Off-Script Ohio: Illinois preview, and the start of Big Ten play
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Ohio State is finally ready to get into Big Ten play. After bouncing back from the Texas loss with a 59-3 demolition of Kent State, the Buckeyes welcome Illinois to Columbus on Saturday for the first conference game of the season.
Cole and Joey preview the matchup, discuss what they want to see from Ohio State, break down the biggest threats Illinois brings to the table, and make their game predictions.
What we want to see from the Buckeyes
The biggest thing is pretty simple, consistency. Ohio State looked exactly how they needed to look against Kent State, but Illinois should provide a much better test. The Buckeyes are still trying to figure out what this team looks like after the Texas loss, and Big Ten play is where those answers start to matter.
Julian Sayin has looked extremely comfortable through three games, and the offense is averaging more than 46 points per game. Jeremiah Smith is already doing Jeremiah Smith things, while the bigger question is whether Ohio State can establish the run and continue getting contributions from the players around its stars.
Defensively, the Buckeyes also need to continue building on what we saw against Kent State. The defensive line has plenty of talent, but Illinois will present a much different challenge than the Golden Flashes.
What to watch for with Illinois
Katin Houser is probably the biggest thing to watch. The East Carolina transfer has been very good through three games, completing 74.1% of his passes for 758 yards, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s averaging 252.7 passing yards per game and has looked extremely comfortable running Illinois’ offense.
And then there’s Collin Dixon. Dixon has been one of the best wide receivers in the country through three games, with 25 catches for 367 yards and seven touchdowns. Yes, seven. That’s actually the most receiving touchdowns in the country entering Week 4. He also went absolutely crazy against Duke, catching 11 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. This could be a huge Devin Sanchez week.
Ohio State’s secondary has plenty of talent, but Dixon is the type of receiver who can punish even small mistakes. If Houser gets time and Dixon gets matched up one-on-one consistently, this could become an interesting matchup.
Other notable games across college football
Week 4 is absolutely loaded.
- No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan
- No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC
- No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee
- No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU
- Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia
- No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida
There are ranked matchups basically all day Saturday, so this is where the college football season starts to get really fun.
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