It’s another game week for the Ohio State football team, and this time it’s against a Rutgers team that has been much improved at 6-2. The Scarlet Knights have one of the country’s best defenses and a mobile quarterback that can extend plays and make the Buckeye defense have to be a disciplined, assignment-sound bunch.
It’s always nice to get a perspective of this year’s Ohio State team and what to expect from the opposite sideline, and we are lucky to have a sister site that covers the Scarlet Knights, Rutgers Wire.
We went “Behind enemy lines” with publisher/editor Kristian Dyer to ask him about how Rutgers fans view this game, the Ohio State program, the job Greg Schiano is doing, and more.
Here’s the complete conversation we had with Dyer including his very own prediction on what he thinks will happen Saturday.
On Greg Schiano building the Rutgers program back
Question (Phil Harrison – BW): Greg Schiano has slowly built the Scarlet Knights into a more competitive bunch seemingly year over year. What’s the difference with his approach and how has he done it?
Answer (Kristian Dyer of RW): Schiano is pragmatic to say the least. Helping him with that is the fact that he’s done it before here. It feels a bit like 2005 during his first tenure at Rutgers when things were building up around the program. That next season, they beat a top five Louisville and finished the season ranked.
I am not saying that Rutgers makes a huge leap this year or next year, but I do think they will continue to be more respectable. This is a developmental program, they aren’t going to get the caliber of recruits of Ohio State. But there is a strong, experienced staff here and I think Schiano has things pointed in the right direction.
On how Rutgers fans feel about the job Schiano is doing
Question (Phil Harrison – BW): Greg Schiano has slowly built the Scarlet Knights into a more competitive bunch seemingly year over year. What’s the difference with his approach and how has he done it?
Answer (Kristian Dyer of RW): Last year was a bit of a season of discontent for Rutgers fans who thought the team was going to make a massive step forward. When that didn’t happen, Schiano went into this season a bit on the lukewarm seat. No hot, but a weak start and there would have been a raising of the thermostat so to speak.
I think fans see it in action this year. A strong team with an identity. And the pipeline looks solid too. There is reason for optimism that this can consistently be a bowl team.
On how the Rutgers fan base is feeling about the matchup with Ohio State
Question (Phil Harrison – BW): Where is the Rutgers fan base with this matchup? What is the feeling towards the Ohio State program and how does that compare with Michigan?
Answer (Kristian Dyer of RW): Rutgers has never come that close to beating Ohio State in any years since 2014. So there is a bit of admiration mixed with awe. Ohio State is clearly a dominant program since Rutgers arrived in the Big Ten. Ohio State is the obvious standard here, and the fact that Rutgers beat Michigan once in the Big Ten…and hasn’t done that with the Buckeyes…means that most fans view Ohio State as an almost out-of-reach program.
Michigan is obviously highly ranked and certainly respected. But in 2021 Rutgers almost beat Michigan in the ‘Big House.’ The year before that, Michigan was fortunate to win at Rutgers in triple overtime.
On traditions at Rutgers Ohio State fans may not be aware of
Question (Phil Harrison – BW): Ohio State obviously has its own revered traditions, tell Buckeye fans a couple of the great traditions at Rutgers.
Answer (Kristian Dyer of RW): Rutgers is the birthplace of college football, and there is a nice statue along the ‘Scarlet Walk’ outside the stadium commemorating that game.
Saturday should be a nice day, so visiting fans should be able to enjoy the ‘Boardwalk’ which is a unique set-up outside the stadium. Featuring carnival games and rides and such, the ‘Boardwalk’ is family friendly and made to feel like a trip to the shore. Ohio State fans will enjoy it and have the opportunity to experience something uniquely New Jersey in the process.
A prediction
Question (Phil Harrison – BW): Lastly, time to put it on the line. What’s your prediction for this game? What happens Saturday afternoon?
Answer (Kristian Dyer of RW): Ohio State is good and is very deserving of the No. 1 spot in the nation. Full disclosure, I had Michigan as the top team in the nation in preseason but this Ohio State is even better in my opinion. I have Ohio State 41, Rutgers 13. Ohio State covers but it is a solid game from Rutgers.
We’d like to think Dyer for taking his time to provide some insight on the matchup with Rutgers from a Scarlet Knights’ perspective. If you know someone that’s a Rutgers fan, we highly recommend telling them about Rutgers Wire for the great content Dyer and his team pumps out. And while you are at it. head on over there as an Ohio State fan and see what other things that are being said about OSU and this matchup.
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