PISCATAWAY, New Jersey — Three observations from Ohio State football’s 52-13 victory at Rutgers on Saturday. 1. Less than a month ago, this Buckeye defense looked absolutely lost on multiple occasions in a home loss to Oregon. By halftime of Saturday’s shellacking at SHI Stadium, that same group — more or less — had come full circle in one important X factor: Confidence. Ohio State’s defense is playing more sure of itself than at any point in the first five games. Once again, the playmaking ability of first and second-year players continues to feed that confidence. Two early plays Saturday set the tone. Last season, Rutgers used trickery on special teams to annoy and frustrate, if not exactly threaten, the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. The Scarlet Knights tried to reach back into that bag at the end of their first possession. Tight end Matt Alaimo, a former quarterback who was…
Continue Reading: Ohio State football’s defensive confidence grows with each new playmaker: Nathan Baird’s observations
