Conquer the Knights: Ohio State – Rutgers Preview

Fresh off their non-conference schedule and a bye week, No. 2 The Ohio State University Buckeyes (4-0) return to the field to begin conference play. I wonder which long-standing Midwest rival awaits them. Illinois? Purdue? Wait… the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-2, 0-1)? At least once a month I forget that Rutgers and Maryland are in the Big Ten, and I am always disappointed to remember that they did in fact join the conference in 2014.

Geography placed them in the East Division with Ohio State and the schedule makers pegged them for October 1. Ohio State has encountered no trouble against their new conference mates in their first two meetings. The 2014 Buckeyes crushed the Knights, 56-17, in Columbus. Last season the Bucks smothered their hosts in a 49-7 victory. If Ohio State is the gold standard for continued excellence in the Big Ten then Rutgers and Purdue are engaged in a race to the bottom of the conference table.

Rutgers’ 2016 season is off to a rocky start. In their opening week the Knights flew cross country to receive a five touchdown smackdown from Washington. Rutgers rebounded to beat Howard (an FCS school) and New Mexico State (Mountain West). In their Big Ten opener the Scarlet Knights gave Iowa a scare at home before dropping a 14-7 decision.

The 2016-17 school year marks Rutgers’ and Maryland’s third seasons in the Big Ten. So far the Scarlet Knights returns can be generously described as a “rough transition.” Here is a recap of some of their major teams:

Football : 14-15 (4-13 Big Ten)
Men’s Basketball: 17-47 (3-33)
Women’s Basketball: 42-25 (20-16)
Baseball:48-63-1 (16-32)
Softball: 53-53 (19-27)

The football program showed surprising pluck in their first season managing to earn home conference wins against pre-Harbaugh Michigan and Indiana. Last season the Hoosiers again fell to the Knights (the team’s first road conference win), but it was otherwise a minefield of losses to ranked teams often in blowout fashion.

Combined Rutgers is 174-203-1 (62-121 B1G) which is good for winning percentages of 0.461 (0.339 B1G). Of the five major team sports only women’s basketball has a winning conference record, and most of the seasons can best be called “forgettable.” There is certainly hope in New Jersey, but at least in football the club is not on the same level as their peers. The struggles are not doing much to mollify legions of traditional Big Ten fans who were not pleased to see two unrequested schools join the fold. Sure the overall quality of the conference suffers. Sure Ohio State is denied a chance to play a traditional conference rival. But at least Big Ten Network is now available in that oh-so-critical New York media market.

Redshirt junior Chris Laviano leads the Scarlet Knights with 59-of-113 passing, for 647 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. His favorite target is senior Janarion Grant who has pulled down twenty receptions for 210 yards. On the ground expect to see a calvary of Knights tote the rock. Junior Robert Martin has picked up 361 yards in four games with a lone touchdown scamper. Last season Rutgers signed former Ohio State assistant coach Chris Ash to become head coach. Whether or not he will have any advantage against his former boss remains to be seen.

Program of the Week:

Rolling the clock back forty years we come across a pleasant late September date with Missouri. Ohio State’s cheerleaders pose resplendent and at leisure before the big game. Their pom poms serve as a nest for a giant bucke-DEAR GOD! They’ve decapitated Brutus Buckeye! His head lies atop their pile, some kind of mounting for their nut trophy. Look, Brutus appears happy and at peace, clearly he never knew the end was coming. He saw his cheerleader friends and thought nothing was amiss. Then they must have gotten the jump on him and relieved his shoulders of their cargo. Poor Brutus. Let’s pour some out for our dear beloved mascot. No. 2 Ohio State lost the game 22-21, clearly affected by the cheerleaders unexpected treachery.

While Ohio State’s offense put on a show in September, one cannot overlook the other side of the ball. The Silver Bullet defense can only be described as “terrifying.” The defense’s +9 turnover margins is tops in all of Division 1. The ball hawking secondary already has nine interceptions to their name, four of them have been returned for touchdowns. The four housed touchdowns tie the single season record set in 1987 and matched in 1996. We are a fourth done with the season and one more pick-six would set the school record. Impressed yet? If not then consider that the defense has not yet allowed a rushing touchdown all season.

When the schedule for this season was released, no doubt much of Buckeye Nation circled October 1 as an easy win. Rutgers is a long way away from contending for a conference (or for that matter division) title. The presence of former coach Chris Ash will certainly provide an extra line of narrative, but his talent cannot compete with that of his former boss Urban Meyer. Ohio State’s second and third stringers will likely see some time on the field before it is all said and done.