Big Win for the Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes picked up right where they left off at the end of Week 1 with a 52-3 win over Rutgers in Week 2. Very similar to last week, the defensive line was dominant, the receivers caught everything thrown their way and the dual-threat of Weber and Dobbins at running back is a luxury. That's not even mentioning Dwayne Haskins going 20/23 for 233 yards and another 4 touchdowns. No interceptions either, by the way. And lastly, Ohio State got some young guys a lot of playing time and the depth of the roster was on full display. 

Takeaways

As the competition gets better, it's still going to difficult to cover Ohio State's wide receivers for four quarters. Oregon State and Rutgers were two opponents that were over-matched and it was evident in many areas of the game, specifically how much time Haskins has had to throw and how open the receivers seem to be. One would assume that will change as Ohio State goes to play TCU in Texas this upcoming weekend and then again going to Penn State on September 29th. Even so, the Buckeyes have so many weapons at the wide receiver position that it's going to be very tough to keep them under wraps for an entire football game. KJ Hill and Austin Mack again showed outstanding hands in the short-range game as possession receivers and Terry McClaurin and Johnnie Dixon get serious looks in any one-on-one situation on the outside from Haskins. Lastly, Parris Campbell is a threat anywhere on the field and it looks like the coaches and Haskins want to keep him involved as much as possible. 

The defensive line showed up in a big way again. Nick Bosa was his usual, destructive self. After a ferocious hit on Rutgers quarterback Artuer Sitkowski at the end of the first half, Sitkowski had to tap out probably just as much mentally as physically. Equally as impressive was interior lineman Robert Landers. His timing on the snap was sharp all day and it created a ton of pressure for the Rutgers offensive line. 

The depth of Ohio State really showed out as the Buckeyes were able to play a lot of the back-ups and underclassmen. Specifically, quarterback Tate Martell was able to play almost the entire 2nd half and finished with an impressive stat-line; 10/10 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown as well as 95 yards rushing. He doesn't have quite the arm that Haskins at the moment. His ball looks little bit more like JT Barrett's coming off his hand. But he's accurate, confident and he's a very shifty runner and looks comfortable throwing on the run. 

First Test Next Week

Journalist and writer Pat Forde wrote in a piece shortly after Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer was suspended for three games that TCU would be America's favorite team heading into their Week 3 match-up. Those who feel that way get their wish on Saturday as Ohio State travels to Texas to play the #15 ranked Horned Frogs.