Matchups

Illinois secondary vs. Ohio State receivers

Ohio State has one of the better offenses in the country. The Buckeyes are near the top of the FBS in nearly every offensive category. They’re No. 1 in first downs offensively, with 281, and in total offense, they come in at No. 3 behind Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Though Illinois has at times lost by large amounts this season, it has generally been due to an inability to get enough stops defensively to make up for a lackluster offense. Preventing Ohio State’s numerous receiving weapons, particularly reception leader K.J. Hill and deep threat Parris Campbell, will be essential if Illinois wants to keep this game respectable. The Buckeyes have spread the ball around a lot this year, as nine different players have caught at least 15 passes, and six of those have caught 20 or more. Jaylen Dunlap, Nate Hobbs, Bennett Williams and Cameron Watkins will have their hands full trying to contain the wealth of weapons J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes possess come kickoff at The Horseshoe on Saturday. Whether or not the secondary group can keep Ohio State in check will play a big part in Illinois having any sort of chance to win this game.

Illinois offensive line vs. Ohio State defensive line

Illinois has struggled offensively this season, ranking 123rd in the FBS for both scoring and total offense. A lot of this can be analyzed as due to the revolving door the quarterback position has been, with Jeff George Jr., Chayce Crouch and Cam Thomas all seeing significant time. But a significant portion of these offensive struggles can also be looked at as a result of the offensive line not being able to protect its inexperienced quarterbacks. The line has had too many holes and too little consistency over the course of the season and has not given George, Crouch and Thomas the time they need in the pocket to pick out receivers and avoid throwing into dangerous coverage. Other times, defenders have burst through immediately and been able to blindside the quarterback for sacks, which is shown by Illinois ranking 127th in sacks allowed. The Illini are also 116th in total tackles for loss allowed, something that has affected the running game’s rhythm and the ability of backs like Kendrick Foster to consistently gain yards on the ground. With sack threats Nick Bosa, who has five sacks, and Tyguan Lewis, who has 4.5 for himself, the offensive line’s ability to protect George, or Thomas if healthy, will be important for the Illini to be able to move the ball at all on offense.

History

This will be Illinois and Ohio State’s 102nd all-time meeting. The Buckeyes have won the last five meetings between the two programs, dating back to the Illini’s 28-21 upset victory over the then-No. 1 Buckeyes.

Did you know?

Ohio State has dominated Illinois in football traditionally, and the Buckeyes even once rattled off 15 consecutive wins against the Illini. From 1968-1982, Ohio State outscored Illinois 564-194 by teams led by Woody Hayes and Earl Bruce. Over that course of time, Illini coaches Jim Valek, Bob Blackman, Gary Moeller and Jim White collectively failed to best the Buckeyes; Blackman and Moeller never beat Ohio State in their tenures as head coach.

Statistical Leaders

Schedule

Illinois: (2-8)

9/2 Ball State – W (24-21)

9/9 Western Kentucky – W (20-7)

9/15 USF – L (47-23)

9/29 Nebraska – L (28-6)

10/7 Iowa – L (45-16)

10/14 Rutgers – L (35-24)

10/21 Minnesota – L (24-17)

10/28 Wisconsin – L (24-10)

11/4 Purdue – L (29-10)

11/11 Indiana – L (29-10)

11/18 Ohio State – 2:30 p.m.

11/25 Northwestern – 3:00 p.m.

Ohio State: (8-2)

8/31 Indiana – W (49-21)

9/9 Oklahoma – L (31-16)

9/16 Army – W (38-7)

9/23 UNLV – W (54-21)

9/30 Rutgers – W (56-0)

10/7 Maryland – W (62-14)

10/14 Nebraska – W (56-14)

10/28 Penn State – W (39-38)

11/4 Iowa – L (55-24)

11/11 Michigan State – W (48-3)

11/18 Illinois – 2:30 p.m.

11/25 Michigan – 11:00 a.m.

Big Ten Weekend:

Michigan v Wisconsin

Rutgers v Indiana

Illinois v Ohio State

Minnesota v Northwestern

Purdue v Iowa

Nebraska v Penn State

Maryland v Michigan State

Eye on the enemy: J.T. Barrett

Fifth-year senior J.T. Barrett has been the Ohio State starting quarterback since the middle of his sophomore season after playing back up to Cardale Jones for the first seven games of the season. Barrett is 26-4 in his career. He has thrown for 6,381 yards, the third best in Ohio State history for 69 touchdowns — the best for the Buckeyes — and rushed for 2,456 for 31 touchdowns. At the conclusion of last season, Barrett was awarded the Big Ten’s Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football. 

Eye on the Illini: Louis Dorsey

True freshman Louis Dorsey made his debut in the Ball State opener and made his first career catch with a one-handed grab. However, the Jacksonville, Florida, native really shined against Indiana during Dads Weekend. Dorsey completed a 77-yard touchdown reception against the Hoosiers, the longest reception in Illini history by a true freshman. This added to his career high of 107 yards in a single game. He has made three receiving touchdowns in his time and has made three receptions in four separate games, including Indiana.