Noah Ruggles' mullet might be what he's known for, but his effectiveness as a kicker hasn't been talked about nearly enough.
Ohio State's offense features plenty of five-star athletes and big-time players all over the field. The same can be said for the defense. There's a reason so much focus has been placed on those two sides of the ball. That said, don't forget about special teams, which are a huge part of the success of a football team, especially later in the season and postseason.
When the offense stalls out, especially in or near the red zone, Noah Ruggles has consistently been there to make the field goal and give the Buckeyes three points, even if he has been given limited opportunities to do so given Ohio State's greatness on that side of the ball so far this season. That was evident in the win over Iowa this past weekend when the sixth-year senior made all four field goal attempts ranging from 26 to 46 yards, all of which were in the first half of the game. He kicked his way to being named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after his perfect 4-for-4 game against the Hawkeyes.
The Buckeyes are the only FBS team to score every time they've been in the red zone this season, and Ruggles is one part of that equation. In seven games this season, Ruggles has now made all but one of his seven field goal attempts and converted all 47 extra points. Comparatively, he made 20 of 21 field goals and all 74 extra points in 13 games during the 2021 season.
Ruggles had just seven field goal attempts in the first seven games of last season as well and then proceeded to have 14 in the final six games of the season. That alone shows you how important Ruggles’ effectiveness will be as the season goes on.
After being named a first-team All-American by ESPN in his first season as a Buckeye in 2021, plenty of expectations were put on Ruggles' leg heading into this season. He was named a second-team preseason All-American heading into this year, along with a number of other Buckeyes.
The pressure was on, too. Ruggles transferred from North Carolina to Ohio State for his final two years of eligibility prior to the 2021 season. Former USC kicker Parker Lewis transferred to Ohio State this past spring after starting for two years for the Trojans, following a similar path as Ruggles. Then, when Ruggles missed all of spring practice after he was not enrolled at Ohio State for the spring semester, questions about Ruggles even starting for the Buckeyes this fall began, even though he was always expected to return to the team even with his absence.
Ruggles returned to Columbus prior to the season and it appears that the competition only helped him improve and become more consistent.
“He had a really good season last year,” Parker Fleming said in May when asked about the starting kicker job between Ruggles and Lewis. “Something we've talked about a lot is how he can improve off a great season. There are a lot of ways you can. And that's something we've been focusing on throughout the last few months.
"I think all competition is good competition. I think that our job here is to make sure that we get the best out of our players every day. And the motto around here is fight. Fight to be the best version of yourself every day. And in some places, the best possible way to do that is to compete. And sometimes competition against yourself is really good. Sometimes competition against other people brings the best out of everybody. And that's kind of our mindset around here.”
Even with his limited opportunities to prove his worth this season, at least in terms of field goals, his ability to be consistently great even when his leg might be cold will be crucial to Ohio State's success. A difference of a few points might not have mattered in a game so far this season, but come the postseason, Ruggles' ability to consistently make field goals and be a kicker that Ryan Day can rely on could very well determine how far the Buckeyes go.
Even though he has had only seven field goal attempts in seven games, Ruggles' 65 points are the 16th-most in the FBS. After totaling 134 points in 13 games last season, the kicker is averaging 9.3 points per game this season. If Ohio State makes it to the national championship game, that average would give Ruggles around 140 points this season, which would put him fourth all-time in points in a single season in Ohio State history.
| Player (Year) | Points |
|---|---|
| Pete Johnson (1975) | 156 |
| Eddie George (1995) | 152 |
| Keith Byars (1984) | 144 |
| J.K. Dobbins (2019) | 138 |
| Ezekiel Elliott (2015) | |
| Noah Ruggles (2021) | 134 |
| Keith Byars (1983) | 132 |
| Sean Nuernberger (2014) | 128 |
| Sean Nuernberger (2017) | 122 |
| Devin Barclay (2010) | |
| Mike Nugent (2002) | 120 |
| Harold Henderson (1972) |
He also has a chance to finish among the top-10 scorers for a career in Ohio State history in just two seasons. While he’s unlikely to break the record currently held by Mike Nugent (356, 2001-04), he would make the top 10 if he can surpass Drew Basil’s 268 points from 2010-13.
Ruggles proved he could be relied upon on the big stage when he made the game-winning field goal in last year’s Rose Bowl. If the Buckeyes are going to win it all this year, they may need Ruggles to come through in a big spot again, and his track record gives Ohio State reason to be confident he’ll deliver.
