MY THOUGHTS.....Illinois

 

Ohio State opened conference play with a 42-19 victory against Illinois, which revealed some strengths and some glaring deficiencies.

  

                The Jeremiah Smith Show…ie the Ohio State offense rolled to the tune of 518 total yards, averaging over seven yards per play, no doubt aided by the 72-yard touchdown pass to Smith, who completely juked Illini defender Mac Resetich and walked into the end zone.  The Jeremiah Smith Show produced a career-high 12 receptions for 217 yards and four touchdowns.  The four touchdown receptions tied Ohio State’s school record for touchdown catches in a game, while Julian Sayin also set a career high with five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing).  Nate Roberts and Devin McCuin also st career highs with four catches a piece, while Bo Jackson caught three passes out of the backfield.  In addition to a couple of timely pickups by Sayin, including a play in which he somehow eluded the grasp of a couple Illinois defensive linemen and scrambled for the first down, Ja’Kobi Jackson led the way with 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Bo Jackson picked up 53 yards and Isaiah West picked up 15 yards on a couple of carries in relief.

                It wasn’t a great day for the Ohio State defense, who seemed to take a step backward in allowing more than 400 yards and a few times lost contain allowing Illini running backs to turn the corner and pick up big yardage.  They allowed the Illini 199 yards on the ground, giving defensive coordinator Matt Patricia some issues to work on going forward.  Jaylen McClain had a good day in the secondary and led the way with eight tackles, while Davin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. had seven each.  Riley Pettijohn made his presence felt from the LB spot with a pair of TFLs and a sack, while Beau Atkinson and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. were in the Illini backfield quite a bit and disrupted the Illinois passing game.

                Needless to say, the Sayin-to-Smith duo is unbeatable, but the competition ramps up significantly beginning with next week’s road trip to Iowa.  The run game and the defensive front seven showed they are still works in progress and need to take a step forward starting next week.