Rutgers football to face Ohio State
The Rutgers football team continued its season last week with a loss against Indiana. After an upset win against Michigan State the week prior, the Scarlet Knights (1-1, 1-1) were defeated by the No. 17 ranked Hoosiers (2-0, 2-0) 37-21. Rutgers fell in the Big Ten standings with its loss and is now tied for third in the Eastern division.
"We'll build this thing the right way," said Knights head coach Greg Schiano, according to Rutgers Athletics. "I believe in our guys. They stuck to the plan throughout. But certainly it's disappointing."
Rutgers looks to bounce back with a win at Ohio State on Saturday.
Once again, senior quarterback Noah Vedral will most likely start. He has completed 61.9 percent of his passes this season for 299 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Junior running back Isiah Pacheco is the Knights' leading rusher with 28 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns this season. He also leads the team with nine receptions, totaling 69 yards. Pacheco will be supplemented by sophomore running back Kay'Ron Adams, who tallied 63 yards and a touchdown in five carries last week.
Rutgers faces its most difficult challenge yet with Ohio State.
Led by Justin Fields, the No. 3 Buckeyes (2-0, 2-0) have won both of their games with an average victory margin of 24 points. Fields, whose performances this season have him ranked second in Heisman Trophy contention, has completed approximately 87 percent of his passes for 594 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.
Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have been on the receiving end of many of those passes, becoming the first pair of Ohio State student-athletes to tally 100 receiving yards in consecutive games.
The Knights could depend on their defense to make the necessary stops to win. Ranked fourth in the nation, Rutgers' run defense has allowed just two yards per carry.
"First off, when we first got here, just a lot of respect for the way (Schiano) went about his business every day," said Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, who coached with Schiano in Ohio, according to Saturday Tradition. "And then when everything went down that summer — leading into taking over for those first three games — in the preseason, he was a huge help to me."
The Knights open the game as 37-point underdogs. Also, the Buckeyes have beaten Rutgers all six times since the Knights joined the Big Ten in 2014.
"I didn't come back here to lose," Schiano said, according to Rutgers Athletics. "I'm not saying we're going to win every game or we're going to win 'em all right away. We're going out there and we're playing to win ... I promised these kids that. As hard as they work, they deserve that."
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