PISCATAWAY — Any chance Rutgers had at sneaking up on Ohio State was dashed when the Scarlet Knights pushed Michigan State to the brink two weeks ago. Michigan State pulled out that game, 31-24, in front of a raucous crowd at High Point Solutions Stadium. As No. 1 Ohio State prepares to enter a similar environment on Saturday at 8 p.m., ABC announcer Chris Fowler doesn’t expect the Buckeyes, who are favored by 21 points, to take Rutgers lightly. “If you want to get the attention of a top team in the conference, play one of their rivals really tough,” Fowler said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. “I think when Rutgers had beaten Michigan last year the week before they played Ohio State, they were never going to get anything but Ohio State’s A-game. It was, ‘OK, here’s the team that just beat Michigan.’ That gets Ohio State’s attention.” Ohio State dominated Rutgers, 56-17, in last year’s meeting. The Buckeyes are off to a 7-0 start this season, but they haven’t yet recovered the form of last year’s national championship run. Ohio State appeared to turn the corner with a 38-10 thrashing of Penn State last week, and a change to J.T. Barrett as the starting quarterback could further ignite the team. …
Continue Reading: ESPN’s Chris Fowler says Rutgers has Ohio State’s attention
