Football
Buckeye Defense Stomps Illinois into Rain-Soaked Field
By Brandon CastelCOLUMBUS, Ohio – The Illini showed plenty of fight before the game Saturday, but very little during as Ohio State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) avenged its 2007 home loss with a commanding 30-0 victory over Illinois (1-2, 0-1) in their Big Ten-opener.
The Buckeyes and Illini get together at mid-field before the game.
Photo by Jim DavidsonOn a day where bad weather was expected to be the story, it was the OSU defense that stole the headlines with another dominating performance in Ohio Stadium as the Buckeyes recorded their second-straight shutout.
Coming off an impressive 38-0 showing against Toledo in week three, the Buckeyes were ready to put their defensive prowess to the test against Juice Williams and an Illini offense that was believed to have as many weapons as any team in the conference.
Before that battle ever got started, however, there was nearly a scuffle of a different kind as both teams came together at midfield for some intense trash-talking that Ohio State safety Jermale Hines said, “Came very close to getting out of hand.”
“We ran to the middle like we do every game, and them being the cocky group they are, they’re not going to show no letdowns, so they came too,” Hines said.
One of the oldest rivalries in all of college football, Ohio State and Illinois have had particularly bad blood since the Fighting Illini stomped on the Block-O at the Horseshoe following their 28-21 upset of then-No. 1 OSU back in 2007.
According to defensive end Thad Gibson, the Illini were ready to make another pass at the Ohio State logo at mid-field Saturday before the Buckeyes cut them off at the pass.
“Everybody was ready to go play some good football and we were in the middle of the O and all of a sudden they just walked up towards us,” Gibson said.
“It really got us going. I’m really happy they did that because it really got some guys fired up and ready to play.”
None of the Buckeyes who were a part of that game had forgotten about the disrespect shown by Illinois on that night, but most had put the incident behind them after last year’s 30-20 win in Champaign.
That all changed after the two teams nearly came to blows at mid-field Saturday.
“What they did today brought those memories back,” Gibson said.
“That’ something we talked about in the locker room before we took the field. They are coming out doing this again, let’s really show them what we’re made of…and we played our butts off and they left with nothing.”
Initially it looked like Illinois might show the Buckeyes something, as they drove the ball inside the Ohio State’ red zone on their very first possession. With his team in need of a big play to break the momentum, linebacker Brian Rolle read the eyes of quarterback Juice Williams and picked off a pass in very similar fashion the game-saving play he made against Navy in week one of the season.
“I thought that was a huge momentum change,” OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel said after the game.
“They came in and made a couple first downs, made a couple good plays, and then when our guys were where they were supposed to be and B. Rolle was on the spot and picked it off and got it back there…that set the tone for them that it was going to be difficult to score on us.”
Forget difficult, more like impossible.
With the rain coming down in buckets, OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor did not complete a pass until the third quarter, but the Buckeyes still managed a 13-0 lead going into halftime thanks to a rejuvenated rushing attack and swarming defense that held Williams to just 109 yards of offense for the game while recording five sacks and three interceptions.
“We definitely wanted to take it to him. We know he’s there guy and he runs the show, so we if we affect him we pretty much stop their offense,” said Gibson, who finished with seven tackles, including two for loss, and a forced fumble.
With the Illinois offense stuck in neutral, the Buckeyes pounded the ball on the ground much like they did against Michigan back in 2007 in similar conditions in Ann Arbor.
“We knew it was going to be raining and we were expecting rain. We were running the ball and pounding the ball up there and it was fun,” guard Justin Boren said.
Tailbacks Brandon Saine (81 yards) and Boom Herron (both scores) combined for 156 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as Ohio State ran for 236 yards as a team, but it was the offensive line that controlled the game with one of their best performances – at least running the football – in a long time.
“They were just pushing people around today, using their size and their strength and I’m very proud of them,” said Saine.
Pryor’s first and only touchdown pass of the game came on a “take that” score with under a minute-and-half to play, as the Buckeyes won the game 30-0 to open Big Ten play. It marked the first time since 1996 that Ohio State has recorded back-to-back shutouts.
Game Notes:
- Jim Tressel is 8-1 in Big Ten openers at Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won their last five Big Ten openers by a combined score of 181-40.
-The win was the 500th collegiate victory for the Tressel family. Jim Tressel has 221 in his career at Youngstown State and Ohio State. Dick Tressel had 124 victories and Lee Tressel recorded 155 career wins.
-Ohio State has won five of the last six meetings with Illinois. Ohio State leads the series, 62-30-4, and has a 27-18-4 advantage in Columbus.
-The last time Ohio State recorded back-to-back shutouts was Nov. 2 and 9, 1996 against Minnesota and at Illinois. The last time Ohio State had two shutouts in a season was 1998.
-Running back Boom Herron has rushed for at least one touchdown in eight-consecutive games. He finished the game with 75 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.
-Saturday marked the first time the Buckeyes did not allow a sack since Nov. 15, 2008 at Illinois.
-Sophomore Mike Adams made his first career start at tackle for the Buckeyes.
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