Ohio State is eager to get back on the field after its second bye in four weeks.
The No. 13 Buckeyes go for an 18th consecutive Big Ten regular-season victory as they host Rutgers on Saturday in the first-ever meeting between these teams.
“I’m glad it’s here,” Buckeyes receiver Evan Spencer said. “Going through the bye week and having bye-week practices, it’s always good to refine some skills. But game weeks are always different. Everybody’s excited to kind of get going and get back in the groove.”
Ohio State (4-1, 1-0) is looking to pick up where it left off after winning 52-24 at Maryland in its conference opener Oct. 4. J.T. Barrett completed 18 of 23 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns, adding another 71 yards and a score on the ground.
The Buckeyes have averaged 56.0 points during a three-game winning streak, outgaining opponents 1,871-858 in total yardage.
“Once again, I like our team,” coach Urban Meyer said. “We’re certainly nowhere near where we’ll end up, in my opinion. We’re still growing and getting better. We’re a much better team than we were two weeks ago and that’s because you get in the game and gain experience.”
Barrett appears to be getting more and more comfortable. The emerging freshman, who took over under center when Braxton Miller was lost for the year with a shoulder injury, is third in the country with a passer rating of 186.3.
Barrett has completed 75.3 percent during the win streak while throwing 14 touchdown passes and one interception. He leads the conference with 17 TDs passing and ranks second with 270.8 yards per game.
“As far as myself, I’m just trying to get better during the week and not wait until game day to just react to everything,” he said after beating Maryland. “I learn the defense on Tuesday and Wednesday so come Saturday I can have that confidence and go out and play.”
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