Week 2 is here as Ohio State faces Rutgers in their conference matchup of the 2018 season.

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was named the offensive player of the week in the Big Ten after a monsterous performance. Haskins was 22/30 for 313 yards and five touchdowns and one interception. Against the Rutgers I expect Haskins to add to his resume.

Rutgers only gave up 7 points last week, although they did play Texas State. Going against a quarterback like Haskins I think they’ll struggle early on to find something consistent in stopping Ohio State’s overpowering offense.

One reason I expect them to struggle early is because of the duo the Buckeyes have in the backfield. Mike Weber looked absolutely phenomenal against Oregon State carrying the ball 20 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Dobbins carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards and zero touchdowns.

Ohio State has the balance between Haskins and the duo of Weber and Dobbins to open up plenty of plays down the field. I believe the Buckeyes will do just that today against Rutgers.

Terry McLaurin is one player who really surprised me with his performance against Oregon State. He caught four passes for 121 yards and added two touchdowns. I think it’s pretty clear the Buckeyes will get him the ball early in this game, if they do that, I expect Parris Campbell and KJ Hill to get lots of targets. It should be a good day for the offense of Ohio State.

Lastly, I’m calling out the defense as a unit today against Rutgers. The Buckeyes gave up 31 points to a very mediocre offense last week. Things can change this week by eliminating big plays.

Nick Bosa as always showed up last week. He had two sacks and also recovered two fumbles.

The secondary needs to focus on not giving up big plays, and I think a leader like Kendall Sheffield will help this team in doing just that today.

Prediction?

I expect Dwayne Haskins to once again prove he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the entire nation. His poise in the pocket will open up the run games for the duo in the backfield. As Weber and Dobbins get comfortable, plays down the field will open up for the receivers.

Defensively as a unit the Buckeyes need to eliminate big plays and continue to prove they’re the most dominant defensive line in the country by causing tons of pressure to the quarterback to startle the Rutgers offense early, which leads me to my prediction.

Ohio State: 59

Rutgers: 10