Ohio State and Illinois will meet for the 93rd time when they play on Saturday.
The Buckeyes own the series advantage, with a 59-29-4 record. The Buckeyes are also 31-12 in Champaign.
Saturday will also bring about the 80th battle for the highly-coveted Illibuck Trophy. Ohio State also holds the advantage there, with a 55-22-2 record when the turtle's on the line.
Prior to last year's 40-2 win, the Buckeyes have had their struggles recently with the Illini. Illinois beat Ohio State in 1999 and 2001, and lost by a last-second field goal in 2000, and in overtime in 2002.
However, when the Buckeyes are ranked #1, the Illini are not so bold.
In the history of the series, Ohio State has come into this game ranked #1 eight times, with the Buckeyes winning the last seven such match ups.
The Illini are 3-13 all-time against the #1 team in the nation. And they haven't beaten the top-ranked team since 1956.
The Buckeyes come into this game carrying the nation's longest winning streak, now at 16 games. It is the third-longest streak in school history, and the second-longest in Jim Tressel's six seasons at Ohio State.
Ohio State is now 60-8-1 all-time when ranked #1.
This Buckeye team is only the tenth in school history to start the season 9-0.
Only five have made it to 10-0.
When Illinois Has the Ball
A couple of weeks ago, the Buckeyes faced a talented freshman quarterback in Indiana's Kellen Lewis. This week, they get another of the Big Ten's future stars in Isiah "Juice" Williams. Williams is a true freshman and was head coach Ron Zook's crown jewel in last season's recruiting class.
To say Williams has had ups and downs would be downplaying things. At times he looks like a star, and at other times he looks like he should've been redshirted.
However, even when he's bad, he's still pretty good. Two weeks ago at Penn State, he finished 13-33 throwing, yet Illinois had the ball with two minutes to go and a shot to win.
In fact, the last five games Illinois has played have come down to the final two minutes of the game. Perhaps due to having a freshman at quarterback, the Illini are 1-4 in those games.
Williams is only completing 42.6% of his passes, and he's only throwing for 140 yards per game. He's rushing for 40 net yards per game, though the sacks are what brings that number down.
What he lacks in consistency, he makes up for in excitement. Williams has thrown nine touchdown passes this season, seven of which have come from further than 30 yards out. In fact, in the Illini's last seven games, Williams is responsible for fifteen plays of 25 yards or longer. He is the first Illinois quarterback to have three touchdown passes of 65 yards or longer in his career.
So, as you can surmise, he will need to be accounted for at all times. Most of his long passes are results of scrambles. He's fast, elusive and has a powerful arm. He's similar to Troy Smith if you ever got to see Smith in his early days at Ohio State.
However, he will need to play his best game ever to keep the Illini in this one.
The Buckeyes will probably open in the nickel package again this week, and allow the front six to control the line of scrimmage. Opening with the nickel will undoubtedly lend itself to blitzes from cornerback Antonio Smith, as the Buckeyes try to dictate when and where Williams is permitted to run. Much in the same way they did against Kellen Lewis and Indiana, they will try to control Williams' movements and limit his big-play ability out of the pocket. When he does leave the pocket, however, the defensive backs can't lose sight of their man, because Illinois' main big-play weapon is the scramble-n-heave.
However, Williams won't be able to sit back in the pocket and pick the Buckeyes apart. He has thrown eight interceptions this season and if he finishes this game with less than ten on the season, then the Buckeye defense did not do their job.
There will be some prime opportunities for safeties Brandon Mitchell and Jamario O'Neal to notch a few more interceptions. The Buckeye defense has recorded at least one interception in each game this season.
Cornerbacks Malcolm Jenkins, Antonio Smith, Donald Washington and Andre Amos will be busy, as the Illini like to employ multiple-receiver sets.
Last week, for instance, Illinois opened with four receivers and a tight end.
Wide receiver Kyle Hudson is the Illini's number one target. He leads the team with 25 receptions for 357 yards. Fifteen of his receptions have gone for first downs. While Hudson is the leading receiver, the passes get spread around. The receivers aren't necessarily going to beat the Buckeyes after the catch. The key is to keep them in front of the secondary and not let them get behind the safeties on broken plays.
Keep an eye on freshman tight end Jeff Cumberland. He's big and fast and lines up everywhere on the field.
Illinois has played sixteen true freshmen this season, the most of any team in the nation. However, the Illini do employ a veteran offensive line. It is an offensive line that is allowing Illinois to rush for 182 yards per game. However, it's also an offensive line that has allowed its quarterback to be sacked 25 times this season. Much of that, of course, is due to Isiah Williams' inexperience.
Right guard Matt Maddox has started 43 games in his career and provides the type of leadership a young team needs.
With defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock most likely out for this game, tackles David Patterson, Joel Penton, Todd Denlinger and Doug Worthington will have to continue to play well. Illinois likes to control the game on the ground, and only pass when it's convenient or necessary.
The Illini employ a pair and a spare at running back, as Ron Zook is familiar with the old Woody Hayes philosophy. Senior tailbacks E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas have been here forever and have had to give way some to sophomore Rashard Mendenhall. The trio average about 125 yards rushing between them. They are also very involved in the passing game.
Linebackers James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman will need to be aware of the flat passes and the screens this week.
The Illinois special teams are fairly spotty.
As a team, they are only averaging 34 yards per punt. Freshman Kyle Yelton does the vast majority of the punting, and he's averaged 37.2 yards per punt. He has had a punt blocked this season.
Jason Reda is the place kicker. He's a perfect 19-19 on extra points this season, and 65-66 in his career. He's made 11-14 field goals this season, but is only 3-6 from 40 yards or more. He also handles the kickoffs and puts about one-third back for touchbacks.
The return game is nonexistent for Illinois. Their longest kick return this season is 27 yards. E.B. Halsey handles the punt returns and he's averaging five yards per return.
When Ohio State Has The Ball
Quarterback Troy Smith comes into this game with a 22-2 career record. He has a good shot to move into third place all-time in total offense at Ohio State this Saturday.
He will be going against an Illinois defense that, statistically, looks pretty good.
They are only giving up 300 yards per game, with 176 coming through the air and 124 on the ground. The defense is a good mix of young players and veterans. However, while the yardage they've given up is very respectable (Ohio State gives up 261), their opponents are scoring 26 points per game.
And that number should actually be higher. The Illini have caused a turnover when their opponent has been inside the Illinois three-yard line seven times this season. That's not a good statistic for the Buckeyes, who seemingly love turning it over in the opponent's red zone.
The Buckeyes will be focusing on ball-security however, as the Michigan game looms closer every second.
When Troy Smith drops back to pass, he'll probably be doing it without the benefit of left tackle Alex Boone. Boone is nursing an injury, so it's likely that Tim Schafer will step in. There may be some mix and match at that spot, however, depending on Schafer's effectiveness against defensive end Derek Walker, who leads the Illini in sacks with 5.5.
The Illinois secondary is filled with big hitters, anchored by safeties Justin Harrison and Justin Sanders. They're strong in coverage and run support and are two of the main reasons this year's defense is allowing 169 yards fewer than they did last season.
The Illini also have a very good corner in Alan Ball. He's not the strongest guy, but he's one of the better corners in the conference. Freshman Vontae Davis has started every game this season at the other corner. He and Ball are athletic, but they've got their work cut out for them against the likes of Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, Brian Robiskie, Roy Hall, Brian Hartline and Albert Dukes. And it's essential to mention all of these wide receivers, because Troy Smith will find whichever one is open.
The Illinois run defense has been beyond impressive lately. Against Michigan State, they allowed 82 yards rushing. Two weeks ago, they only gave up 40 yards rushing to the mighty Nittany Lions. And against Wisconsin last week, the Badgers only managed 99 yards.
The Buckeyes, however, are coming into this game running the ball like they haven't done in years. In their last four conference games, the Buckeyes are rushing for an average of 233 yards per game. You see, Jim Tressel likes to use a pair and a spare as well.
It's not by chance that the Buckeye resurgence on the ground has coincided with Chris Wells' emergence. In the last four Big Ten games, Chris Wells is averaging 71.5 yards per game. That number would put him in the top seven in the conference.
But the workhorse remains Antonio Pittman. He continues to be solid, averaging 99.3 yards rushing per game. If he rushes for 104 yards this week, he will become only the fifth Buckeye to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. Don't think that fact is lost on Jim Tressel. He will do what is necessary to get Pittman his 104 yards.
It's not a foregone conclusion, however, that the Buckeyes will be able to run all over the Illini. No Big Ten back has yet to reach the century mark against Illinois' defense.
Middle linebacker J Leman is one of the main reasons for this. He leads the conference in tackles, averaging 10.9 per game. He's also third in the conference in tackles for loss, with 11.5. Leman will get his tackles on Saturday, but expect them to be five or six yards downfield. He's a very good player, but he should be neutralized at the point of attack by fullbacks Stan White and Dionte Johnson.
And don't forget the x-factor in the running game--Troy Smith. Now that he's starting to run more, and getting into the open field more, things are only going to continue to open up for the offense.
A portion of the Buckeye special teams had the week off last week against Minnesota, as the Buckeyes never punted. It would be a surprise to see it happen again, however. A.J. Trapasso will undoubtedly continue his solid punting this week if called upon. He has put eleven of his 31 punts inside the 20 so far this season.
Place-kicker Aaron Pettrey is rounding into shape on his field goals. He's 7-10 this season, and he hasn't missed a kick since a 53-yard attempt in the slop against Penn State. He has, however, missed an extra point for the second straight week.
The Illini don't give up much in the way of punt returns, but Ted Ginn has embarrassed better units.
Where the Illini struggle, however, is in their kick coverage. They are allowing an average of 26 yards per return. If they let Ted Ginn run for 26 yards before tackling him, they might be too late. Expect something to happen here.
How It'll End Up
There are a lot of people that are expecting a close game to start out.
Troy Smith, however, has other plans.
The Illini are going to gear up to stop the run, and that's fine. The Buckeyes will just throw, and throw, and throw.
Then, when Illinois backs off, the mixing will occur.
Antonio Pittman will rush for 110 yards. Chris Wells will run for 50.
The Buckeyes may not score in the 40s like they have been, but they won't need to, either.
Juice Williams will make some plays, but he'll also make some mistakes. Very few teams capitalize on mistakes like the Buckeyes.
Look for Malcolm Jenkins to have the sole team-lead in interceptions after Saturday.
And expect a brazen and boisterous Buckeye crowd in Champaign.
Ohio State 37 - Illinois 7
