The Ohio State Buckeyes cruised to an easy 28-3 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday. The Buckeyes defense was outstanding and they remain contenders for a College Football Playoff Berth. OSU is now 10-0, while Illinois slipped to 5-5.
Notes:
J.T. Barrett didn't light up the passing stat sheet, but that's not what makes him such a good QB. Barrett racked up 74 yards and a score on 16 carries. He also completed 15 of 23 passes for 150 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
Ezekiel Elliott can't be stopped. He had yet another great game, racking up 181 yards and two scores on 27 carries. Ohio State's offense leans on him, and for good reason.
OSU completely shut down Illinois' run game. The Illini could muster just 20 yards on 25 carries, forcing their offense to be one-dimensional.
Ohio's State could use some work on third down. The Buckeyes converted on just 4 of 13 third down tries and that's a big reason OSU only put up 28. Still, a win is a win.
Quotes:
"Boy, Zeke is something else, ain't he? A positive run play is four yards, so when he's popping out six, eight, nine yards on first and second down, that's what you love in a running back." - Barrett on Elliott.
"If you watch them, (they) do it every (game). They play fast-paced and they just pound, pound you." - Illinois interim head coach Bill Cubit on Elliot.
"Let's sign him. Who are you really waiting on to get? He's leading us. Let's not set the program back another three years. It's not a turnaround job. We've got a little mo'. We let this one go but if we finish up with eight wins this year, we'd be heroes." - Illinois OL Ted Karras on making Cubit the full-time HC.
"It will be more intense, more intense on details, finishing details. We missed some tackles [today]. It's really about fundamentals. There's going to be so much emotion in this game." - OSU Safety Vonn Bell on how the Buckeyes will prep for Michigan State next week.
Observations:
Ohio State leans on Elliott, but they've done a good job of not running him into the ground. He hasn't topped 27 carries once this season, which will help keep him fresh for the Buckeyes' post-season run.
If Illinois players like Karras really want Cubit as the head coach, they need to make a bowl game. Their best chance to pick up that critical sixth win comes next week against Minnesota, since the Illini close the season against Northwestern. If Cubit were to get the job, it'd be the definition of fall backward into a better gig. Cubit was fired by Western Michigan only a few seasons ago.
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