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Ohio State downs No. 17 Illinois to claim another top 25 win
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Ohio State football is now 6-0 on the season following a 34-16 win over No. 17 Illinois in Champaign. The Buckeyes used a dominant first half defense and just enough offense to outlast the Fighting Illini on the road.
The Buckeyes have now won 9 straight over the Illini and claim the Illibuck Trophy for the first time since 2017. The Buckeyes also won in 2010, but the win was vacated – the Illini’s last win over Ohio State came all the way back in 2007.
As mentioned above, this wasn’t Ohio State’s best offensive effort. The Buckeyes put up just 272 yards of total offense despite dominating the time of possession. Illinois actually converted more first downs, but Ohio State’s red zone defense wasn’t allowing anything more.
The Buckeyes continued their streak of not allowing a touchdown all the way into the 3rd quarter, until the Illini finally ended it with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to start the 3rd quarter. All in all, the no-touchdown streak lasted 183 minutes of game time, dating all the way back to Week 3 against Ohio.
And while the Buckeyes defense was stout in the first half, Ryan Day may be a little disappointed with the effort he saw in the second half. The Illini couldn’t quite take advantage, but found the end zone twice in the second half. If stuff like this counted, Ohio State just barely won the second half, 14-13.
Next up, Ohio State travels to Camp Randall Stadium to face a struggling Wisconsin squad.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.