3 observations from Ohio State's blowout of Rutgers

9/9/2018

Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell runs past Rutgers linebacker Rashawn Battle to score a touchdown during the second half in Columbus.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio State made quick work of Rutgers on Saturday, opening a 35-0 halftime lead and romping to a 52-3 victory in keeping the Scarlet Knights without a touchdown for the third consecutive meeting. Three observations from the No. 4 Buckeyes’ dominant romp, which moved the team to 2-0:

■ There’s no quarterback controversy at Ohio State. But perhaps it’s time to insert Tate Martell into the game plan. The backup quarterback was electric against Rutgers, completing all 10 of his passes and leading the Buckeyes in rushing. He provides an added dimension that could give defensive coordinators migraines.

■ Opponents might want to start sticking to receiver Johnnie Dixon like glue. Dating to last season, Dixon has caught 23 passes, with 10 resulting in touchdowns. He led the Buckeyes with 89 yards receiving on four catches. His final destination was the end zone on two of said catches.

■ Remember those long scoring plays for Oregon State? Yeah, there was none of that in this one. The Buckeyes were a rude host, leaving the visiting Scarlet Knights bruised and battered. In some cases that was literal — quarterback Artur Sitkowski was injured before halftime after being leveled by Nick Bosa. The first big challenge of the season comes next week against TCU in Arlington, Texas.

An OSU haiku

A deluge of rain

It couldn’t slow down Buckeyes

Who’s that Urban guy?

Contact Kyle Rowland at: krowland@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @KyleRowland.