Ohio State at Rutgers: 10/2/21 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-1) vs Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1)
Game Info: Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 3:30 pm (SHI Stadium)
Betting Odds: Rutgers Scarlet Knights +15 -- Over/Under: 58.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The 11th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to SHI Stadium to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The 11th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes won their 2nd straight game and improved to 3-1 on the season after defeating the Akron Zips, 59-7, this past Saturday. Ohio State allowed Akron to take an early lead, but that was basically the only thing that went wrong for the Buckeyes in this one as Ohio State dominated Akron on both sides of the field and easily pulled away in the 2nd half after going into halftime with a 38-7 lead. Ohio State outgained Akron by a 622-229 margin and won the turnover battle by a 2-1 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Buckeyes was QB Kyle McCord who completed 13 of 18 passes for 319 yards, 2 TD, & 1 INT.
On the season, Ohio State is averaging 43.3 ppg on 559.3 total yards per game (337.0 passing yds/g; 222.3 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Ohio State has been led by the RB trio of TreVeyon Henderson (46 att, 439 yards, 6 TD), Miyan Williams (32 att, 249 yards, TD), & Master Teague III (28 att, 162 yards, 2 TD). QB C.J. Stroud has completed 62.4% of his passes for 963 yards, 8 TD, & 3 INT. Stroud missed last weeks game with a shoulder injury, however, as he was listed as an emergency QB, he should be good to go in this matchup. The top receiving threats for the Buckeyes have been Garrett Wilson (23 rec, 391 yards, 3 TD), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (16 rec, 283 yards, 3 TD), & Chris Olave (18 rec, 255 yards, 3 TD).
Defensively, Ohio State is allowing their opponents to average 23.3 ppg on 410.8 total yards per game (255.5 passing yds/g; 155.3 rushing yds/g).
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights had their 3-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 3-1 on the season after being defeated by the 19th ranked Michigan Wolverines, 20-13, this past Saturday. Rutgers was solid defensively against Michigan, however, could not come all the way back after going into halftime trailing by a 20-3 margin. Rutgers outgained Michigan by a 352-275 margin, however, did lose the turnover battle by a 1-0 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Scarlet Knights RB Isaih Pacheco who had 107 rushing yards on 20 carries.
On the season, Rutgers is averaging 34.0 ppg on 351.3 total yards per game (194.0 passing yds/g; 157.3 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Rutgers has been led by QB Noah Vedral who has completed 67.9% of his passes for 762 yards & 5 TD’s. Vedral is the 2nd leading rusher for the Scarlett Knights as he has 117 rushing yards on 33 carries. The top receivers for the Scarlett Knights have been Bo Melton (24 rec, 253 yards, 2 TD), Aron Cruickshank (14 rec, 104 yards), & Brandon Sanders (4 rec, 93 yards). Leading the way for the Scarlett Knights backfield has been Isaih Pacheco (65 att, 259 yards, 3 TD) & Kyle Monangai (24 att, 78 yards, 3 TD).
Defensively, Rutgers is holding their opponents to an average of 13.5 ppg on 262.8 total yards per game (150.0 passing yds/g; 112.8 rushing yds/g).
The Buckeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games in October and 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Scarlet Knights are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.
Ohio State has struggled a bit defensively this season, however, the offense is still as dangerous as ever as it comes into this game ranked 2nd in CFB in total offense. Rutgers has been solid on both ends of the field, however, have been extremely impressive defensively as they come into this game ranked 7th in scoring defense & 11th in total defense. Ohio State no question should be the heavy favorite here, however, as I think Rutgers is solid on both ends of the field and that they can have some success offensively against the Buckeyes, I think this is just too many points to pass up on when Rutgers is at home. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Rutgers Scarlet Knights +15
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
