Ohio State Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Rutgers in Week 2

Ohio State football heads into Week 2 feeling pretty good about their performance against Oregon State. Rutgers is next on the docket.

The Buckeyes offense couldn’t be stopped in their huge win against the Beavers. Dwayne Haskins looked like a major player at quarterback, and Mike Weber has fans believing he could be a potential Heisman trophy candidate.

Haskins threw five touchdown passes in the victory, and Weber was able to show how dangerous he can be when 100 percent healthy, rumbling for three touchdowns and 186 yards on the ground.

While the offense looked great, the defense had a few glaring issues that will need to be addressed before the big showdown against TCU in Week 3. Although they scored a defensive touchdown and picked up a couple of sacks, the defensive line could not slow down the Beavers rushing attack.

They gave up 196 yards on the ground and will want to keep Rutgers running back Isaih Pacheco contained after he averaged almost seven yards per carry last week.

While the Rutgers offense has improved, the Buckeye defense should still put in a great performance.

Rutgers took care of business against the Texas State Bobcats, and it was the first time the Scarlet Knights scored more than seven points in their last four games.

Does Rutgers have a realistic shot at the upset? Anything can happen in college football but I think they are still a year or two away from bowl contention.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 8
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Venue: Ohio Memorial Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2GO or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Ohio State will need to get Rutgers into long passing downs to come out with a victory. Yes, they are much more talented on both sides of the ball but don’t think that the defense isn’t vulnerable after last week’s performance.

If the offense can get off to a quick start there isn’t any way Rutgers gets back into it with its lack of firepower on offense, so expect to see Haskins take some deep shots down the field to put the game away early.

If Rutgers wants to pull off the monumental upset controlling the clock is their best option. Staying out of second and long or third-and-long will be the most important part of the game plan.

The Scarlet Knights will also make trips to the red zone end in touchdowns to stay competitive. I would be very surprised if the offense made two or three trips to the red zone and didn’t gamble for a big play on fourth down. The coaches should take the risks and give the team a shot at the victory.

Betting Odds

Courtesy of OddsShark

Point Spread: Ohio State -34.5
Over/Under: 64

Prediction

I’m not expecting any upsets in this one. Ohio State has too many weapons on offense, including two of the best running backs in the conference, for Rutgers to slow them down. Will Haskins throw five touchdowns? It’s possible against this secondary.

Weber will continue to shine and should score two touchdowns early in the first half, and by the second half, the game should be virtually decided.

Unless a lightning delay pops up again the defense will play better, and keep the Scarlet Knights out of the red zone until the second half. It should be a dominating performance by a unit looking to show last week was their only fluke game of the season.

Final Score: Rutgers 10, Ohio State 56