Big Ten play started off successful for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they hosted the Illinois Fighting Illini in Columbus. The Buckeyes picked up an opening win, beating the Illini 42-19.
Quick Takeaways
-Junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith put up a generational performance, catching 12 balls for 217 yards and four touchdowns. He single-handedly outscored the Illini and announced his presence as a true Heisman Trophy Candidate.
-Junior quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions.
-Junior safety Jaylen McClain was extremely active, putting up eight tackles and four pass deflections.
-The Buckeyes defense put up a season high in sacks with a total of three. Senior defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and sophomore linebacker Riley Pettijohn each had one, while junior linebacker Payton Pierce and senior defensive end Beau Atkinson split a sack.
-On top of that, OSU had five total tackles for loss. Pettijohn had two, Jackson Jr and senior defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. both had one, Beau Atkinson and Payton Pierce split one as well.
-Junior placekicker Connor Hawkins had a perfect day, going 6/6 on PATs.
Revisiting the Keys
Stay on the Gas: The Buckeyes struggled with laying off and letting their opponents back into the game late, as seen by the result against Texas. Ohio State did a great job of keeping the Illini at bay on Saturday, as they mustered 14 fourth quarter points, successfully closing out the win.
Play Clean Football: The Buckeyes needed to avoid simple mistakes, such as turnovers and penalties. OSU did not have a turnover, and committed just seven penalties for 59 yards.
Contain Dixon: Collin Dixon has looked like one of the best receivers in the nation so far this year, until Saturday. The Buckeye secondary limited him to five catches for 63 yards with no touchdowns. He is a focal point of the Illini offensive scheme and was limited significantly by the OSU gameplan. .
Coach Day’s Thoughts
Julian Sayin’s scrambling ability looked much improved this week, as he ran for 29 yards. Day had this to say about Sayin:
“We challenged Julian this past week,” Day said. “I thought he responded. I thought the scramble there to get the first down and turn that drive was big. To keep the play alivetouchdown was big as well. You could just see the reaction from the sideline and from the offense. That’s the X-factor. He has the quickness to do that. I thought he competed well today.”
When asked about Jeremiah Smith’s performance, Day said this:
“If there’s a better player in the country, it’s hard to imagine,” Day said. “I think he’s taken his game to the next level this year.”
On team dynamic at OSU, he said:
“One of our jobs as coaches is to challenge. Challenge coaches, coaches challenge coaches, coaches challenge players, players challenge players”.
Looking Ahead
The Buckeyes travel to Iowa City to face the 4-0, No. 14 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday. College Gameday has announced that they are headed to Iowa, meaning this is a huge one for both sides.
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