Off-Script Ohio: Buckeyes roll past Illinois, but defensive concerns remain

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Ohio State is 3-1 after opening Big Ten play with a 42-19 win over Illinois. The offense looked excellent once again, but the defense raised some serious concerns heading into a massive matchup with Iowa next week. Cole and Joey recap the win, discuss what went right and wrong, highlight the players who stood out, and look ahead to one of the biggest games on Ohio State’s schedule.

What went well for the Buckeyes

The offense was really good from start to finish. Ohio State finished with 518 total yards, including 367 through the air and 151 on the ground, while turning the ball over zero times. Julian Sayin had another excellent performance, throwing for 367 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown. That five-touchdown performance was a career high, and Jeremiah Smith was somehow even better, catching 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns.

There were also plenty of other players who stood out, including Ja’kobi Jackson, Riley Pettijohn, Jay Timmons and Jaylen McClain. McClain, Timmons, Pettijohn, Jermaine Matthews Jr and Kenyatta Jackson were among the defensive players who showed up despite what was otherwise a rough afternoon for the unit.

The defense is becoming a concern

This is the biggest takeaway from Saturday. Ohio State allowed Illinois to rack up 462 total yards, including 199 rushing yards on 6.0 yards per carry. The Illini also converted 50% of their third downs and didn’t turn the ball over. After the Texas loss, it was easy to chalk some of the defensive struggles up to playing one of the best teams in the country. That’s getting harder to do now.

The defensive line in particular has not looked like the dominant unit Ohio State has had in recent years. The secondary has actually been one of the brighter spots, but the Buckeyes are going to need much more from the front seven as the schedule gets tougher.

Iowa is next

Ohio State heads to Iowa next Saturday for a massive Big Ten matchup in Iowa City. No. 17 Iowa just knocked off No. 18 Michigan 20-19 on a last-second touchdown, setting up a top-15 matchup for the Buckeyes. And yes, College GameDay will be there.

Other notable games across college football

Week 4 was absolutely ridiculous.

No. 17 Iowa beats No. 18 Michigan, 20-19
No. 1 Texas beats No. 14 Tennessee, 20-17
No. 21 Florida beats No. 4 Ole Miss, 52-28
No. 20 Oregon beats No. 12 USC, 41-27
Wake Forest upsets No. 16 Louisville, 30-27
Wisconsin upsets No. 13 Penn State, 24-20
No. 10 LSU beats No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6
No. 24 Mississippi State beats No. 19 Missouri 31-24

College football officially got chaotic this weekend.

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