Welcome To Week 5: Rutgers
Ohio State’s schedule continues in Week Five with a home matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights as the Buckeyes look to move to 5-0 on the season.
The Buckeyes had a dominant win over Wisconsin, 52-21, to begin conference play this past Saturday. The defense allowed just seven first-half points while the offense – led by quarterback C.J. Stroud – found the end zone seven times against the Badgers.
Wisconsin was predicted to offer at least some resistance to Ohio State, but that did not come to fruition. Now, the Buckeyes will look toward Rutgers on their way through the Big Ten.
Check back every Monday at BuckeyeSports.com for a brief preview of the Buckeyes’ upcoming opponent, with stories and features throughout the week.
OPPONENT: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers got off to a 3-0 start this season – the second time in as many seasons – before dropping a 27-10 game to Iowa this past weekend. The Hawkeyes boast one of the nation’s best defenses early in this season, and while the Scarlet Knights found some success in the passing game with 300 yards from quarterback Evan Simon, the rushing attack faltered, going for just 61 yards on 24 carries.
That was a stark contrast from Rutgers’ other games this season, which has generally seen the Scarlet Knight signal-callers struggle to move the ball. Rutgers started three different quarterbacks through the first three games of the season, with Simon starting the last two and evidently getting into a groove despite the loss.
Even with the defeat to Iowa, the Scarlet Knight defense is still what they are hanging their hat on this season. Rutgers is allowing just 17.3 points per game (25th) and 56.5 rushing yards per contest, the second-best mark in the nation behind James Madison (26.3 rushing yards per game). The passing defense is a bit looser, giving up 193.0 yards per game, though that still ranks 35th in the country.
GAME INFO: Ohio Stadium, 3:30 p.m., BTN
This will be the first 3:30 p.m. kick of the season for Ohio State. The season-opener against Notre Dame, the Week Three matchup with Toledo and last week’s win over Wisconsin all kicked off at night, while the Week Two contest against Arkansas State was a noon kick.
SERIES HISTORY: Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Rutgers has had a tough go of it, specifically against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are an unblemished 8-0 against the Scarlet Knights, with the closest margin a 22-point victory in 2020. Overall, the average margin of victory is 42.5 points for Ohio State.
| Date | Winner | Score | Location |
| Oct. 2, 2021 | Ohio State | 52-13 | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Nov. 7, 2020 | Ohio State | 49-27 | Columbus, Ohio |
| Nov. 16, 2019 | Ohio State | 56-21 | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Sept. 8, 2018 | Ohio State | 52-3 | Columbus, Ohio |
| Sept. 30, 2017 | Ohio State | 56-0 | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Oct. 1, 2016 | Ohio State | 58-0 | Columbus, Ohio |
| Oct. 25, 2015 | Ohio State | 49-7 | New Brunswick, N.J. |
| Oct. 18, 2014 | Ohio State | 56-17 | Columbus, Ohio |
Saturday’s contest will mark the end of the five-game homestand to begin the season. Next week, the Buckeyes will head on the road to face Michigan State, with a game time yet to be announced.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time/Result |
| Sept. 3 | Notre Dame | Columbus, Ohio | W, 21-10 |
| Sept. 10 | Arkansas State | Columbus, Ohio | W, 45-12 |
| Sept. 17 | Toledo | Columbus, Ohio | W, 77-21 |
| Sept. 24 | Wisconsin | Columbus, Ohio | W, 52-21 |
| Oct. 1 | Rutgers | Columbus, Ohio | 3:30 p.m., BTN |
| Oct. 8 | Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| Oct. 22 | Iowa | Columbus, Ohio | TBA |
| Oct. 29 | Penn State | State College, Pa. | TBA |
| Nov. 5 | Northwestern | Evanston, Ill. | TBA |
| Nov. 12 | Indiana | Columbus, Ohio | TBA |
| Nov. 19 | Maryland | College Park, Md. | TBA |
| Nov. 26 | Michigan | Columbus, Ohio | 12 p.m., FOX |
| Dec. 3 | Big Ten Championship Game | Indianapolis, Ind. | 8 p.m., FOX |