Saturday you will be able to watch 16-point favorite Ohio State play Illinois on ABC. With a victory the Buckeyes will improve to 61-29-4 against the Illini, retain the IlliBuck trophy and extend their Big Ten regular season winning streak to 21 games.
Ohio State was fortunate that P.J. Hill was injured last week. This week the defense won't be as lucky. Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall comes into the game with 1,314 rushing yards, 573 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He averages over seven yards of offense every time he touches the ball.
Juice Williams is hoping to have a repeat of his performance against Minnesota last week. Williams had season highs in rushing (133 yards) and passing (207 yards). The sophomore will need to lean on Mendenhall and Arrelious Benn (46 receptions for 573 receiving yards) as he plays in Ohio Stadium for the first time.
Beanie Wells may find the yards hard to come by this week. J Leman (102 tackles) and Will Davis (10.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks) anchor a solid rush defense. Brian Robiskie (touchdowns in three straight games) and Brian Hartline should have big games against the Illini's 81st ranked pass defense.
The View's Take
Is it just a coincidence that annoy and Illinois rhyme? Not if you're an Ohio State fan old enough to remember the Cooper era. Between 1988 and 1994 the Illini were 6-1 against the Buckeyes. On the bright side, Illinois has lost the last nine games against Ohio State when the Buckeyes are ranked No. 1.
Ohio State 33, Illinois 24
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