Rutgers Scarlet Knights could present a formidable opponent for the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
In a matchup between two of the top 10 national defences in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Rutgers Scarlet Knights will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey on Saturday.
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With junior running back Kyle Monangai, Rutgers is as good on the ground as anyone in the Big Ten, despite their struggles passing the ball this season. Their secondary rivals the nation’s best passing defences on the other side of the ball.
With the possible exception of the run game, Ohio State has been on par with or better in every aspect; however, they recently welcomed back junior TreVeyon Henderson. The junior quarterback Kyle McCord and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. lead the Buckeyes’ passing attack, which is ranked first in the conference and fifteenth in the country.
It keeps the noise out and carries on with its ground assault.
Henderson made up for McCord’s subpar performance in Wisconsin on Saturday by exploding for 200 scrimmage yards following three games missed. Due to his ankle injury and the fact that he will be facing one of the nation’s top five passing defences this week, McCord may struggle once more.
It continues its ground attack while keeping the noise at bay.
After missing three games, Henderson made up for McCord’s poor performance in Wisconsin on Saturday by exploding for 200 scrimmage yards. McCord might struggle again because of his ankle injury and the fact that he will be playing against one of the top five passing defences in the country this week.
Win for Rutgers if…
It modifies its defensive strategy.
This season, there’s a reason the Knights have held up one of the best secondaries in the nation. They haven’t yet encountered a receiver like Harrison of Ohio State, though.
Even with their best efforts, junior safety and cornerback Robert Longerbeam and Dixon might not be able to contain Harrison. However, Ohio State possesses a sufficient number of excellent pass-catchers, so it would be a victory if they were to shut down a few.
Tyreem Powell, a linebacker, has been another strong point for this defence and is expected to contribute on Saturday.
Rutgers has a chance to pull off an upset this weekend despite being huge underdogs. Based on statistics, they have one of Ohio State’s best secondary units to date, if not the best, and they should definitely make things difficult for McCord.
