game this season?
Well, I have your answer.
Dixon finished Saturday's game with 115 yards and two touchdowns, and had a third deep touchdown reception negated for offensive pass interference.
When he's healthy, he's lethal.
Defense: Dante Booker
The linebackers really haven't played up to their standard this season and that includes Dante Booker. On Saturday, however, he was the defensive MVP.
Booker led the team with two tackles for a loss, had the team's only sack and came down with a red zone interception in the first quarter. He was flying all over the field on Saturday night.
Plays of the Game
Offense
There's so much beauty in this play – perfect play call, perfect throw, perfectly timed jump, perfect catch, both feet in bounds, touchdown.
This play is a perfect example of the bubble screen opening up the downfield pass. J.T. Barrett pump fakes to C.J. Saunders on the bubble screen and Ben Victor sells it by hesitating for a second, as if he's preparing to block for Saunders.
The only other man in coverage on that side of the field bites down on the bubble screen and Victor has one-on-one coverage with a much shorter cornerback.
Defense
Buckeye fans have been patiently waiting for Dante Booker to make a big play, and he finally came through on Saturday.
Rutgers was in the red zone looking to tie the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter when Tracy Sprinkle tipped a pass at the line that ultimately landed in the hands of Booker for his first-career interception.
It wasn't the most difficult catch, but Booker still showed excellent reflexes and kept Rutgers off the board.
Biggest Surprise
I did not expect the Buckeyes to move the ball through the air the way they did.
That's not to say that I thought the passing attack has been bad the past few games; I love the bubble screens and run-pass options. I think that style of offense really works with the type of players Ohio State has at receiver, and I expected more of that against Rutgers.
But that's not what we saw on Saturday night.
Against Rutgers, the Buckeyes seemed to just let it rip. They slung the ball around the field in a way we haven't seen since the 2014 season. Quite frankly, it was the offense most Buckeye fans hoped to see from the get-go this season.
Jim Tressel's Least Favorite Moment
With the late kickoff, Jim Tressel and his wife, Ellen, decided to enjoy the first weekend of true autumn weather in true Ohioan fashion – by going apple picking.
The pair awoke at 6:30 a.m., threw on their matching sweaters, hopped in their ever-reliable Ford Taurus and were off. After picking a few baskets full, they returned home and prepared a feast of home-made, apple-based desserts.
Jim and Ellen sat down to watch the game with a delicious spread of apple pie, apple sauce, caramel apples, apple turnovers and apple cobbler – it was the perfect evening, and Jim was ready to watch his Buckeyes, led by the perfect player.
Drue Chrisman strolled out to punt for the first time early in the first quarter and Jim's face lit up.
"Sweetheart, did you know nine of his first 10 punts were downed inside the 15-yard line?" He asked his wife enthusiastically.
Chrisman then drilled a punt 51 yards to the Rutgers 11-yard line, and Tressel smiled smugly.
A few minutes later, Chrisman strolled out onto the field again, this time punting from his own end zone – a chance to show off his big leg. Instead, Chrisman shanked it, and the punt went just 26 yards to the Ohio State 33.
"Well, it looks like he was just trying to get it inside the 20, he was just 13 yards too long!" Ellen said with a laugh.
Her husband was unamused.
Biggest Blunder
J.T. Barrett broke loose for a long run midway through the third quarter and as he took the ball to the sideline, Terry McLaurin deemed it necessary to throw a vicious block on a defenseless player, injuring him in the process.
To make matters worse, McLaurin was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play. He racked up 30 penalty yards on one unnecessary block.
Upon review, the officials ruled it was not targeting, so McLaurin was not ejected. However, the 30 penalty yards stood, and it was just a bad look all around.
Underrated Things
Mike Weber's Return
For the first time really all year, Mike Weber was healthy and it showed. He didn't put up huge rushing yards in the game, but he sure found the end zone, scoring three touchdowns on Saturday.
If it were Sunday, I certainly would have wanted him on my fantasy team.
Leading Rushers
Just as everyone predicted, the game's two leading rushers were Demario McCall with 103 yards on 11 attempts and J.T. Barrett with 89 yards on 10 rushes.
McCall had been dealing with injuries most of the season and looked a little hesitant in his limited minutes last week. On Saturday, however, he looked like the GOAT of old, and it was a pleasure to see.
And he even had a score through the air on a beautiful wheel route:
Barrett Joins Elite Company
Speaking of J.T. Barrett, he's now in some pretty elite company.
On Saturday, Barrett became the first Buckeye ever to reach 10,000 yards of total offense, Ohio State's all-time leader in career passing yards, and just the fourth FBS player ever to have 80 passing touchdowns and 30 rushing touchdowns, joining Colin Kaepernick, Tim Tebow and Dan LeFevour.
It was Over When
A Rutgers field goal clanked off the uprights with just under a minute left to play in the fourth quarter. Ohio State escaped Piscataway with a 56-0 win.
Biggest Question Going Forward
Can Ohio State do that against not Rutgers? That was an undeniably impressive performance and the passing game looked better than it has since the 2014 season, but it was against a far inferior team. Can the Buckeyes replicate that offensive performance against Penn State or Michigan?
