Ohio State quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell combined to complete 30 passes and throw just three incompletions in Saturday’s 52-3 win against Rutgers.
With Haskins making just his second start for the Buckeyes and Martell playing in his just second game at Ohio State on Saturday, both quarterbacks had nearly flawless performances. Their 90.9 completion percentage tied the second-best mark in school history, and those 30 completions went for 353 yards and five touchdowns. They also threw no interceptions, while Martell showed his ability to make plays with his feet.
Haskins, who set school records for a quarterback making his first start by throwing for 313 yards and five touchdowns against Oregon State in the season opener, was just as impressive in act two. Ohio State’s No. 1 QB completed 20 of 23 passing attempts for 233 yards – good for the third-highest individual completion percentage for a game in which a quarterback completed at least 10 passes in Ohio State history – and four touchdowns on Saturday, leading the Buckeyes to the end zone on five of his seven drives in the game.
With an offensive line in front of him and receivers around him who he made sure to praise once again in his postgame press conference, Haskins said he felt confident going into Saturday even though it rained in Ohio Stadium for nearly the entire game.
“I felt really good about how it was going to go today,” Haskins said. “Regardless of the rain, receivers did a great job catching the ball, and it's a testament to how good our offense is.”
Acting head coach Ryan Day, who is also Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was pleased with the way Haskins performed once again.
“I think his preparation was good this week, and he came out and played well,” Day said.
Fifth-year senior wide receiver Parris Campbell, who had five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, was also among those who liked what they saw from Haskins.
“He’s an elite quarterback,” Campbell said. “We’re thankful to have him.”
Dwayne Haskins continued to perform up to the hype in his second start on Saturday. Aaron Doster – USA TODAY Sports
Despite the fact that Haskins threw three touchdown passes in Ohio State’s first four possessions – seemingly leaving no reason for the Buckeyes to take him off the field as long as they kept their first-team offense in the game – the Buckeyes decided to put Martell in the game on their fifth offensive series, just as they did the week before, to give him an opportunity to show what he could do. Unlike last week, the Buckeyes kept Martell on the field on 3rd-and-long – 3rd-and-16, to be exact – and he took advantage of the opportunity, completing a 51-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin.
That was a special moment for Martell, as it was the first touchdown of his Ohio State career.
“It was cool going out there with the ones and getting my first college touchdown,” Martell said. “It was really cool.”
Martell was perfect throwing the ball on Saturday, completing 10 of 10 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown – marking the first time an Ohio State quarterback has ever completed 10 passes without an incompletion in a single game.
No matter how well he performs as a passer, though, that might not be a reason for him to see significant playing time against tougher competition, as Haskins has shown himself to be more than capable in that phase of the game.
In the second half of the game, though, Martell showed why he could continue to have a role in the offense all season – even if Haskins continues to pass the ball as well as he has in his first two starts – because of his ability to make electric plays with his feet.
Martell had a scare in the fourth quarter, when he took a hard shot on the sideline from Rutgers safety Damon Hayes and had to stay down on the field for a couple minutes. Martell said after the game that he “couldn’t breathe” after the hit, preventing him from standing right back up.
Once he caught his breath, though, Martell said he was ready to return to the game – missing just one play after the hit – and two plays later, he showed his speed by running all the way to the end zone for a 47-yard touchdown, the first rushing touchdown of his career.
“As soon as I could breathe, I was like, ‘All right, let me up, I got to go back over there, make plays,’” Martell said. “So that's what happened.”
Day said he was “really proud of the way (Martell) jumped right back” into the game after taking that hit.
“Never good to see a guy take a shot like that,” Day said. “Got the wind knocked out, hard shot there, but shows the competitiveness and toughness that we know he has. That was great.”
Martell had another long run of 32 yards on the Buckeyes’ next possession, and finished the game with 95 total rushing yards on eight carries.
There’s no quarterback controversy at Ohio State right now. Even Martell said after the game that Haskins is “obviously” the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, and later said on Twitter that Haskins is "as gifted of a player at quarterback" as he has ever seen.
Two things I forgot to mention in my interview:
— TATE MARTELL (@TheTateMartell) September 9, 2018
1. Coach Day has made me such a better player since I got to OSU. Best coach Ive ever been around.
2. Dwayne makes me a better quarterback. Hes as gifted of a player at quarterback that Ive seen. He pushes me to get better.
But Martell played well enough on Saturday for Ohio State to continue looking for ways to involve him in its offensive game plan, potentially even in more competitive games like that which the Buckeyes will likely face against TCU in Arlington, Texas next Saturday.
“I thought you got a chance to see what Tate can do today, which is great,” Day said. “He can beat you with his feet and beat you with his arm. And that's what makes him a special player.”
Tate Martell showed Saturday why he could continue have a role in Ohio State's offense this season. Aaron Doster – USA TODAY Sports
With Haskins leading the way and Martell mixing in at quarterback, Ohio State’s offense has been nothing short of spectacular in its first two games, scoring 129 total points and accumulating 1,300 total yards of offense.
The Buckeyes will face far tougher defenses than Oregon State and Rutgers, of course, so it’s important to temper expectations and understand that they will likely face more defensive resistance in the weeks to come.
Haskins, however, is looking forward to the challenge, saying after Saturday’s game that he is “very excited” to play TCU.
“We’re going to use this week as a great preparation for TCU on Saturday, and we’re ready for them,” Haskins said.
If anything’s going to slow down Ohio State’s offense at this point, it could be the danger of becoming overconfident. But fifth-year senior wide receiver Johnnie Dixon, who led Ohio State with 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four catches Saturday, said he isn’t worried about the Buckeyes letting their early success get into their heads.
“I think all the guys know that you can’t go into every game with a big head,” Dixon said. “And you can tell just by the way we prepare each week.”
