Had Ohio State played as well to start the second half as it did in the first half of Saturday night’s game against Rutgers, the Buckeyes’ starters would have played less snaps than they did against the Scarlet Knights.
After Ohio State took a 35-3 lead into the locker room, the Buckeyes had hoped to put the game firmly away early in the third quarter, after which they would have kept their starters on the sideline for the rest of the night. But the Buckeyes offense struggled to get going in the third quarter, Rutgers made some big plays against Ohio State’s defense and special teams to tighten up the score in a bit, and many Ohio State starters – especially on offense – ended up playing well into the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 49-27 win as a result.