Illinois is walking straight into the deep end of Big Ten play.
After a 48-10 win over Southern Illinois in Week 3, the Illini head to Columbus on Saturday to face No. 7 Ohio State in both teams’ conference opener.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on FOX, and the Buckeyes are coming off a 59-3 rout of Kent State.
That scoreline is just the latest reminder that Ohio State can still bury teams in a hurry. The Buckeyes opened the year as the nation’s No. 1 team and crushed Ball State 56-3.
Then came the shocker at Texas, where Ohio State carried a 23-3 lead into the fourth quarter before allowing 21 straight points and losing 24-23 on a touchdown with 25 seconds left. Any thought that loss might send the Buckeyes into a tailspin was wiped out quickly by the Kent State game, which was effectively over by halftime with Ohio State ahead 35-0.
So yes, Illinois is facing a team that has shown it can be beaten. It has also shown, just as clearly, that it is still Ohio State.
The engine of the offense is junior quarterback Julian Sayin, who has been ruthless through three games. He’s thrown for 839 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception, and he stayed hot against Kent State by completing 18 of 22 passes for 241 yards and two scores. A week earlier against Texas, he threw for 278 yards.
And then there’s Jeremiah Smith, who keeps turning “productive” into something bigger. Through three games, he has 21 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns.
Against Texas, he had eight receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown. Against Kent State, he added 85 more yards and became Ohio State’s all-time leader in career receiving yards - as a junior.
If Illinois tries to load up on Sayin and Smith, Ohio State has another answer waiting in the backfield. Sophomore Bo Jackson - not that Bo that you know - has rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, while Ja’Kobi Jackson gives the Buckeyes another physical option. Against Kent State, the pair combined for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
The defense has barely blinked, either, even after Ohio State lost eight starters from last season’s unit. Through three games, the Buckeyes have given up just 30 total points and still look stacked across the board.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia deserves a lot of the credit. In his second season in Columbus, he’s bringing NFL experience and two Super Bowl wins as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, and the results so far look awfully familiar.
For Illinois, this is a brutal opening to league play. The Illini’s 3-3-5 defense is still being tested, and it will have to find a way to slow down Ohio State’s run game without letting Sayin and Smith carve up the secondary.
The challenge is obvious: stay upright long enough to make it interesting late. That’s easier said than done, but Ohio State has shown one thing this season - even when it gets hit, it can wobble. Ryan Day’s Buckeyes are 3-4 in one-score games over the past three seasons, and the Texas loss was another example of a big lead disappearing fast.
That gives Illinois a narrow path. The Illini may need something close to a miracle just to be around in the fourth quarter, but if they can get there, the Buckeyes have shown they can feel the pressure. The hard part is lasting long enough to make that matter.
In Other News...
Ohio State Fans Will Notice A Big Schottenstein Change This Season
Ohio State fans heading back to the Schottenstein Center this season will find a noticeably different building. The university completed a $5.2 million renovation that brought in a new scoreboard, larger ribbon boards and an upgraded audio system, giving one of the Buckeyes busiest venues a cleaner, more modern game-day feel.
Mens hockey will get the first look at the new setup on Oct. 23, with basketball right behind it as the mens and womens teams host games in late October and early November. For a building that already serves as a hub for so much Ohio State action, the changes should be hard to miss once the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Next Road Test Just Got A Lot More Real
Ohio State rolled past Kent State 59-3 to move to 2-1, and now the schedule is starting to bring a little more clarity to what comes next. The Big Ten announced that the Buckeyes will host Illinois before heading to Iowa on Oct. 3, a matchup now locked in for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS.
For a team still settling into the season, the timing matters because Iowa has long been one of the conferences more familiar measuring sticks for Ohio State. The series history includes its share of notable games and streaks, which is part of what gives this road trip extra weight even before the Buckeyes get there. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Closing In On A Priority RB Battle
Ohio States win over Kent State pushed the Buckeyes to 2-1, but the weekend also carried added recruiting weight as the program welcomed a wave of official visitors to Columbus. Among the most important names on campus was a 2027 running back who has quickly moved to the top of Ohio States board, giving the staff another chance to make its case in person.
The recruitment remains open-ended, with no commitment date set, but the Buckeyes are clearly in the thick of it and are widely viewed as a leading contender. For Ohio State, landing a back of that caliber would reinforce both the long-term roster plan and the programs ability to keep winning the kind of battles that matter most on the trail. [Read more 🡒]