Ohio State @ Rutgers preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 18, 2014 ) Rutgers 17, Ohio State 56

Sophomore J.T. Barrett takes over as starting quarterback for top-ranked Ohio State as the Buckeyes seek their 21st consecutive victory when they visit Rutgers in Saturday's Big Ten contest. Junior Cardale Jones started Ohio State's first seven games but the offense has been more productive of late when Barrett enters the contest, and that led to coach Urban Meyer naming Barrett the starter on Tuesday.

Barrett finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season but suffered a broken ankle late in the season and Jones seized the opportunity and led Ohio State to the National Championship. Jones won the starting gig by a slight margin at the outset of this season but Barrett began replacing him in the red zone in recent games and has now surpassed him. "J.T. has earned the right to start Saturday at Rutgers," Meyer said on the Big Ten coaches conference call. "It was a difficult decision but red-zone production and third-down production were the two areas that made a difference." The Scarlet Knights may be without senior big-play standout Leonte Carroo - the school record-holder with 28 receiving touchdowns - due to an ankle injury.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Ohio State -21.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten): Barrett had a big outing in last Saturday's victory over Penn State by accounting for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and recording his third career 100-yard rushing performance with 102 yards. Junior running back Ezekiel Elliott leads the Big Ten with 988 rushing yards, has topped 100 yards in 12 straight games and became the ninth player in school history to top 3,000 career rushing yards with 153 yards against Penn State, raising his total to 3,128. Junior defensive end Joey Bosa has been dominating in recent games and ranks seventh in school history with 43.5 tackles for loss while sophomore middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan has a team-leading 67 tackles.

ABOUT RUTGERS (3-3, 1-2): Sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano has thrown 12 touchdown passes, leads the Big Ten with a 69.3 completion percentage, and his 386 yards against Indiana last Saturday marked the fifth-most in school history. Sophomore Robert Martin rushed for a career-best 124 yards and three touchdowns against Indiana and leads the team with 437 yards, slightly ahead of sophomore Josh Hicks (420). Junior weak-side linebacker Steve Longa has 66 tackles - he leads the Big Ten with 11 tackles per game - after compiling a career-best 16 against Indiana, while junior free safety Anthony Cioffi has a team-best three interceptions.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The only previous meeting was last season, when Barrett passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 107 yards and two scores as Ohio State rolled to a 56-17 victory.

2. Top-notch Rutgers junior returner Janarion Grant, who has three career kickoff-return touchdowns and two punt-return scores, is questionable with a lower-body injury.

3. Buckeyes sophomore DE Tyquan Lewis has a team-best 5.5 sacks and is tied with Bosa for the lead of nine tackles for losses.

PREDICTION: Ohio State 40, Rutgers 23