Ohio State @ Illinois preview
Memorial Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 26, 2009 ) Illinois 0, Ohio State 30
There doesn’t appear to be anything stopping Ohio State.
When the second-ranked Buckeyes (4-0) travel to Illinois on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams, they will begin a quest for their sixth straight conference title - and perhaps even the national championship.
The Buckeyes have a Heisman Trophy candidate in Terrelle Pryor, a defense with future NFL draftees and are outscoring opponents by a whopping 35 points per game.
But before you chalk up an Ohio State victory, consider this: Illinois has a recent history of giving the Buckeyes fits.
In the past 20 meetings Ohio State is only 11-9 against the Illini. That includes 2007, when Illinois went into Columbus and beat top-ranked Ohio State 28-21. In six of the last nine meetings between the schools, the Buckeyes have either lost (three times) or won by a touchdown or less.
After two losing seasons in a row, Illinois is 2-1 and looking pretty good. The start has cooled the hot seat on which coach Ron Zook has been sitting.
Ohio State is still a heavy favorite. Pryor (939 yards, 10 touchdowns passing; 269 yards, 3 TDs rushing) is playing the best football of his career. In last week’s 73-20 win over Eastern Michigan, Pryor passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns (all to Dane Sanzenbacher), rushed for 104 yards and a score, and even had a touchdown reception. Ohio State averages 506 yards per game.
Illinois, which lost 23-13 to Missouri in the season opener, is 18th in the nation in rushing behind the play of quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and running back Mikel Leshoure.
Scheelhaase, a redshirt freshman, has been great as a runner but less effective as a passer (380 yards, 3 TDs, 3 interceptions). Leshoure, a 240-pound bruiser, is seventh in the nation in rushing at 133 yards per game and had 180 yards in a 28-22 win over Northern Illinois two weeks ago (Illinois was idle last week).
On the injury front, Illinois wide receiver Eddie McGee (ankle) is probable, but cornerback Terry Hawthorne (foot), tight end Zach Backer (foot) and Supo Sanni (Achilles’ tendon) continue to be out. Also, as of midweek it wasn’t clear if offensive lineman Hugh Thornton and defensive Michael Buchanan will play. Thornton was arrested after a bar fight during the off week and Buchanan has already missed two games because of a DUI arrest in early September.
The Buckeyes' biggest loss has been safety C.J. Barnett (knee), who is out for the season.
Ohio State leads the series 62-30-1 and is 33-12 in Champaign.