COLUMBUS — Every Friday we’ll bring you a quick-hit look at the game ahead for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Illinois at Ohio State
Kickoff: Noon
Network: Fox
Announcers: Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft
History: Ohio State leads the all-time series 70-30-4 and has won 10 straight, with the last Illinois win in 2007.
Info: Ohio State game notes & Illinois game notes
Game trailer
Buckeye I’ll be watching Saturday
RB Bo Jackson: Ryan Day called him out this week when he said that Ja'Kobi Jackson ran harder against Kent State. I thought Bo Jackson played maybe the best game of his career against Texas, when he ran patiently and picked up dirty yards, even if he wasn't explosive. However, he reverted to some bad habits last week by running to contact too much and missing opportunities for big hits. The average yards per carry, 6.6, was good against Kent State, but Jackson should've gotten more.
Day wants to him to run angry. I'd pick another word. I'd like to see Jackson run with arrogance. I sometimes fear "angry" can make backs too apt to run through defenders, which isn't Jackson's strong suit. I want him attacking defenders, setting them up to make them miss. That's probably something he'll never do at an elite level, but he can be better than he was last week. — Bill
LB Christian Alliegro: Sorry for getting a little Alliegro obsessed. Coming into the season, I think we believed Payton Pierce would be the hub of the linebacker room with the others rotating around him. Three games in, Alliegro is that hub. PFF has him lining up on the line of scrimmage 45 percent of the time, in the box 33 percent of the time, and out wider in space 22 percent of the time. Watching where Alliegro aligns is a window into the defense, as is who he’s sharing the field with. He’s eighth on the defense in snaps, but I think he’s reaching indispensable territory with his versatility, and his value to the defense is only going to increase. — Doug
One thing I want Ohio State to do Saturday
Stay aggressive on defense. In both of its games against MAC opponents, Ohio State played a lot of man coverage. The Buckeyes understandably didn't do it as much against Texas. However, when they did, it looked good. Matt Patricia has always been more of a zone play-caller, but sticky man coverage with an aggressive posture up front might better suit this defense. I also fear that if OSU opts to play the "keep-it-in-front-of-you" style against Illinois, the Illini might hold the ball for awhile. This is an efficient offense that's good at working into advantageous third-down scenarios. Attacking on early downs will throw Illinois out of the offensive rhythm it needs to hang in this game. — Bill
At the risk of repeating myself from the entire offseason, it’s … Julian Sayin showing he has that dog in him.
When Stephen Means asked Ryan Day on Tuesday about playmaking from quarterbacks, the OSU head coach went a full 90 seconds with his answer. It basically oiled down to saying he wants quarterbacks who have that dog in them, and he really was talking to Sayin.
“I think any time you’re looking at quarterbacks, you first off want to look at competitiveness,” Day said in part. “To me, the number one thing is the competitiveness and understanding that at the end of the day, you have to move your team down the field, score touchdowns, and win games. That’s what it comes down to. There’s a lot that comes with that. The accuracy of being able to throw the football is just a part of it. So much of it is just leading men and there’s a lot that comes with that. … Whether you can do that by with your feet, or with your arm, it kind of depends on your skill set.
“When things break down, whether it’s extending or scrambling, that’s an opportunity to continue to get first downs. and that’s it. So that’s really what it comes down to in terms of making plays. If you’re making throws, you’re making plays. If you’re making plays with your feet, you’re making plays. It’s all things that we talk about in evaluating quarterbacks and not just evaluating quarterbacks, but what we coach here at Ohio State.”
That. Day wants it, you want it, I want it. Do that. — Doug
Another game to watch with Ohio State in mind
Oregon at USC, 7:30, NBC: Ohio State will play both of these teams later in the year. Will one of them, both of them or neither of them look like legitimate contenders on Saturday night? Tune in to find out. I'm especially interested in how both teams look on defense, because both have been susceptible on that side of the ball and neither one of them has played an opponent this good yet. — Bill
Stat to know
Ohio State ranks 102nd in the nation in third-down conversions, successfully making just 36.4 percent of third downs this season. Last year, Ohio State was second in the nation at 53.3 percent. In 2024, the Buckeyes were 33rd at 43.8 percent. Making one of eight against Ken State last week (totally weird stat in a 56-point win) is a chunk of that. But keep it in mind as Ohio State gets to third down on Saturday. — Doug
Bell Ringer
Uniform Look
Field Look
Band Plan
Lines
Ohio State -27.5
Over-under 54.5
Picks
Bill: Ohio State 38, Kent State 14
Doug: Ohio State 38, Kent State 14
On the season
Bill: 2-1 straight up, 2-1 spread, 1-2 over-under
Doug: 3-0 straight up, 1-2 spread, 2-1 over-under
Your vote
Ohio State will win by 28 points or more: 42 percent
Ohio State will win by 27 points or fewer: 58 percent
Combined score of 55 points or more: 45 percent
Combined score of 54 points or fewer: 55 percent
Tracking network and kickoff times for the season
Network
Fox: 2
BTN: 1
ABC: 1
Announcers
Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt: 2
Jeff Levering, Jake Butt: 1
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit: 1
Kickoff time
Noon: 2
12:30: 1
7:30: 1
Also
• Besides serving as the Bell Ringer, Laurinaitis will be honored on the field during the game for his election to the College Football Hall of Fame.
• The latest members of Ohio State’s Athletics Hall of Fame are being inducted Friday night and will be honored at halftime of the game. They include quarterback J.T. Barrett, receiver Chris Sanders and linebacker Stan White Sr.
• Illinois receiver Collin Dixon, who leads the nation with seven touchdown catches, was ranked as the No. 29 recruit in the state of Ohio in the Class of 2023 by 247sports.com. The Buckeyes took seven in-state players in that class. The lowest rated was Austin Siereveld at No. 16 in the state.
• Bret Bielema is 1-6 as a head coach against Ohio State.