No. 11 Ohio State (3-1, 1-0) at Rutgers (1-3, 0-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Line: Ohio State by 29
Series record: Ohio State leads 3-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Ohio State has another weak link after its loss to Oklahoma. It was solid against Army, dominated UNLV and now faces Rutgers, which it beat 58-0 last season. Don’t expect Urban Meyer to take it easy on his former defensive coordinator and current Scarlet Knights coach Chris Ash. Rutgers has been better this season, but it’s unlikely the Scarlet Knights can snap a 15-game Big Ten losing streak.
KEY MATCHUP
Ohio State’s offense against Rutgers defense. Meyer called the Scarlet Knights’ D the most improved he has seen this season. Rutgers is 16th nationally with five interceptions, 27th in scoring defense (18.3 points) and 37th in run defense (118.8 yards). Rutgers CB Damon Hayes is expected to move from slot to the outside with Blessuan Austin out for the season with a knee injury.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ohio State: WR/KR Parris Campbell leads the nation in kickoff return average at 45.6 yards. He has had a return of 40 yards or more in three consecutive games.
Rutgers: LB Trevor Morris led the Scarlet Knights with 12 tackles, including 1½ for loss, against Nebraska last week. He leads the team with 28 tackles.
FACTS & FIGURES: Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano spent 11 seasons as Rutgers head coach. … Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett needs 14 yards of total offense to reach 10,000 in his career. He is also 200 yards shy of catching Art Schlichter as Ohio State’s all-time passing yardage leader. … Ohio State has outscored Rutgers 163-24. … Ohio State is 20-1 in Big Ten road games under Meyer, who is 8-1 against a former-assistant-turned-head-coach. …Rutgers offensive catalyst Janarion Grant missed the Nebraska game with headaches and his status is uncertain. … Rutgers is 0-11 against ranked opponents since the start of the 2014 season. … Scarlet Knights have scored on 14 of 15 trips to the red zone. … The Rutgers offense has held the ball more than 30 minutes in three games, including 38:09 versus Washington.
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