Look out Purdue and Northwestern – Illinois was within eight points of beating top-ranked Ohio State.

This is the same Ohio State team that traveled to Austin and roughed up then-No.2 Texas.

This is the same Ohio State team that has not lost a game since September of 2005 – that loss was 17 games ago against last year’s Longhorns, the eventual national champs.

This is the same Ohio State team that has been ranked in the Top 25 for 23 consecutive weeks, including 11 straight appearances in the Top 10 and 10 straight at No. 1. This team, like the squad in 2002, has a solid defense and an offense that has baffled coaches across the country.

Fans follow this Ohio State team like the Beatles. Memorial Stadium was painted red on Saturday. The Illini saw the largest crowd of the season, 53,351, largely due to the Buckeye fan base.

The Ohio State press conference, moved to a different location in Memorial Stadium because of the high demand for media access, was more crowded than any of Illinois’ press conferences this year at home.

This should have been a blowout comparable to Ohio State’s 40-2 victory against Illinois last year in Columbus, Ohio.

But Illinois showed signs of future greatness in the second half. Illinois out-gained Ohio State, one of the nation’s best offenses, 233 total yards to 224. The Illini scored, period. That’s an accomplishment in itself. Up until the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, the Buckeye defense strung together 11 consecutive shutout quarters.

The Illinois defense continued its turnaround from last season, quieting almost every one of Ohio State’s offensive weapons – including Heisman Trophy frontrunner Troy Smith. Going into the game, outside linebacker J Leman said Smith was the key ingredient in stopping the Buckeye offense. Smith, a dual threat quarterback, clearly showed why Leman was correct. Smith makes the Buckeye offense go.

In the first half, Smith went 10-15 for 99 yards and rushed for another 53. Ohio State was up at half 17-0. In the second half, it was a different story. Leman and the Illinois defense quite possibly put more pressure on Smith than any other team he has faced this season, hurrying him constantly and sacking him three times. Smith had just 16 combined yards in the second half – nine in the air and another seven on the ground. The Buckeyes failed to score after the second quarter. They had scored in 15 straight quarters up until that point.

Smith’s touchdown to interception ratio was 22:2 before Saturday’s game. With no scores and Kevin Mitchell’s interception, the Illinois defense kept Smith in check.

Juice Williams, Illinois’ version of Smith, far from impressed with his performance. But he is gaining experience on the field with every snap. Saturday’s game should only add to his development. Williams might not be at Smith’s level as a freshman, but Williams is already a couple steps ahead of Smith in terms of development – the Ohio State quarterback was unable to get any time at quarterback his freshman year, instead being used primarily as a kick returner. If Williams turns into anything close to Smith, Illinois football will be in good hands.

Illinois’ average margin of defeat has gone from 30 points last season to 12 points this season. Although the losses are still coming, that should be a comforting statistic. The Illini are getting closer.

If anything was taken from Saturday’s surprisingly close loss, those in attendance learned there’s a future for Illinois football. Just ask Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who witnessed it up close.

“They play hard and play tough,” he said. “They are going to be a great team.”

Troy Murray is a junior in Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].