The Battle for the Illibuck No. 1 Buckeyes Capitalize on Illini Turnovers for 34-16 Victory |
The Illibuck will remain in Columbus following yesterday's 34-16 road victory over No. 17 Illinois, marking the Buckeyes' ninth consecutive win over the Fighting Illini dating back to 2008. Special teams helped the Scarlet and Gray get on the board early with kicker Jayden Fielding connecting on a pair of first half field goals. From there, the Ohio State offense started rolling with Julian Sayin completing 19-of-27 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns through the air to Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson. CJ Donaldson added to the offensive attack, punching the ball into the end zone twice from within the Illinois five-yard line.
On the other side of the ball, Arvell Reese and the Silver Bullets continued its dominance against the run — holding Illinois to just 47 rushing yards on 27 attempts. The Buckeyes' defensive unit went on to rack up six tackles-for-loss and four sacks while also forcing two Illinois fumbles and an interception which the Ohio State offense took advantage of with touchdowns after each miscue. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes (6-0) will remain on the road next weekend to battle the Wisconsin Badgers (2-4) in Madison for a 3:30 p.m. kick on CBS Sports.
|
