No. 3 Ohio State vs. Illinois Game Preview

Ohio State heads to Champaign, Illinois for a matchup with Illinois for the first time since 2017.

With no more ranked opponents on the schedule, Ohio State heads into the home stretch of the regular season with three games remaining against Illinois, Michigan State and Michigan. And while they cleared the hurdle against Indiana last Saturday, Illinois is playing better football the last two weeks after an 0-3 start. They've won back-to-back road games against Rutgers and Nebraska, but they face their stiffest test of the season this weekend.

Ohio State did a lot of things well on Saturday against Indiana, but still has some areas to clean up, particularly in the secondary. Here is a preview of this weekend's game as the teams compete for the second oldest trophy in the Big Ten - The Illibuck!

General Info

Date: November 28, 2020
Where: Memorial Stadium (Champaign, Illinois)
Expected Weather: 48 degrees, sunny
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. Eastern

Current Betting Numbers

Spread: Ohio State (-30)
O/U Total: 72.5

How to Watch/Listen

Television: FS1
Streaming: FOX Sports Go
Announcers: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline reporter)

Local Radio: Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield IMG College
Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The Fan
Announcers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter), Skip Mosic (pregame/halftime/postgame host)

Series History

All-time: Ohio State leads, 68-30-4
First Meeting: Nov. 15, 1902 ... Tie, 0-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 18, 2017 ... Ohio State won, 52-14
Consecutive Wins: Ohio State, 9 games

Last Five Meetings
2017: Ohio State - 52, Illinois - 14
2015: Ohio State - 28, Illinois - 3
2014: Ohio State - 55, Illinois - 14
2013: Ohio State - 60, Illinois - 35
2012: Ohio State - 52, Illinois - 22

In the last meeting, the Buckeyes led Illinois 38-0 at halftime in a dominating win. One of the Illini touchdowns was a defensive score. They managed just 105 yards of offense for the entire game.

Illinois and Ohio State play for the coveted “Illibuck” trophy. Ohio State leads the trophy series with a 64-23-2 mark. “Illibuck” is – or was – a turtle, destined for long life, it was hoped. But the wear and tear of traveling between Champaign-Urbana and Columbus was too much, even for a hardy marine reptile. “Illibuck” died in the spring of 1927 and his successor is now a wooden replica.  

The Buckeyes have won eight consecutive games in the series (2008-2017) and haven't lost to Illinois since 2007. The teams have played to a tie on four occasions, but not since 1963.

Strangely enough, Illinois has lost its last 11 home games against Ohio State. The last time they beat the Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium was in 1991

Coaching Matchup

* Ryan Day (Career Record: 20-1 in second season, Ohio State Record: Same)

* Lovie Smith (Career Record: 17-37 in fifth season, Illinois Record: Same ... Smith was also an NFL head coach for 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His NFL head coaching record is 89-87.)

Ohio State Team Capsule

The Buckeyes have gotten off to an incredible start offensively this season, led by Heisman-hopeful Justin Fields. Ohio State currently ranks in the top 8 nationally in total offense (535.2 yards per game), scoring offense (45.2 points per game) and passing efficiency (202.10)

Last Saturday's victory over No. 9 Indiana was decisive in the first half, but less impressive in the second half. They Buckeyes managed 607 yards of offense for the entire game and had broke a team record: Justin Fields threw for 300 yards, Master Teague ran for 100+ and Garrett Wilson had 150+ receiving yards. It's the first time in team history that a QB, RB and WR have ever eclipsed those three thresholds all in the same game.

Ohio State won their 18th straight game vs AP-ranked Big Ten teams, the longest such streak against conference opponents in the AP Poll era (since 1936).

It was also their 26th straight win vs Indiana, the longest winning streak against a single opponent in Big Ten history. pic.twitter.com/3wwCRujask

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 21, 2020

Ohio State's defense also limited Indiana to -1 rushing yards for the entire game and Shaun Wade had an interception returned for a touchdown.

Ohio State also has wins over Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers before their game against Maryland was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Illinois Team Capsule

Illinois opened the season with three consecutive losses, but they're rebounded with back-to-back wins over Rutgers and Nebraska. The Fighting Illini have dealt with a number of players missing games because of a CoVID-19 diagnosis, including returning starting quarterback Brandon Peters. In fact, the Illini have started four different quarterbacks in their five games.

Last time out, Illinois had a very productive first half against Nebraska. They scored 28 points in that first half against the Huskers, which marks their most productive first half against a Big Ten team since 2010. Chase Brown and Mike Epstein ran all over the Husker defense as the team racked up 285 rushing yards and four touchdowns. It marked Illinois' first win in Lincoln since 1924.

The first three games of the season were nothing to write home about, including a 45-7 clunker to open the season against Wisconsin. Backup-turned-starting Badger quarterback Graham Mertz nearly broke a Big Ten record for completion percentage in that game. Of course, that game was particularly notable because last year's Illinois team stunned then No. 6 Wisconsin in one of the biggest upsets in recent Big Ten history (Illinois was a 30-point underdog that day).

Lovie Smith is in his fifth season leading the program. Last year, the Illini qualified for their first bowl game during his tenure (which they lost to California, 35-20).

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