The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Game Preview: Rutgers Needs One, Ohio State Needs Them All
By Zachary Anderson on November 21, 2025





Ohio State has spent the last two months turning Saturdays into routines: suffocating defense, an offense that hits its explosives when it needs them, and a scoreboard that rarely gets interesting in the fourth quarter. At 10-0 and ranked No. 1, the Buckeyes have moved from “how good are they?” to “who can make them sweat?” and Rutgers arrives in Ohio Stadium on Nov. 22 with a far different kind of question hanging over it how to find one more win and keep its season alive.

Rutgers is 5-5, coming off a bye, and sitting on that familiar edge where every snap feels like it carries bowl eligibility with it. The Scarlet Knights opened the year by taking care of their nonconference slate, then hit the teeth of the Big Ten schedule and looked overwhelmed in losses to Iowa, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. But they’ve steadied themselves since, beating Purdue 21-13 and Maryland 38-24, even if they mixed in a 27-6 stumble at Illinois along the way.

That uneven profile is why this feels less like Rutgers trying to “pull the upset” and more like trying to survive the math: Rutgers finishes by hosting a struggling Penn State, and if it can’t steal one of these last two, the postseason disappears.

“We’re not coming to Columbus to sightsee,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said this week. “Our guys understand what’s in front of them, and they also understand what’s at stake for us. You play your best when the margin gets thin.”

The margin is thin for Rutgers, but Ohio State has made margins disappear. The Buckeyes are 6-0 at home, with a résumé that includes a 31-13 win over Texas and recent stress-free victories at Purdue (41-7) and over UCLA (41-17). Ryan Day has sounded less interested in style points than in stacking clean performances, especially with the Big Ten title game looming if Ohio State simply keeps winning.

“The goal is to play our brand for 60 minutes,” Day said. “Rutgers is coached well, they’ll be tough, and we’ve got to bring our edge. This time of year, you’re either getting better or you’re getting exposed.”

If Rutgers is going to make this uncomfortable, it has to do the one thing Ohio State almost never allows: run the football. Antwan Raymond has been Rutgers’ most consistent offensive piece (685 yards, seven touchdowns), and the Scarlet Knights would love to lean on him and shorten the game.

The problem is that Ohio State’s run defense has been historically stingy, 41.9 rushing yards allowed per game, and it has turned opponents into one-dimensional teams by halftime. That puts enormous weight on quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who has struggled when the competition spikes. He’s thrown for 2,073 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and while he can move (354 rushing yards), Rutgers’ passing offense has been the league’s least productive.

That’s why the matchup starts to feel like a bad equation for Rutgers: Ohio State’s greatest strength sits directly on top of Rutgers’ clearest need. And if the Scarlet Knights can’t establish the run, they’re asking Kaliakmanis to win a game on third-and-long against a defense that lives for those moments.
Rutgers does have playmakers who can punish mistakes. Receiver Ian Strong has been a spark when healthy, and DT Sheffield is the type of ball-in-space threat who can turn a routine throw into a problem if Ohio State misses tackles.

But Rutgers also ranks last in the Big Ten in third-down conversion rate (35%) and is negative in turnover margin (-2), two areas where Ohio State has been ruthless. The Buckeyes convert 51% on third down, own a +11 turnover margin, and pair it with the nation’s best scoring defense (11.7 points allowed per game). In other words: Rutgers has to win the “hidden” parts of the game to have a chance, and Ohio State has been dominating those categories all year.

On the other side, the Buckeyes’ offense has enough answers that Rutgers can’t simply sell out to stop one thing. Julian Sayin has been efficient and productive (2,645 yards, 26 touchdowns), and even with Ohio State’s red-zone offense occasionally leaving points on the field, the skill talent has made the overall machine hum.

Jeremiah Smith is the matchup problem every opponent spends all week trying to solve, Carnell Tate has emerged as a steady complement, and tight end Max Klare has become a weekly third-down eraser. If Rutgers loads coverage to keep Smith from flipping the game with one catch, Brandon Inniss and Mylan Graham have shown they can make defenses pay.

The clearest path for Rutgers is to keep the game ugly early, avoid giveaways, steal a possession, and hope Ohio State’s red-zone hiccups show up again. But the longer the Buckeyes keep it clean, the more this turns into what most of Ohio State’s home games have become: a test of discipline, not survival.

Rutgers needs one more win to extend its season. Ohio State needs one more win to keep chasing something bigger. Saturday is where those timelines collide.

Date	Opponent	Stadium	TV	Result
Aug. 30	Texas Longhorns	Ohio Stadium		W, 31-13
Sept. 6	Grambling State Tigers	Ohio Stadium		W, 46-6
Sept. 13	Ohio Bobcats	Ohio Stadium		W, 40-10
Sept. 20	BYE
Sept. 27	Washington Huskies	Husky Stadium		W, 37-16
Oct. 4	Minnesota Golden Gophers	Ohio Stadium		W, 53-22
Oct. 11	Illinois Fighting Illini	Memorial Stadium		W, 38-6
Oct. 18	Wisconsin Badgers	Camp Randall		W, 38-7
Oct. 25	BYE
Nov. 1	Penn State Nittany Lions	Ohio Stadium		W, 31-13
Nov. 8	Purdue Boilermakers	Ross-Ade Stadium		W, 41-7
Nov. 15	UCLA Bruins	Ohio Stadium		W, 41-17
Nov. 22	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Ohio Stadium		12:00 PM
Nov. 29	Michigan Wolverines	Michigan Stadium

[Caesar]

Need to make sure you get a big win here so the level doesn't drop heading into the Michigan game.

[Soapy]

South Florida Bulls 3 at Navy Midshipmen 38

Golesh's parting gift smh

[djp73]

one more game til you lose 2 straight

[toysoldier00]

Need to make sure you get a big win here so the level doesn't drop heading into the Michigan game.

yessir

Golesh's parting gift smh

parting, ain't no parting. Stuck with the guy.

one more game til you lose 2 straight

not sure about all that

[Count]

should be another easy dub here. Just need everyone to stay healthy

[six7]

getting very close to perfection

[toysoldier00]

One Last Walk in the Shoe: Ohio State’s Seniors Take Their Moment Before Rutgers Kickoff

By Colten Brooks on November 22, 2025


Three-year starter at Cornerback Davison Igbinosun is starting his final game in Columbus today.



National signing day The hours before kickoff at Ohio Stadium always feel a little different on Senior Day. The place still hums the same way it always does, the band warming up, the smell of tailgates drifting toward the gates, scarlet and gray moving like a tide down Lane Avenue, but there’s an extra layer to it, a kind of pause in the routine. For one afternoon, the season’s relentless forward motion slows down long enough for Ohio State to recognize the people who made it possible.

That’s what the “walk” really is. It’s not a stat line or a depth chart note. It’s a moment for the seniors to step out onto the field, often with family, and take a snapshot of a life chapter closing in the same place they’ve sweat through winters, bled through August camps, and lived through Saturdays that turned into memories. It’s a reminder that even in a sport built on what’s next, next rep, next drive, next week, some things deserve to be honored right now.

This year’s group spans every corner of the roster, and that’s what makes the ceremony hit. Some names belong to players who have been central to Ohio State’s perfect march into late November. Others are the ones who kept the machine running in less glamorous ways, a snapper whose work only gets noticed when something goes wrong, a tight end who blocks more than he catches, a reserve lineman who has spent most of his career preparing for a moment that might never come.

It’s why watching defensive end Caden Curry take that walk lands differently than reading his production. Curry has been one of the faces of a defense that’s set the tone all season, piling up tackles for loss and sacks and generally making offenses miserable. The same can be said for the veterans next to him in the front seven, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Tywone Malone Jr., plus C.J. Hicks as a pressure piece who’s flashed in his role. Their numbers matter because Ohio State’s defense has mattered, but the ceremony is really about the toll it takes to stack those weeks into years.

On the back end, senior day also hits with a reminder of how many snaps it takes to be steady in the Big Ten. Davison Igbinosun has lived on an island at corner, absorbing the physicality that comes with it. Lorenzo Styles Jr. has been a Swiss Army knife in coverage and support. Keenan Nelson Jr. has carved out his own share of work. And then there’s Sonny Styles, whose growth into one of the most impactful defenders on the roster has felt like a season-long statement.

Offensively, the “walk” includes players whose contributions show up in different ways. Carson Hinzman has been the anchor at center, one of the quiet stabilizers that lets everything else breathe. Ethan Onianwa’s presence up front has been part of why the Buckeyes have kept their offensive floor high even when things have gotten choppy. CJ Donaldson has had his moments as a finisher near the goal line.

Tight ends Will Kacmarek and Bennett Christian represent the kind of depth that keeps an offense functional through a long season, snaps, assignments, unglamorous work that still matters.

And then there are the specialists. Long snapper John Ferlmann. Kicker Jayden Fielding. Positions where your job is to be perfect in brief flashes, and your reward is often silence when you do it right.

Even Tegra Tshabola, lost early with an injury in the opener, is part of the day’s point: Senior Day isn’t only for the people who got to play their full season. It’s for the players who made the journey at all.

Now the ceremony is over, the families are back in the stands, and the game is about to begin. Ohio State can’t afford sentiment once the ball goes in the air, not with goals still in front of it, but for a few minutes this morning, the Buckeyes allowed themselves something rare in this sport: to look back, to say thank you, and to let the seniors have one last walk in the Shoe before the noise takes over again.

Pos	Name	Senior Stats
RB	CJ Donaldson	120 Snaps, 20 Carries, 100 Yards, 4 Touchdowns, 2 Receptions, 7 Yards
TE	Will Kacmarek	190 Snaps, 8 Receptions, 52 Yards
TE	Bennett Christian	121 Snaps, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
OL	Carson Hinzman	599 Snaps, 1 Sack Allowed
OL	Ethan Onianwa	468 Snaps, 2 Sacks Allowed
OL	Tegra Tshabola	32 Snaps, Injured in Season Opener
DL	Caden Curry	486 Snaps, 41 Tackles, 19 TFL's, 9.5 Sacks, 1 PBU, 1 FF, 1 Safety
DL	Kenyatta Jackson Jr.	427 Snaps, 23 Tackles, 8 TFL's, 2.5 Sacks, 2 PBU's, 2 FR
DL	C.J. Hicks	161 Snaps, 10 Tackles, 7 TFL's, 4 Sacks, 1 FR
DL	Tywone Malone Jr.	238 Snaps, 13 Tackles, 8 TFL's, 3 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 Safety
LB	Sonny Styles	379 Snaps, 53 Tackles, 13 TFL's, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, 6 PBU's, 1 FF
DB	Lorenzo Styles Jr.	311 Snaps, 39 Tackles, 3 TFL's, 1 Sack, 1 INT, 5 PBU's
DB	Davison Igbinosun	526 Snaps, 41 Tackles, 1 TFL, 12 PU's, 1 FR
DB	Keenan Nelson Jr.	120 Snaps, 11 Tackles, 2 TFL's, 1 PBU
K	Jayden Fielding	20/21 FG, 2/3 50+FG, 52/53 XP
LS	John Ferlman

[toysoldier00]

should be another easy dub here. Just need everyone to stay healthy

lock it in

getting very close to perfection

the problem is 12 wins is kind of the baseline at Ohio State. The goal is 16 lol

[toysoldier00]

bump