Column: There are actually a few positives to take away from Ohio State’s poor defensive performance against Illinois

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The defensive numbers from Ohio State’s win over Illinois were not great.

The Buckeyes held the Illini to 19 points, their lowest total of the season and nearly half as much as their 34 points per game average. However, Bret Bielema’s group racked up 462 yards of offense, including just under 200 rushing yards.

Ohio State had a very tough time containing running back Aidan Laughery, who racked up 113 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown. As a group the Illini averaged six yards per carry on the afternoon, and that’s including yardage lost via the Buckeyes’ three sacks on Katin Houser.

Chunk plays were a huge issue for Ohio State both through the air and on the ground. Illinois had eight plays of at least 20 yards on Saturday, with two plays of at least 30 yards — a 33-yard passing play and a 37-yard rush. The Illini also scored a pair of touchdowns on chunk plays, with a 22-yard TD run in the first quarter and a 27-yard TD pass early in the fourth.

If not for a pair of stops on fourth down, one of which came inside the red zone, that 19 points could have easily been much more.

The bulk of the issue was poor play from Ohio State’s front seven. Despite a season-high three sacks for the Silver Bullets, both the defensive line and the linebackers had a tough time filling gaps in the run game and getting pressure on Houser on a down-to-down basis; Far too many wide open lanes and clean pockets.

However, while the problems up front are definitely worth keeping an eye on, I came away even more impressed with Ohio State’s secondary as a result. Struggling down near the line of scrimmage puts additional stress on the corners and safeties, and those guys largely held their own against Illinois.

It was an especially impressive game for safety Jaylen McClain, who has been one of the most underrated players on the entire roster for the last year and a half.

Sharing a spotlight with Caleb Downs isn’t easy, but McClain was exceptional in his first season as a starter in 2025, tying Davison Igbinosun for second among Ohio State defensive backs with 53 total tackles to go along with three pass breakups. The New Jersey native wasn’t super flashy, but he was extremely dependable and consistent at the back end of an elite defense.

With Downs now in the NFL, McClain is starting to have his impact felt even more. He really stood out against Illinois, leading the team with eight tackles to go along with a whopping four pass breakups — the first Buckeye defender since 1995 to have at least eight tackles and at least four PBUs in one game.

McClain was at his best when the lights were brightest. The 6-foot defensive back knocked a ball free from the would-be receiver on a fourth down play near the goal line early in the fourth quarter, with Ohio State only leading 28-13 at the time. He later broke up what would have been a 35-yard touchdown with a big hit with a minute remaining in the game.

It was a big day for McClain, who was a clear and obvious standout in what was otherwise a rough day for the defense. That said, he wasn’t the only defensive back making plays on Saturday.

Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez also had their share of highlight moments, as the two corners combined for another five pass breakups. They did this without star freshman Jay Timmons, who left the game early in the second half with an apparent hamstring injury.

Illinois targeted Mathews Jr. eight times, and he allowed only four catches for 38 yards. Sanchez had a bit of a tough afternoon at times, and was credited with allowing seven catches on 12 targets including the Illini’s long passing touchdown, but it seemed like the majority of his issues were with communication rather than ability, which is far easier to fix.

The defensive back room has been excellent overall this season, and again they are doing so without much help from the front seven. With a healthy Timmons, whose status is still uncertain for the Week 5 contest against Iowa, there is a lot to like about that group, and we haven’t even mentioned Florida State transfer Earl Little, who has also been solid through his first four games as a Buckeye.

If Matt Patricia, Larry Johnson and James Laurinaitis can make improvements up front — which could be as simple as finding the right combination of guys playing the majority of the snaps — and the corners and safeties can continue to play at a high level, there is reason to believe this Ohio State defense can improve dramatically as the season goes along.

I’m usually one of the more negative voices around these parts, but I’m choosing to see a silver lining in what was an otherwise rough defensive performance against Illinois. The Buckeyes defense is not nearly championship caliber right now, but it’s certainly not impossible to see how they could find their way.

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