Ad Disclosure
Final score: Ohio State 52 Illinois 14
Quick recap
From start to finish, it was all the Ohio State Buckeyes. They scored within the first four minutes of the game, on a nine play, 75 yard drive. They would go onto finish the game with a….
Although it was all Ohio State, it doesn’t mean Illinois didn’t show life. The Fighting Illini would open the second half with a scoop and score and would even score early in the fourth with their fourth-string quarterback. But other than that, Illinois was non-existent.
Urban Meyer’s squad would hold the Illini to under 200 total yards and out gain them on first downs 27-5. Plus, offensively, the Buckeyes would rack up 543 yards.
This was the type of performance people expected from Ohio State, as it now prepares for the Michigan game next weekend.
Key play: J.T. Barrett’s 11 yard touchdown pass to Binjimen Victor
The touchdown pass would give the Buckeyes a 28-0 lead before the first quarter ended. Plus, that pass was Barrett’s 100th touchdown pass of his career.
Nothing went right for Lovie Smith and company Saturday night. And how Ohio State scored that touchdown just signified how bad the game would turn out to be for Illinois.
Stat of the game: Illinois 16 yards passing
Remember when people said the Buckeyes’ secondary was the weak link of their defense? Well granted, it was the Illini, but holding Illinois to only 16 yards passing is still impressive for Ohio State.
What it means
The win over the Illini, plus with the Michigan Wolverines losing earlier on Saturday to the Wisconsin Badgers, it means the Buckeyes officially claimed the B1G East title.
Ohio State has rebounded nicely after the loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes two weeks ago. Now, the challenge for the scarlet and gray is to manhandle Michigan next week. If the Buckeyes can do that, they can keep their stock climbing in hopes to somehow make the College Football Playoffs.
For Illinois, this was another learning experience. A lot of young players got time in this contest. Hopefully this loss didn’t damage Smith’s young team that much as they now prepare for the Northwestern Wildcats next weekend.