OSU will stay focused, beat Rutgers

Jai Patel might be one of the best kickers in Rutgers football history. He also has a special place in the history of the very one-sided football series between Ohio State and Rutgers. Going into Saturday's game against Rutgers at Ohio Stadium, OSU has won all 10 games it has played against the Scarlet Knights since they entered the Big Ten in 2014. Ohio State has scored 49 points or more in nine of those games and its average margin of victory has been five and a half touchdowns. That's where Patel enters the story. He didn't kick a game-winning field goal. But he did make a little history. His 20-yard field goal with one second left in the first half gave Rutgers a 7-6 lead in 2023, the only lead it has ever had against Ohio State. Out of a possible 600 minutes on the scoreboard in 10 games against the Buckeyes, Rutgers has had the lead for 5 minutes, 12 seconds. Rutgers' hopes of an upset and its lead disappeared when Jordan Hancock returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown with 9:49 left in the third quarter. OSU went on to win 35-16 in 2023. So, what is going to happen on Saturday when Rutgers (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten) takes on No. 1 Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten)? Ohio State fans are wondering not just what will they see but also who will they see. OSU has played without wide receiver Carnell Tate for the last two games and the Buckeyes' other star receiver, Jeremiah Smith, was held out in the second half of a 48-10 rout of UCLA last Saturday night. Coach Ryan Day hasn't said much about when Ohio State might get its two best receivers back and what he has said was noncommittal. The most optimistic scenario would be both of them playing against Rutgers and playing well, the injuries they're dealing with are not serious and they will be ready for Michigan next week and another College Football Playoff run. Rutgers would have only the slimmest of chances to beat Ohio State with Smith and Tate at full strength and its chances aren't great even if OSU has to play without them. The Scarlet Knights' two Big Ten wins are over Purdue and Maryland, who have combined for one win in 15 Big Ten games. Offensively, Rutgers can present some challenges from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (2,705 yards passing, 17 touchdowns), running back Antwan Rayman (1,000 yards, 11 touchdowns) and three receivers with between 40 and 53 catches. Defensively, though, Rutgers is just really bad. The Scarlet Knights rank No. 108 nationally in scoring defense (30.0 points a game) and No. 120 in total defense (425.5 yards a game). In their seven Big Ten games they have allowed 20, 24, 28, 28, 35, 38 and 56 points. If it has to, Ohio can win this game without Smith and Tate. It doesn't want to have to win that way but it can. Even if Smith and Tate don't play or play only part of Saturday's game, the rest of the things that got OSU to a 10-0 record are still intact. The prediction: Ohio State 35-14.