Three keys to Rutgers football's road matchup against No. 3 Ohio State
After a tough loss at home against Iowa, the Rutgers football team travels to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to face Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-1) have never beaten the No. 3 Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0) in eight all-time matchups and face one of the best offenses in the nation on Saturday.
Here are three keys to the game.
Who’s getting the start at quarterback?
After three weeks of swapping out snaps between sophomore quarterbacks Evan Simon and Gavin Wimsatt, Simon received all of the snaps against the Hawkeyes (3-1, 1-0) and struggled with the stout defense. Wimsatt and senior quarterback Noah Vedral were both dressed and warmed up pre-game but did not participate due to prior injuries.
As of today, Simon looks primed for another start, but head coach Greg Schiano did not rule out any possibility.
“They are both progressing,” Schiano said regarding Vedral and Wimsatt. “But we'll continue on as we're doing, right. We'll just keep trying to improve with whoever is available.”
Protect the football
The Rutgers defense had a good showing despite the loss, giving up less than 300 total yards on offense and just one touchdown, but turnovers killed the Knights as Iowa recorded two first-half touchdowns off of an interception and a fumble recovery.
Facing an Ohio State team that ranks second in the nation in total offense and has averaged 58 points in its last three games, Rutgers will have to control the line of scrimmage and the turnover battle in order to stay in the game. The Knights will need a near-perfect effort on offense to compete with the Buckeyes.
Keep everyone healthy
Let’s be realistic. Ohio State is one of the best programs in the country, will likely win the Big Ten and reach the College Football Playoff. In addition, it has two players, C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who will likely be taken in the top ten in next year’s NFL draft. The chances of Rutgers winning or even keeping the game close are quite slim.
The Knights need to focus on development and keeping everyone injury-free. This could be a game where much of the depth chart is used and younger players can get experience in the second half. If the circumstances go the right way, Schiano should play for the win but the key focus should be health and growth.
Rutgers and the Buckeyes will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday with the broadcast taking place on Big Ten Network. The radio broadcast will be available on 88.7 WRSU-FM.
“We have lost some really valuable players as was mentioned today to injury, some of them will be coming back as we go,” Schiano said. “Overall, the tide is definitely rising, and we are going out to Columbus to play our very best game since we've been back and see where that puts us.”
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