Ohio State Reacts to 'Battle' Against Illinois: 'They're a Top-10 Team'

The Buckeyes jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead, starting with a field goal, before picking off Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (his first interception of the season) and turning that into seven more on the other end. 

The lead ballooned all the way up to 20-0 after yet another Illinois turnover (a Ca’Lil Valentine fumble), which OSU yet again parlayed into a touchdown. The Buckeyes then snuck in another field goal before halftime.

But with the time ticking down in the first half, Illinois ended the shutout by way of David Olano’s leg on a 24-yard field goal.

Although the Illini got rolling on offense in the second half – including a 75-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter – enough mistakes were sprinkled in along the way (Altmyer was stripped on a sack deep in Illinois territory) to keep themselves from ever truly reentering the contest.

In the end, Ohio State triumphed 34-16, but a funny thing happened on the way to an 18-point loss: The Illini scored the most points of any opponent against the nation’s top-ranked team this season and, in the process, showed they can hang with the Buckeyes when they bring their best stuff.

The turnovers were quite uncharacteristic, as Illinois entered Week 7 with just three turnovers (ninth-fewest in the nation). Meaning, even when facing a meat grinder of a defense, the Illini were likely also plagued by a bit of bad luck.

In any case, it’s safe to say the Illini showed they can compete with the cream of the crop – and it seems their opponents took notice, too.

Ohio State head coach and players praise the Illini

“It was a big-time matchup,” Ohio State left guard Luke Montgomery said. "I know they were ranked 17, but they’re a top-10 team."

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day seemed to second that notion: “This is a good team, a very good quarterback, and we knew this was going to be a battle,” Day said.

In fact, he even pointed out that Ohio State had been paying extra attention to its date with Illinois for some time: “It was one of those that, when we saw it on the calendar, it was one of those quote-unquote trap games,” Day said.

The Buckeyes avoided getting snared, although they were seemingly never able to fully relax – arguably a testament to Illinois’ ability to keep some pressure on the visitors on both ends.“It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination," Day said, "but it was good to get a win. I guess, quote unquote ugly."