Barrett Breaks Record in Buckeyes' Win

A photo posted by Ohio State Buckeyes (@ohiostatesportsofficial) on Oct 1, 2016 at 10:24am PDT

Kickoff for the Ohio State's 58-0 win over Rutgers was at noon, but the Buckeyes didn't come out to play until about 12:15.

Something that has become all too common for Urban Meyer's squad, Ohio State came out flat for the opening kickoff and for a brief moment, the Scarlet Knights had some life. Driving for 10 plays, 32 yards and reaching their own 45-yard line, Rutgers certainly seemed more ready to play than the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes.


But then the defense woke up.

Ohio State's "Silver Bullets" defense asserted their dominance. That 10-play drive would be about as good of an opportunity as Rutgers would have all afternoon. The Scarlet Knights would finish the day with just 107 total yards and only nine first downs.

Offensively, however, J.T. Barrett and company took a little bit longer to come together. At the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes were up a measly six points. But a 24-point second quarter all but ended the game. Ohio State's relentless rally was highlighted by Barrett's record-setting touchdown pass to tight end Marcus Baugh.

By the time the third quarter had come to an end, the Buckeyes' backups were in. Ohio State put up 21 more unanswered points, highlight by Mike Weber Jr's touchdown run. Weber Jr. didn't see the ball much, but we he made the most of his touches with 144 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown.

🏈👀DOUBLE TAKE🏈👀
Who's house? @mikeweberjr's house! @OhioStateFB races ahead 36-0 just out of the half #GoBucks https://t.co/T7DNiubWkK

— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) October 1, 2016

Despite a sluggish first quarter, the Buckeyes still dominated offensively, even late in the second half when we got an opportunity to watch the future of Ohio State football play as the backups took the field for some reps.

GAME BALLS

J.T. Barrett: On a day when he set the record for the most touchdown passes in school history, hard not to give the signal caller a nod. Despite an early interception, Barrett still put together a solid performance, throwing for 238 yards and four touchdowns with 46 more yards on the ground.

Curtis Samuel: Samuel is one of the least talked about players on the Buckeyes talented offense, but he might be the most versatile. Productive in both the running and the passing game, Samuel had himself a game on Saturday. The senior carried the ball for 68 yards on nine attempts and had seven receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for play three quarters of a game.

Marshon Lattimore: Just one small part of a Buckeyes secondary that has become quite impressive, Lattimore's coverage was tight and he played the well when thrown his way. To bring the Scarlet Knights only legitimate drive to an end, Lattimore broke up what seemed to be 20-plus yard pass play.

The "Silver Bullets": Hard to give just one guy on the Buckeyes' defense a game ball (even though I just did but, hey, he earned it), so they all get one. And just take a look at this boxscore! What more do you need?!

What's Next?

The Buckeyes stay home next week when they welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to Columbus. Indiana plays No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday night, a battle between a pair of 2-1 teams. In 2015, the Hoosiers gave Ohio State quite a challenge, losing to the Buckeyes by just seven points, 34-27. Kickoff will be at 3:30 PM ET from The Horseshoe.