COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Justin Fields threw five landing passes and ran for another score for that No. 3 Ohio State beat Rutgers 49-27 on Saturday night.
Fields, a 2019 Heisman Trophy finalist, added 24 of 28 passes for 314 yards to his already striking 2020 resume.
Fields threw two landing passes at Chris Olave, with Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson and Jeremy Ruckert receiving assists while the Buckeyes (3-0 Big Ten) played with a little care and withstood a wave in the second half of the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers (1-2) had promising initial training to meet Ohio State’s first score, and had to settle for a 30-yard basket through Guy Fava. At a 35-3 disadvantage at half-time, Rutgers came out and beat the Buckeyes 24-14 in the middle of the moment.
“It’s a two-and-a-half story,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. He said he felt “a little flat” after jumping into the big lead and then not being able to involve Rutgers in the middle of the moment.
Wilson hit six passes for 104 yards to the state of Ohio and Fields finished the passes to eight receivers. Offensive midfielders Master Teague III, Steele Chambers and Trey Sermon ran for 174 yards and Teague scored a touchdown.
Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral, a graduate transferred from Oklahoma, 22 of 33 to 168 yards. Bo Melton put in seven passes for 86 yards.
Ohio State had 517 yards in front of Rutgers’ 373.
“We played the measuring stick in our league at the Big Ten Conference, and we didn’t measure,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “I think we did some smart things. “
FATE
Rutgers: Schiano, a former Ohio State assistant at the helm, had the Scarlet Knights play aggressively, play a tricky time but couldn’t get out of the hole they dug early.
Ohio state: The Buckeyes were careless and trapped in the mud, but Fields can make a difference.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE SURVEY
The Buckeyes beat a team they were destined to beat, which probably wouldn’t impress the electorate very much.
COVIDÉES CONCERNS
Attendance at Ohio’s cavernous stadium was limited due to Big Ten COVID-19 rules, with 1,275 living souls combined among 6,200 cardboard cutouts. Concerns about the virus are unfolding in Ohio, where one-day records of new cases were damaged on Friday and Saturday. More than 10,500 cases were reported state-round during the two days.
Following:
Rutgers: Welcome to Illinois on Saturday.
State of Ohio: Maryland on Saturday.
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