COLUMBUS — Ohio State didn’t just beat Rutgers on Saturday. The Buckeyes treated the No. 1 vs. unranked matchup like a final tune-up before the world’s most-watched November fistfight in Ann Arbor. Final score: 42–9. Final takeaway: Ohio State is very much ready for Michigan Week.
If this was supposed to be a trap game, someone forgot to tell the Buckeyes. They spent the second half ripping off chunk plays, hammering the run game like it was vintage Tresselball with an energy drink, and letting the defense turn Rutgers’ offensive line into a light-contact tutorial. Every unit popped. Every star got theirs. And every Michigan fan watching probably exhaled one long, anxious “oh no.”
Here’s how it all went down in the Horseshoe.
Ohio State opened the game looking like a team that woke up knowing it was better—and played like it. The Bulldogs methodically trudged to the Rutgers one-yard line on the opening drive, and although a fumble kept the scoreboard innocent for a moment, that moral victory lasted about as long as Rutgers’ playoff hopes.
Because from that point on, the Buckeyes imposed their will. Julian Sayin looked calm, sharp, and frighteningly efficient. Bo Jackson ran like he was late for a Black Friday doorbuster. Max Klare turned into the secret cheat code nobody told Rutgers about. Caden Curry spent the afternoon living in the Rutgers backfield like he was paying rent there.
It wasn’t perfect… but it also didn’t have to be.
After Rutgers stuffed a fourth-and-one at their own 29, Ohio State responded immediately: four plays, all run game, all downhill, capped by a Bo Jackson 15-yard score that was basically a running back sermon. OSU up 7–0, and the tone was set.
Caden Curry woke up feeling violent. He had a sack early that forced Rutgers into long downs, and every time Athan Kaliakmanis dropped back, the clock seemed to accelerate like he was playing behind weak WiFi.
Rutgers did manage a 17-play marathon that ended in a Jai Patel 44-yarder, because the Scarlet Knights are committed to being the Big Ten’s No. 1 exporter of moral victories. 7–3.
But give Sayin 98 yards to work with? That man took it personally. In a drive that started on the OSU 2, Sayin hit screens, seams, and crossers like a quarterback assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions. Klare’s 39-yard catch blew the drive open, and Brandon Inniss finished it with a gorgeous over-the-shoulder grab for a 14–3 lead. Cool. Calm. Clinical.
Rutgers tried the two-minute drill afterward. Ohio State tried the “absolutely not” defense. Halftime.
Whatever halftime speech Ryan Day gave, it probably included the words “enough playing around.” Because Ohio State came out and detonated Rutgers over and over again with a run game that looked like a sledgehammer attached to a rocket booster.
Ohio State opened the half with misdirection, motion, and enough carry rotation to keep everybody fresh. Jackson hit chunk after chunk. Klare caught everything. Even when the Buckeyes fumbled (twice), someone else in scarlet and gray was there to scoop it up like they were passing out mulligans.
Then came the haymaker: Curry forced a fumble at the one-yard line, hopped on it himself, and gave Sayin the ball in full “free touchdown” territory. Two plays later, Sayin hit Klare for an 11-yard score. 21–3.
Rutgers blinked. Ohio State responded with a casual eight-play, 70-yard drive capped by Jackson’s second touchdown of the day. The offensive line bullied Rutgers so thoroughly it should count as community service hours.
28–3. Yes, that score again. And the game was effectively over.
By the time the fourth quarter hit, Ohio State was cycling quarterbacks like they were getting reps in a spring scrimmage. Lincoln Kienholz took over and immediately ripped a 22-yard run, followed by a 28-yard burst from Isaiah West, setting up C.J. Donaldson Jr. to walk in untouched for a 35–3 lead.
Even Rutgers’ lone touchdown came with a shrug. Ohio State responded instantly with a 49-yard James Peoples jet down the right sideline that felt less like a run and more like a warning shot to next weekend.
Final score: 42–9. The backups closed it out. The crowd exhaled. The scoreboard operator finally got a break.
13/19, 157 yards, 2 TD
Not gaudy numbers, but the efficiency? Chef’s kiss. Sayin distributed the ball with veteran calmness, and the TD to Inniss was high-level stuff. The dude is ascending at the perfect time.
19 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD
Jackson ran with the balance of a ballerina and the violence of a Dodge Ram commercial. Between him, West, Donaldson, and Peoples, Ohio State’s run game is basically a Hydra.
7 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD
Klare was everywhere—sitting down in zones, stretching seams, breaking tackles. He looked like an NFL draft board influencer today.
6 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery
If Curry wants a second mailbox at the Rutgers 1-yard line, no one should stop him. He lived in the backfield all day.
Ohio State is 11–0, 8–0 in the Big Ten, and headed straight into a heavyweight main event in Ann Arbor next Saturday.
The offense is peaking. The defense is suffocating. The depth is absurd. And the vibes? Immaculate.
Everything has been building to this. The win over Rutgers wasn’t just another November blowout — it was the last rehearsal before the biggest stage in college football. And based on what they just did, Ohio State looks ready to storm into Michigan like it’s the world’s angriest field trip.
If this was supposed to be a trap game, Ohio State didn’t notice. They rolled, they flexed, and they punched their ticket to the biggest showdown of the season with zero hesitation.
Bring on The Game.
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