Ohio State stays true to its script at Illinois
The Buckeyes' defense somehow keeps getting better and better.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Throw out the Indiana film.
All week, publicly and privately, Ohio State coaches insisted on not showing their players video of Illinois’ 53-point loss to the Hoosiers from three weeks ago.
It was an aberration, they said, a game that was not indicative of what they’d be up against at Memorial Stadium.
This was the Orange Out. It was a sellout. Juice Williams, the man who quarterbacked the Illini past a No. 1 Ohio State team 18 years ago, was the honorary captain.
This was, somehow, the Buckeyes’ first trip here in 10 years.
For as crushing as Illinois’ loss to Indiana was, Bret Bielema’s bunch bounced back a week later with an upset win against USC. Plus, Bielema himself had been a thorn in the Buckeyes’ side during his first go-round in the Big Ten, knocking Jim Tressel’s group out of the national title race in 2010 and running his mouth toward Urban Meyer whenever he had the opportunity.
The only aberration Saturday ended up being the red zone touchdown that Ohio State finally surrendered, the defense’s first of the season. And even that took two trips, four downs and two different backward toss passes from the Illini on the drive’s final play, giving this joint some life in the third quarter of what was an otherwise workmanlike performance from the visitors.
No. 1 Ohio State played up to its reputation, beating a juiced-up Illinois team 34-16. The Buckeyes’ No. 1 scoring defense looked the part, forcing three turnovers, sacking Luke Altmyer four times and suffocating this home crowd via a 20-0 first half lead, a half that once again saw the unit not give up a touchdown. (It was 20-3 at the break.)