Ohio State Buckeyes seem to always have their hands full with Illinois
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- The Ohio State players can't say it because of the etiquette surrounding the mandatory praise of future opponents. If they said it, coach Jim Tressel might cut their tongues out.
But many times in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes line up with a talent edge so broad, only one of their worst games coupled with an opponent's absolute best could lead to an Ohio State defeat. Against Illinois on Saturday, no matter how inconsistent and inexplicable the Illini can be, that's not the case.
"I think most of the time, they're going to outmatch their opponents physically," Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo said of the Buckeyes. "They will not necessarily do that this week."
That, simply put, is why Illinois has dogged Ohio State the past several years, with the Illini winning in 2007 and losing by seven points in 2006 and 10 points last season. In the past three years, Ohio State has played seven conference games within a 10-point margin, two losses and five wins. Three of those games have been against Illinois.
No other opponent has pushed the Buckeyes more than once.
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