By the numbers: Has Ohio State football ever trailed against Rutgers?

Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

After taking down Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener, Ohio State football returns home Saturday for the last of five-straight games inside Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes will host Rutgers in the second conference game of the season, a team Ohio State has had no trouble with through the first eight games since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten in 2014.

Here's a look at what numbers define Ohio State's matchup with the Scarlet Knights.

Get inside Ohio State football info:Join the Ohio State football insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz and Joey Kaufman

0: Minutes in Ohio State's eight matchups against Rutgers in which the Buckeyes have trailed

Ohio State has dominated each of its eight matchups against Rutgers.

The Buckeyes have won each of its eight meetings with the Scarlet Knights by a combined margin of 428-88, never allowing more than 27 points and never scoring less than 49 points in a single game.

But in those eight games, Ohio State has never allowed Rutgers to take a lead and have not had a tie with the Scarlet Knights other than the opening 0-0.

2,506: Days, on Saturday, since Ohio State last lost to a Big Ten opponent at Ohio Stadium

Ohio State will try and continue a significant win streak at home Saturday afternoon against Rutgers.

The Buckeyes have not lost a home game against a Big Ten opponent since Nov. 21, 2015 when they lost to Michigan State on a game-ending field goal that kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff.

Since that game during the 2015 season, Ohio State has won 27-straight games against Big Ten opponents inside Ohio Stadium.

312.3: Number of passing yards Ohio State averages against Rutgers

Since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014, Ohio State's main offensive approach against the Scarlet Knights has been in the passing game.

Whether it was J.T. Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields or C.J. Stroud, Buckeye quarterbacks have averaged 312.3 passing yards per game against Rutgers, throwing 35 touchdowns — never less than three touchdowns per game — compared to one interception.

Will Ohio State beat Rutgers? Expert Ohio State football predictions for Rutgers game

Three keys for Rutgers: How can the Buckeyes beat Rutgers? Three keys for Ohio State football game

In the past eight games against Rutgers, Ohio State quarterbacks have completed 72.2% of their passes against Rutgers' defense.

3: Ranking of Ohio State's scoring offense heading into Week 5

After leading the country in scoring offense in 2021, Ohio State remains near the top of the list through the first four games of the 2022 season.

The Buckeyes have averaged 48.8 points per game against Notre Dame, Arkansas State, Toledo and Wisconsin, and are currently the third-best scoring offense in the country behind Michigan and Oklahoma State.

Ohio State is also No. 2 in total offense, averaging 558.8 yards per game behind No. 1 Tennessee, and is one of two teams, along with TCU, to average more than eight yards per play.

17.3: Average amount of points Rutgers has allowed through its first four games

Rutgers' defense has showed up through its first four weeks of the season.

Winning three of their first four games, the Scarlet Knights have allowed an average of 17.3 points per game, coming into Week 5 with the 25th-best scoring defense in the country ahead of teams like Oklahoma, USC, Florida State, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

However, Rutgers' defense hasn't faced a significant challenge yet. In their three wins, the Scarlet Knights have allowed 42 points to the No. 110 and No. 117 offenses in the country in Boston College and Temple, along with Wagner, an FCS school. Rutgers also allowed 27 points in its first loss to Iowa: the No. 120 scoring offense in the country.

26.9: Percentage of total completions to Rutgers wide receiver Aron Cruickshank

Aron Cruickshank has been at the center of Rutgers' passing game in 2022.

The fifth-year Wisconsin transfer is the only wide receiver to have more than eight receptions, coming into the Scarlet Knights' matchup against Ohio State with 18 catches for 156 receiving yards and two touchdowns, accounting for 26.9% of the team's total receptions.

Last season, Cruickshank scored a 75-yard touchdown against Ohio State, finishing the game with three catches for 102 yards.

Ohio State football's 2022 schedule

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State vs. Rutgers football by the numbers