PISCATAWAY, N.J. — This was supposed to be a competitive game.
Sure, Ohio State was favored by just over two touchdowns over host Rutgers. But that's a far cry from the 43-point margin by which the Buckeyes had outscored the Scarlet Knights in their previous seven meetings.
It turned out that not much has changed. Former OSU defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has returned the Scarlet Knights to respectability in his second tour of duty. But Ohio State is still Ohio State, and Rutgers is still Rutgers.
The Buckeyes jumped on the Scarlet Knights early and crushed Rutgers 52-13 Saturday in front of 51,006 at SHI Stadium.
No. 11 Ohio State (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) led 45-6 at halftime after outgaining Rutgers 395-142. Quarterback C.J. Stroud showed no effects from the shoulder injury that kept him out of last week's win against Akron. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 330 yards and five touchdowns before resting most of the second half.
OSU coach Ryan Day said he thought last week's time off and the ability to take a step back and observe might help Stroud. It sure looked like that was the case against the Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2). The redshirt freshman was poised and decisive, showed the ability to move around to create plays, and even displayed a willingness to run.
"I thought he played better tonight and did some good things," Day said.
Said Stroud: "The week off definitely helped me. My man Kyle (McCord) stepped in and did a great job. but it feels good to be back."
Two true freshmen started the onslaught. Running back TreVeyon Henderson's first carry was a 44-yard yard touchdown. That was followed on Rutgers' ensuing possession by a 23-yard interception return for a score by cornerback Denzel Burke to make it 14-0 less than 3½ minutes into the game.
Ohio State kept landing haymakers. After settling for a field goal on its next possession, the Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their next four drives. On the first, Garrett Wilson scored on a 32-yard touchdown in which he caught a short pass and outran defenders down the sideline.
Stroud then threw touchdowns to tight ends Mitch Rossi and Jeremy Ruckert before closing out the half with a dart to Chris Olave in the back of the end zone just before taking a blindside hit.
Henderson carried eight times for 71 yards before entering the medical tent in the second quarter and not returning.
“He should be fine,” Day said at halftime. “He just got banged up a little bit.”
Ohio State's defense was almost as dominant as its offense, and that might be of greater significance considering how that unit struggled early in the season. The Buckeyes forced four three-and-outs in the first half. The only blip came when Rutgers' Aron Cruickshank caught a short pass on a crossing pattern and outran the defense for a 75-yard touchdown late in the first quarter to cut Ohio State's lead to 24-6.
Safety Ronnie Hickman, a New Jersey native, was credited with 12 tackles.
In his final drive, Stroud led the Buckeyes on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by an 11-yard pass to Olave.
Special teams also got in on the fun. The Buckeyes thwarted a pass on a fake punt on Rutgers' first possession. A year ago, the Scarlet Knights repeatedly used trick plays against Ohio State to turn a 35-3 halftime deficit into a more respectable 49-27 loss.
Later, Haskell Garrett blocked the extra point on Rutgers' first touchdown.
Ohio State backups played most of the second half. The Buckeyes yielded a Rutgers touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
brabinowitz@dispatch.com
@brdispatch
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