Offense

Quarterbacks: Ohio State senior quarterback Troy Smith is this year’s frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy. Smith has thrown for 1,898 yards and 22 touchdowns on 145-of-214 passing, but his most impressive statistic is that he has only thrown two interceptions all season. Smith has also rushed for 169 yards and one touchdown on 42 carries. Smith is what Illinois freshman quarterback Juice Williams has the potential to be. If Williams continues to develop and improve, fans could be talking Heisman by the time Williams is a senior.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Running Backs: Illinois senior running back Pierre Thomas found the end zone twice last Saturday against Wisconsin, once rushing and the other receiving, as the Illini compiled 121 yards on the ground. Ohio State junior running back Antonio Pittman has rushed for 894 yards on 163 carries and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. But even more impressive is his 10 rushing touchdowns, which is one more than the entire combined rushing attack of the Illini.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Illinois sophomore receiver Derrick McPhearson is becoming more of a threat for the Illini running and catching the ball, but Illinois is still continuing to drop passes. As for Ohio State, they feature arguably the best tandem of receivers in the country in juniors Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez. Ginn leads the Buckeyes with seven touchdown catches while Gonzalez leads the Buckeyes with 621 yards receiving. It’s hard enough to contain one, but containing both of them is near impossible.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Offensive Line: Illinois’ offensive line allowed Wisconsin to put pressure on Williams last weekend and, on the final play of the game, couldn’t prevent the Badgers from sacking the Illini quarterback to kill Illinois’ shot at a hail mary. Illinois has allowed its quarterbacks to be sacked 25 times while Ohio State has allowed only nine.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Defense

Defensive Line: Ohio State has recorded 30 sacks this season. The Buckeyes defensive line is anchored by senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock, who leads the Buckeyes with seven sacks on the season. Illinois’ defensive front played well against the Badgers last weekend, helping hold Wisconsin to less than 100 yards rushing and forcing a fumble that set up an Illini touchdown.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Linebackers: This weekend’s game will feature two of the best linebackers in the Big Ten in Illinois junior J Leman and Ohio State sophomore James Laurinaitis. Leman leads the Big Ten with 10.9 tackles per game and has recorded seven games of 10 or more tackles, including a 13-tackle performance against Wisconsin last week. Laurinaitis leads the Buckeye defense with 75 tackles, including eight tackles for loss. He is also tied for the team lead in interceptions with four on the season.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Secondary: Illinois’ secondary played well last weekend and freshman cornerback Trevon Bellamy recorded his first career interception and returned it 41 yards for an Illini touchdown — the first interception return for the Illini since 2004. But Illinois struggled to stop the pass and gave up a 17 yard touchdown pass. Ohio State’s secondary is a force to be reckoned with. The Buckeyes have 18 interceptions and are led by sophomore cornerback Malcom Jenkins and senior cornerback Antonio Smith. Jenkins leads the Buckeye secondary with four interceptions while Smith is second on the team in tackles with 49.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Specialists (Kickers/Punters): Illinois freshman punter Kyle Yelton struggled with the swirling winds at Camp Randall Stadium last week. Yelton punted the ball six times for 170 yards and averaged just 28.3 yards per punt. Ohio State sophomore punter A.J. Trapasso is averaging 41.5 yards per punt and has buried opponents inside their own 20 yard line 11 times this season.

Advantage: OHIO STATE

Coaching: Illinois head coach Ron Zook is still in search of his first signature win as coach of the Illini. If the Illini pull off the upset over the Buckeyes, Zook will have found the big win he’s been looking for. As for Ohio State, head coach Jim Tressel has already won a National Championship with the Buckeyes, leading his team to the 2002 national title with a perfect 13-0 record. Tressel is 50-13 as the Buckeyes coach and has led Ohio State to two Big Ten co-championships.

Advantage: OHIO STATE