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Ohio State flexed its balance and muscle, steamrolling Rutgers with a dominant rushing attack and a defense that never budged.
After shaking off a slow start, the Buckeyes unleashed a bruising running game that piled up 254 yards and four touchdowns, led by freshman running back Bo Jackson’s 110-yard, two-TD afternoon.
The defense matched that with another smothering performance, holding Rutgers to just 147 total yards and limiting the Scarlet Knights to 5-of-16 on third and fourth down. It resulted in a 42-9 win for the Buckeyes that looked every bit as lopsided as the final score.
Here are my takeaways.
1. Ohio State’s defense is playing national championship football
Since 2006, only five teams have allowed fewer than 7.6 points per game through their first 10 contests: 2006 Ohio State, 2011 Alabama, 2021 Georgia, 2023 Michigan, and this year’s Buckeyes. The last three teams to reach that 7.6-points-allowed benchmark through five-sixths of the season went on to win the national title.
Saturday brought more of the same from Ohio State, which cruised past Rutgers in its final home game of the year.
The Buckeyes’ defense showed their strength again. In the first half, they held Rutgers to just 3-of-9 on third-down attempts and only 76 total yards, even after an early offensive turnover put them in a tough spot.
Ohio State defensive end Caden Curry opened the second half with his ninth sack of the season and a forced fumble inside the Rutgers 5-yard line. The takeaway set up a touchdown that pushed OSU’s lead to 21-3 midway through the third quarter, allowing the Buckeyes to coast the rest of the way with Michigan looming next week.
2. Rutgers hurt itself over and over again
The Scarlet Knights’ defense played its best football in the first half, only to watch the offense fail to score a touchdown.
First, Rutgers forced a fumble from Jackson at the 1-yard line, recovered by linebacker Dariel Djabome. But the offense squandered the opportunity, turning the ball over on downs just five plays later after getting stuffed on fourth-and-1.
Then, on fourth-and-2 from the Rutgers 24, the defense came up with another stop, only to see it erased by one of the most baffling personal-foul penalties of the season. Rutgers defensive end Brandley Weaver was flagged for roughing the passer, gifting Ohio State a new set of downs.
The Buckeyes didn’t waste it. They turned that opportunity into their second touchdown of the day. Despite those mistakes, Ohio State went into halftime leading only 14–3, with just 175 total yards.
Rutgers entered the game allowing 7.5 yards per play, but it held the top-ranked team in the country to only 5.1 in the first half, and if not for those self-inflicted errors, the Scarlet Knights should have been looking at no worse than a one-possession deficit heading into the break.
3. Bo knows rushing
The Buckeyes made running the ball a priority early on, as Jackson had 12 rushes for 75 yards, a touchdown and a fumble in the first half. It was a good start for an Ohio State attack that had topped 200 yards against a Power 4 opponent only once this season.
Jackson kept rolling in the second half, surpassing 100 rushing yards on just 19 carries and adding a second touchdown. Behind their freshman star, the Buckeyes eclipsed 200 rushing yards for the second straight week.
Bo Jackson rushes for a 15-yard TD, giving Ohio State the lead over Rutgers
4. No Jeremiah Smith. No Carnell Tate. That’s a problem.
Throughout the first half, the absence of the nation’s best wide-receiver tandem — Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate — noticeably impacted the Buckeyes’ passing attack, which has been a defining strength of the 2025 team. With his top two targets sidelined, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin rarely attacked downfield and finished 13-of-19 for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Both wide receivers were held out with lower-leg injuries. It was Smith’s first missed game of the season and Tate’s third straight.
Their absence opened the door for Ohio State tight end Max Klare to emerge as Sayin’s top option. Klare became the first Ohio State tight end since 2000 to record three consecutive games with at least five receptions. He finished with season highs in catches (seven), receiving yards (105), and added a touchdown.
Meanwhile, wideouts Brandon Innis and David Adolph struggled to separate against Rutgers’ secondary. For the first time in a while, we saw both the limits of Ohio State’s receiving depth and the true value Smith and Tate bring to this offense.
4 ½: What’s next?
If you don’t know, you don’t know ball.
The Game. Michigan vs. Ohio State. Noon ET. Saturday. FOX.
Tune in.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
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