No. 8 Ohio State bounces back with 38-7 rout of Army

COLUMBUS, Ohio  (AP) – Freshman J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns as no. 8 Ohio State rebounded from a deflating loss to rout Army 38-7 on Saturday.

Dobbins broke away for an electrifying 52-yard touchdown run to open the second half after romping for 22 yards on the previous play, extending Ohio State’s 17-7 halftime lead. The Buckeyes (2-1) then got touchdowns on two of their next three drives to pull away.

J.T. Barrett, the target this week of critics who suggested he should be benched after the 31-16 loss to Oklahoma, was 25 for 33 for 270 yards and two touchdowns, albeit against a less-talented defense than last week.

He looked slick on a drive in the third quarter when he hit Marcus Baugh for 31 yards, then threw a perfect 20-yard scoring strike on a post route to Terry Mclaurin in the end zone. That score gave him 106 touchdowns responsible for in his career, tying him for the all-time Big Ten lead with Purdue’s Drew Brees. He broke the record on the next possession when he tossed a 9-yard scoring pass to Austin Mack.

Army’s triple-option threw off the Buckeyes at times and extended some drives, but OSU’s athletic defensive ends kept it mostly contained. The outmanned Black Knights (2-1) compiled 278 offensive yards but didn’t score after a 3-yard Darnell Woolfork touchdown run in the second quarter.
Up next:

Army: Plays Tulane at New Orleans.

Ohio State: Gets another tune-up game at home against UNLV.