Ohio State Completes One Pass, Defeats Illinois

Midway through the second quarter, offensive coordinator Jim Bollman called Ohio State's first pass play. It was an incompletion. Two quarters later, Bollman returned to the air and Braxton Miller completed his first and only pass in the game, a 17-yard touchdown to tight end Jake Stoneburner.

Stoneburner's touchdown, which Illini receiver A.J. Jenkins set up by fumbling near his own 28-yard line three plays earlier, gave Ohio State a 17-0 lead over Illinois with thirteen minutes left. Despite some late game hijinks and a return to Bollman ball, the Silver Bullet defense held the lead and secured a 17-7 Buckeye victory.

The late aerial assault notwithstanding, Ohio State's offense regressed to the Michigan State gameplan of two weekends ago. The Buckeye's 10-play opening drive ended in a 43-yard field goal, but it was the only score before halftime. Illinois' offensive troubles allowed Bollman to turtle up and revert to his tendencies, two tailback runs and then a QB draw on third down. At halftime, both Illinois and Ohio State were averaging less than four yards per play.

Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who ranked among the Big Ten's best before the game, struggled. Scheelhaase (58%, 5 YPA) threw two devastating interceptions, one of which came on Illinois' second play of the second half. A.J. Jenkins ran a curl route, Scheelhaase badly overthrew him, and Buckeye cornerback Bradley Roby picked the pass and returned it to the Illini 12-yard line.

Dan "Boom" Herron, in his first game back from a 6-game suspension, bounced the next play outside and strolled into the endzone for a 10-0 lead.

It's not hyperbole to say that Bollman called three different plays for 75-percent of Ohio State's snaps, perhaps even more. On standard downs, sprint-draws and Iso runs dominated the scene, followed by a QB Draw on third-and-medium. It's a testament to Herron and Jordan Hall, who gained 56 yards on 12 carries, that they found any success running the ball against stacked fronts.

Indeed, Herron's return keyed the meager offensive showing. On 23 carries, he gained 114 yards running mostly from the I-formation. Herron's hop-skip juke move left Illini defenders grabbing at ankles and air. In fact, Ohio State's best plays weren't necessarily due to design, but rather to Herron's slippery, tenacious running style. When there appeared to be a stalemate at the line-of-scrimmage, Herron would often scoot out and find his own lane.

No one should be fooled by today's outcome. If it weren't for the turnovers, Ohio State never would have scored a touchdown. Any play-calling improvement is a mirage. Illinois' front seven, sixty pounds lighter than Michigan State's, had trouble matching the Buckeye offensive line pound-for-pound, even with a numbers advantage, and that made the slight difference. Ohio State could run against Illinois when everyone knew it was coming, and they could not do so against the Spartans.

With his unwillingness to call any companion plays-- like a sprint-draw pass, QB bootleg, or vertical play-action-- Jim Bollman has morphed into a parody of himself. He's made the offensive line and running backs work harder than they should, and he's relegated the receivers to meaningless decoys.

In a season lacking high aspirations, improvement and progress should be the two primary goals. Although we won today, what growth did Braxton Miller experience? What lesson did he learn, what skills did he hone? None, none, and none. No victory is empty, but this one is leaking fluid.

The Defense Returns

Following last weekend's second-half implosion, it seemed uncertain what defense we would see today, especially with middle linebacker Storm Klein's health in question. Klein played, however, and the Buckeye defense returned, stifling an Illini scoring offense ranked 4th in the Big Ten.

Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock and Fickell crafted a strong gameplan that limited big plays while pressuring the run game. Before today, Illinois had the 15th most plays of 20+ yards nationally, most of which came from the Scheelhaase-to-Jenkins connection. Jenkins caught eight passes for 80 yards, but was held to only one 20+ yard catch, and the Illini only averaged 3.3 yards per carry.

Defensive lineman Johnny Simon had another fine individual day. Heacock moved Simon along the line, sometimes blitzing him, sometimes dropping him into coverage, and often letting him play his gap and just make plays. Beyond any doubt, Simon has developed into Ohio State's best defensive player. His disruptive presence proved more than the Illini could block.

Klein, Tyler Moeller, and Andrew Sweat, the linebackers who struggled against Nebraska, played well against the slower Illinois offense. Instead of starting Etienne Sabino, Heacock elected to run a 4-2-5 set with Moeller at the STAR position. It was a good choice. Sabino's size will matter against Wisconsin two weekends from now, but his lumbering gait remains a hindrance. Whenever it's possible to replace him with Moeller, it is a good idea to do so.

Next Up: No game next weekend; Wisconsin two weekends from now.