How do the Scarlet Knights stack up against the Buckeyes
In their last road game of the season, Rutgers will have to travel to Columbus to play Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Ohio State is coming off a season where they captured the college football national championship by defeating Notre Dame 34-23.
Since the Buckeyes were national champions last season, a lot of their players made their way into the NFL. That is true for former Buckeye Quarterback Will Howard. After his departure, Ohio State named sophomore Julian Sayin as their starting signal caller after he transferred in from Alabama during the off-season. Last season at Alabama, Sayin threw 12 passes and completed 5 of them. He had 84 yards and one touchdown through the air and 24 yards on the ground. Despite his limited sample size, Sayin is expected to be a star at this level. He was a five star prospect and the No.3 quarterback in the 2024 class coming out of high school.
The Buckeyes also lost their two starting running backs to the draft, meaning that James Peoples and West Virginia Transfer CJ Donaldson will likely be Ohio State’s premier running backs for next season. Last season, Peoples had 49 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Donaldson had 163 carries for 734 yards and 11 touchdowns. They are expected to split carries this season.
With the return of Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State has one of the best Wide Receiver rooms in the country. Last season, Smith had 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. Since his right hand man, Emeka Egbuka, left for the NFL, Carnell Tate is likely to become Ohio State’s No.2 receiver. Last season, Tate caught 52 passes for 733 yards and 4 touchdowns. Junior Brandon Inniss will likely be the team’s slot receiver. He has 15 career catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
The Buckeyes’ top returning production on defense includes linebacker Sonny Styles and Safety Caleb Downs. Last season, Downs recorded 48 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 6 passes defended, while Styles recorded 100 tackles, 6 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. The NFL draft hit the Ohio State defense hard and took most of their senior production; however, the Buckeyes have a lot of talented prospects waiting in the wings as well.
In terms of how Rutgers stacks up to the Buckeyes, this game is one of the two most one sided games in terms of talent that Rutgers will have to play this year. Rutgers’ roster does have more experienced players on it in terms of playing time; however, the Ohio State roster is loaded with talent in every corner. The Knights will have to have a perfect game, along with a few lucky breaks, to have any chance of pulling off an upset here.
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Category: General Sports
