It's safe to say things haven't gone according to plan in Piscataway for Ohio State.
Ohio State is facing its first halftime deficit of the season, trailing Rutgers 9-7 after multiple critical mistakes in the opening 30 minutes.
Things started well for the Buckeyes. After both teams exchanged three-and-outs to start the game, they drove 54 yards in six plays to draw first blood on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gee Scott Jr.
GREAT SCOTT@ohiostateFB is on the board with a STRONG TD grab pic.twitter.com/NVzqfSmW9E
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) November 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Kyle McCord completed his first 11 passes, combining with seven straight completions to end the Wisconsin game that set the Ohio State record for most consecutive completions at 18.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, neither McCord nor Scott stayed so sharp.
With Ohio State up 7-3 in the second quarter, Scott dropped a pass on 3rd-and-5 that would have resulted in a first down if he had hung on.
The Buckeyes then failed to convert a fake punt on 4th-and-5 at their own 30-yard line as Jesse Mirco was tackled after gaining just 2 yards on a run to his left.
Special teams have been bad for Ohio State this season. They just got worse.
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) November 4, 2023
A fake punt gone wrong on 4th-and-5.
Ohio State also got called for holding on the play, but Rutgers declined. pic.twitter.com/k81zN1HyvQ
Rutgers converted the resulting short field into a field goal to cut Ohio State's lead to 7-6, then it was McCord's turn to make his first big mistake of the day.
Attempting to target star wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. on a corner route, McCord didn't see Rutgers linebacker Mohamed Toure lurking underneath and the Scarlet Knight reached up to snag an interception.
INTERCEPTED BY RUTGERS pic.twitter.com/oHA2Blo69K
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) November 4, 2023
Another field goal followed as time wound down to one second in the first half and Rutgers went ahead 9-7 as both teams entered the locker room.
The Scarlet Knights' other field goal came in part due to a 4th-and-1 trick play that caught Ohio State off guard.
Rutgers gets tricky on 4th-and-1.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 4, 2023
: CBS pic.twitter.com/RRBspH4LLf
Rutgers gets the ball first to start the second half. It's the first time Ohio State has trailed to open a third quarter this season, though it was tied with Maryland 10-10 at intermission on Oct. 7.
Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for more updates from Saturday's contest.
