Rutgers offense won its share of battles against Ohio State on Saturday

Rutgers scored three touchdowns on Saturday against No. 2 Ohio State.

The 21 points scored tied the most points the Buckeyes have allowed all year in a single game this season and the most they’ve given up against a Big Ten foe.

Entering the game, Rutgers had scored a total of 27 points in five previous matchups with Ohio State.

When Rutgers quarterback Johnny Langan threw an interception on the home team’s opening drive and wide receiver Isaiah Washington fumbled on the Scarlet Knights’ second possession, it looked like Rutgers was going to be in for a long afternoon. In fact, Ohio State scored 14 points off those two turnovers in just seven plays.

But, Rutgers showed fight.

Near the end of the first quarter, Ohio State muffed a punt by Adam Korsak, and Rutgers took over at the Ohio State 33-yard line. Three plays later, running back Isaih Pacheco found a hole on the left side and sprinted hard up the field for a 26-yard touchdown.

“I saw the hole. I pressed the line of scrimmage and accelerated through. The line did a good job of blocking the play up. We executed it perfectly and I finished it out strong,” Pacheco said.

“It was exciting, but I had to act like I’ve been there before, even though I hadn’t scored against them yet. It was my first one. I’m proud of my offensive line for doing a good job tonight. The touchdown motivated everybody like we can do this. We scored 21 points on them and even though the 21 was late in the game, it didn’t matter. We still scored 21 points. We told each other forget the scoreboard and show how much we care about each other and just play hard. That’s what we did.”

Rutgers scored two more times after halftime.

In the third, Langan connected in the air to wide receiver Bo Melton, who came back for the ball and then split defenders while racing into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.

“Johnny was predicting a back shoulder. I was prepared for it. I tried to make a play on the ball and he threw a great ball,” Melton said.

“We have a team that wants to fight. We go out every week and play for each other no matter what the score is and we keep working. Every week I feel like our offense is getting better.”

With 1:09 left in the game, Langan pushed his way through a pile across the goal line for a 1-yard rushing touchdown - the final score of the game. On the play, Langan fumbled, but he had possession of the ball as he went into the end zone.

“I knew for a fact I scored, 100 percent,” Langan said. “I was running off the to sideline saying I scored.”

Pacheco credited the job Langan has done since becoming the starter after the coaching change.

“Johnny’s doing a great job back there. He’s a freshman. He’s doing an awesome job. He’s tough as sh**. He goes out there and works his butt off every day. That’s what I love about him. I’m glad to have him as a brother.”

When interim head coach Nunzio Campanile took over the team as well as the duty of being the offensive play-caller, he tweaked the scheme. There were some growing pains at first and while nobody is going to confuse Rutgers with Ohio State, the offense has shown signs of improvement.

“It’s showing glimpses,” Melton said. “I feel like every week the offense is getting better. We’re just going to keep trying to get better along the defense and keep playing as a team.”

Langan was only sacked just once in the game, which is a big step in the right direction, with or without Buckeyes star, Chase Young.

“It’s a trending thing. We’re really getting a lot better,” Langan said. “We’ve shown a lot of improvement. We’re not ready to pack it up and quit on the season. We’re working hard.”

The Scarlet Knights have two games remaining - one against a more winnable team in Michigan State next weekend at home - and against a ranked Penn State program on the road the week after.

“We just have to come out here tomorrow at practice and be ready to go. We have to focus on Michigan State and go out there and execute and play ball,” Pacheco said.

On Nov. 23 when Rutgers plays the Spartans, it will mark the final game at SHI Stadium for the seniors, and Langan hopes to come out on top in the contest.

“I’m going to do whatever I can to get these seniors another win,” the signal caller said. “I really care about them and it’s for them, really.”

Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.