Players of the Game from Rutgers football’s loss to Ohio State

Rutgers football had a rough time on Saturday afternoon as they had the unfortunate task of taking on No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus. To no one’s surprise, the Scarlet Knights failed to keep pace with the Buckets and lost 49-10. This is their second straight loss to open Big Ten play after starting the year undefeated through the first three weeks of the season.

For the Scarlet Knights, several issues continue to plague the team against the top program in the Big Ten – penalties, mistakes, and issues on offense especially on the line to name a few. Rutgers did surprise many people as they started the scoring off and took an early 7-0 lead. Quarterback Evan Simon hit Sean Ryan for a 14-yard touchdown before the Buckeyes rattled off 28 unanswered points in the first half.

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Ohio State moves to 9-0 in the all-time series. Rutgers has failed to hold them to less than 49 points in any of their nine contests. Just because the game was out of hand by halftime, doesn’t mean there are not positives to be taken away for the Scarlet Knights. Let’s look at the players of the game from Week 5 matchup

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Player of the Game - Offense

Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch

Samuel Brown V continues to be a bright spot in the Rutgers backfield. The true freshman showed his Philly toughness against Ohio State, fighting to earn every yard. He ran 15 times for 79 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. With the score out of hand, the Scarlet Knights went away from the run early in the second half, otherwise, this would’ve likely been a 100+ yard game for Brown. With performances like this against top competition, he will be a staple in the running game for the next few years.

Player of the Game - Defense

Mandatory Credit: Barbara Perenic/Columbus Dispatch

In a game where you give up 49 points, it is normally tough to pick a standout player from the defense. However, Avery Young did something only one other player has done this season – pick-off C.J. Stroud.

Young had a solid day overall, finishing with five tackles (four solo) and the one interception – his first of the season – and returned it 16 yards before being taken down.

Player of the Game - Special Teams

Once again, the main standout on special teams was Adam Korsak. He continued his impressive collegiate career with five punts for 226 total yards, burying two inside the 20 and continuing his streak of not allowing a touchback.

Honorable mention for the award goes to Aron Cruickshank. He didn’t get a ton of opportunities in the game, but it may have been his best returning game of the season. On two kick returns he total 45 yards, and both returns went for more than 20.

Moment of the Game

The moment of the game is unfortunately an ugly one for both teams. No one will remember the score, but many will remember the fake punt by Ohio State up 39 points in the fourth quarter. Cruickshank was lined up as the returned and took matters into his own hands when he saw the Buckeye punter take off. The receiver/returner was ejected from the game for a late hit and tempers flared from both coaches after the play.

Fortunately, the teams were bale to put it behind them and cameras overheard Ohio State head coach Ryan Day apologizing to Greg Schiano. They spoke and put it behind them, with nothing but positive comments for each other to the media after the game. A classy response from both coaches after a messy situation.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers will look to rebound as head back home to host Nebraska and Indiana in back-to-back weeks. They will need to take advantage against some lesser competition these coming weeks as they have ranked Minnesota and Michigan in the two weeks following. It is early, but they need to take advantage of the opportunities.

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire