COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — First, Ohio State provided the opposition in Maryland’s first Big Ten home game two weeks ago.Now the 13th-ranked Buckeyes host Rutgers in its first conference road trip.”That’s another monumental game right there,” said Scarlet Knights offensive tackle Keith Lumpkin. ”It’s a dream to play in that stadium. Some people might find it nerve-wracking or kind of scary. It’s just 100,000 watching me about to kick their team’s butt, so that’s how I see it.”Another week, another milestone and another bit of extra incentive for an Ohio State opponent.But the Buckeyes have their own incentives. They’re seeking their 18th consecutive Big Ten win, which would put them just two behind the conference record set by Ohio State 2005-07.Here’s a look at Saturday’s game from both teams’ perspectives:THREE-GAME STREAKS: Both the Scarlet Knights (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) and the Buckeyes (4-1, 1-0) have won their last three.Ohio State easily beat three overmatched teams, while Rutgers is coming off a victory over another of the conference’s traditional bullies, Michigan.Funny, but that loss by their archrivals got the Buckeyes’ attention.”What caught (our players’) eye is what they did last week,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. ”To watch people storm the field, it caught my eye. I was watching the end of that thing. Our guys will really prepare for this game, I can tell you that.”DUELING QBs: The Buckeyes may have the hottest offense in America these days, averaging 56 points, 35 first downs and 623 yards in its recent win streak.J.T. Barrett, a redshirt freshman who took over when two-time Big Ten player of the year Braxton Miller was lost for the year with a shoulder injury, has thrown 14 TD passes and one interception over that span.”It’s difficult because he can do so many different things,” Rutgers LB Kevin Snyder said. ”He’s a great runner, he can throw the football, he makes great reads it looks like on film and he’s tough to tackle.”The Scarlet Knights have Gary Nova, who was a turnover machine at times earlier in his career but is now more dependable.He’s first nationally in yards per completion (17.2) and is fifth in passing efficiency (170.9). …
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