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Ohio State Football: 5 Reasons The Buckeyes Will Beat Rutgers

By Nick Dudukovich

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Sep 19, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes punter Cameron Johnston (95) punts during the second half versus the Northern Illinois Huskies at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

5. Really? Punting!?

Winning the field position battle may have Buckeye fans thinking of the Jim Tressel era, but all kidding aside, if you can bury the other team deep in their territory, you’ve got a good chance to get the ball back and a short field laying in wait.

Think I’m kidding? Just look at the horrific performance of Penn State’s punters last weekend. Chris Gulla and Daniel Pasquariello averaged 35.9 yards on seven punts and landing just one inside the 20.

But the Buckeyes, just like most every other position on the field, are superior at punter as well, with junior Cameron Johnston booting the ball down field. The Australian native does such a great job, the argument could be made that nobody else on the No. 1 ranked team in the country does better at their respective position.

Yes, I meant that to be a little lounge-and-cheek…I mean, who’s going to take Johnson over Ezekiel Elliott.?

But Johnson is still super valuable, and he promises to be again this Saturday in New Jersey.

Consider this: The Buckeyes punted 45 times in 15 games last season, which breaks down to an average of three punts per game.

But this year, Ohio State’s had to punt a little more frequently, with Johnson punting the ball 33 times through seven contests.

This has everything to do with the Buckeyes’ offense not being as sharp. So if Ohio State finds itself in situations where it can’t finish off drives with points, the Scarlet and Gray faithful can take solace in the fact that Johnston, who is averaging 46.3 yards per punt, is going to make the Rutgers’ offense march a long way to earn some points.

Next: Which 4 Teams Would Make The CFP Today?

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