Ohio State Escapes Illinois, 24-13

Playing at 11 a.m. on a dreary Saturday in Champaign, Illinois, the Ohio State Buckeyes did just enough to avoid the upset against the Illinois Fighting Illini. From the very first snap, the difference in energy level between the two teams was apparent, and it held true throughout the game. The underdog Illini came out guns-a-blazin', even executing a nifty 23 yard double pass to starting quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase on their very first possession of the day. In stark contrast stood the Ohio State offense, which labored to 14 points in the first half, before disappearing completely with Terrelle Pryor's quadriceps injury in the third quarter. Backup Joe Bauserman promptly threw an interception on his second and final pass attempt of the game, leading to instant heart failure for Buckeye fans everywhere.

When Pryor returned near the end of the third quarter, the Buckeye offense remained conservative, running on sixteen of their final twenty plays, with Dan "Boom" Herron carrying the load. It was very reminiscent of the end of last season, when the Buckeyes relied on their ground game to churn out tough Big Ten victories. The Bucks averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the ground, most of which is attributable to two of Terrelle Pryor's long gains. Pryor's day was not great, even accounting for the injury, but he did enough after battling back from injury to deliver the victory, and it's very doubtful that Ohio State would have won without him.

On a more positive note, the Buckeye defense continued its streak of excellence, preventing the opponent from having a 100 yard rusher for the 28th straight game. The Silver Bullets held the Illini to 4.25 yards per play on 59 plays, resulting in 251 yards total. After the Illini scored on their very first drive of the game, the Buckeye defense responded by holding Illinois to 6 points over the following 3 and a half quarters. Illinois had success running the veer play on that first drive, but the defense adjusted and held it in check for the rest of the game.

Likewise, the special teams play was vastly improved this week. Illinois was very aggressive on punts, sending a punt blitz multiple times during the game. Ohio State's punt protection held up well and Ben Buchanon has improved his quickness in getting the punt off. Buchanon still needs to improve his overall punt quality, as there were a few that lacked the distance and height to adequately hold the Illini return men and assist the punt coverage units. Senior placekicker Devin Barclay hit his only field goal attempt, a key 32 yard kick in the fourth quarter. Freshman Drew Basil continues to improve on kickoffs, even knocking one deep out of the endzone late in the game.

Overall, the Bucks are blessed that this was a wake-up call, and not a season shattering loss.

What to Take Away From Today:

• Boom Herron is the man again.While he only averaged 4.3 per carry on 23 carries, Boom and his shiftiness was the answer against an aggressive Illinois defense. Brandon Saine is a fantastic overall threat, but he struggles when he is asked to make quick cuts and work off of his linemen's blocks. It is time for Boom Herron and Jordan Hall to receive the majority of carries from the tailback position. Saine is too good to not involve in the offense, but he needs to be a jack-of-all-trades type from now on, lining up at multiple spots and doing multiple things. The days of him receiving 15-20 carries a day is over.
• Special Teams are improving. I am still concerned over Ben Buchanon at punter, but there was a lot of good done today on the special teams units. Coverage was solid across the board- with Jonathan Newsome providing a highlight hit- and the return units did not make a mistake when going up against a great punter. Yards were hard to come by on returns, but Jordan Hall eeked some out where there seemed to be none.
• There is still much to work on. The last four weeks have been sunshine and roses in Buckeye country, but the struggle against Illinois is a reminder that we haven't arrived yet. The passing game had a number of plays in the first half that were not executed, whether by a receiver developing alligator arms, or a quarterback missing his throw narrowly. The sharpness of previous weeks was absent, and it needs to return as we move further into Big Ten play.
  
• The turtle is ours for another year. Rejoice!