Three Key Stats: Miyan Williams' Big Day and a Stingy Defense Power Ohio State to 49-10 Drubbing of Rutgers

Death, taxes, Ohio State clobbering Rutgers.

The Buckeyes put on a homecoming show, rolling Rutgers 49-10 Saturday, marking the ninth straight game in which Ohio State has hung 49 or more points on the Scarlet Knights, the longest such streak by any team against a single opponent in the AP Poll era.

One Onside Kick

Rutgers actually jumped out to their first-ever lead against Ohio State in this one, capitalizing on a muffed punt from Emeka Egbuka to go up 7-0 just four minutes into the game. Looking to strike while the proverbial iron was hot, Greg Schiano quickly dialed up an onside kick, but Ohio State's Jayden Ballard recovered it, and that was that.

Schiano loves him some trickery, so the onside attempt wasn't a surprise, but it said everything about the uphill climb Rutgers faced. Schiano knew his team faced a massive talent disparity. Ryan Day knew that. Hell, the whole stadium knew it. For Rutgers to have any chance in this one, it would need miracles. It got none.

5 Rushing Touchdowns

Miyan Williams had himself a day.

Making the most of an opportunity for more carries with TreVeyon Henderson sidelined, Williams found the end zone three times in the first half and two more times in the second on the way rushing for a career-high 189 yards on 21 carries Saturday.

The five rushing touchdowns tied the single-game Ohio State record held by Pete Johnson (1974, North Carolina) and Keith Byars (1984, Illinois) and on his 70-yard third-quarter score, he showed excellent speed to complement the elusive yet hard running he showed all game.

In his last two outings, Williams has 290 yards on the ground – at an impressive 9.1 a pop – and seven rushing touchdowns.

2 Big Plays Surrendered

Despite a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, you can't help but think that unit is getting better and better every week.

Saturday against the Scarlet Knights, the Buckeye defense surrendered just two big plays the entire game: an 11-yard run in the second quarter and a 26-yard pass in the third. For context, the Ohio State offense rang up 13 big plays when they had the ball.

The Silver Bullets held Rutgers to 187 total yards (3.3 per play) and a stingy 1/11 on third downs (and 0/2 on fourth downs).

Bonus Stats

Ohio State has won 27 consecutive Big Ten home games, a record for the conference (the streak started with a 58-0 win over Rutgers in 2016)… Ryan Day's Buckeyes have scored 40 or more points in 30 of the 43 games he's coached… Miyan Williams crossed 1,000 career rushing yards Saturday in his fourth 100+ yard game… With two touchdowns against Rutgers, quarterback C.J. Stroud is just one away from tying Justin Fields' 63 career passing touchdowns for second on Ohio State's all-time list… Linebacker Steele Chambers' eight solo tackles were a season-high for the defense… Stroud's 154 passing yards were the lowest of his career as a starter… Ohio State has scored 20 or more points in 66 consecutive games – three off Oklahoma's FBS record of 69-straight games from 2016 to 2021… The Buckeyes have scored touchdowns in 12 consecutive quarters and in 18 of the 20 quarters played this season.