Game Thread tOSU @ Illinois, Sat 11/14 @ 12pm ET, ABC

[MD Buckeye]

The Buckeyes visit Champagne to take on the Fighting Illini.

 

[Dryden]

Noon, ABC national.

 

[youra6]

Perhaps the worst campus I've ever had the displeasure of setting foot on.

Fuck the FIBs.

 

[Saw31]

 

[Jaxbuck]

OSU opens -17

 

[Jaxbuck]

OSU vs Illinois total yards/points under Urban Meyer:

2014: 545/55
2013: 591/60
2012: 567/52

Illinois yards/pts allowed vs UNC (the offense most like OSU they have seen this year): 471/48
Now, that game was back in September and on the road so tifwiw.

The advanced stats say Illinois has a good defense and pretty bad offense but I'm not sure what has happened this year to make them that much better than the past 3 (and the UNC game seems to add to that).

As far as the offense goes, they get Josh Ferguson back and healthy which can only help. Wes Lund at QB seems to struggle with consistency and accuracy. He definitely doesn't move well or like to move at all and supposedly doesn't like throwing against man coverage (thanks for the tip Glenn Mason). So all that added to a pretty weak OL would seem to suggest a similarly bad match up for Illinois on this side of the ball as well.

The reasons for caution are mainly that it's on the road, Illinois stadium is a wind tunnel built on cursed burial ground and it's that time of year where any damn thing can happen.
Lund has also had a ton of drops and is a SR, as is Ferguson, so you could see the potential for one of those game-of-their-otherwise-useless-life kind of performances where all of a sudden he doesn't suck for about 3 hours.

Just some quick observations from stat sheets and a few minutes of game film today. TIFWIW.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Bored so here is another way to look at the Illini:

vs bad teams
Kent St W 52-3
West ILL W 44-0
MidTenn W 27-25
at Purdue W 48-14

4-0 171-42 (or an average of 43-11)

vs "good" teams
@ UNC L 14-48
Neb W 14-13
@ Iowa L 20-29
Wisc L 13-24
@ PSU L 0-39

1-4 61-153 (average of 12-31)


Interesting thing about Wisconsin game was the badgers lost Stave and their center early in the game and didn't have starting RB at all. So basically Illinois lost to Wisconsins backups by 11 at home.

 

[Michael Bluth]

Bored so here is another way to look at the Illini:

vs bad teams
Kent St W 52-3
West ILL W 44-0
MidTenn W 27-25
at Purdue W 48-14

4-0 171-42 (or an average of 43-11)

vs "good" teams
@ UNC L 14-48
Neb W 14-13
@ Iowa L 20-29
Wisc L 13-24
@ PSU L 0-39

1-4 61-153 (average of 12-31)


Interesting thing about Wisconsin game was the badgers lost Stave and their center early in the game and didn't have starting RB at all. So basically Illinois lost to Wisconsins backups by 11 at home.

Exactly what I've noticed about them as well.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

OSU vs Illinois total yards/points under Urban Meyer:

2014: 545/55
2013: 591/60
2012: 567/52

I hope UFM keeps this going. I remember '88-'94 when Illlinois won five straight and six-of-seven against us...not to mention 2007. Fuck 'em. Jump on them early and step on their throat...

 

[MGMT]

Finally an early game

 

[Drubuck]

Finally an early game

I know. And of course it's a Sat I don't work nights. Lol. Oh well. Opens up my afternoon. That said, hope we go in dry on whatever Illinois is supposed to be

 

[sparcboxbuck]

I hope UFM keeps this going. I remember '88-'94 when Illlinois won five straight and six-of-seven against us...not to mention 2007. Fuck 'em. Jump on them early and step on their throat...

'88 - the start of my undergrad. Coop came up to Block-O before the first game when we were all back on campus. Introduced himself. Didn't think highly of him.

'94 - the end of grad school. Yet to think highly of him.

SMH.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Kieth Byars
Eddie George
Carlos Hyde

Ohio State running backs have worked up their share of #6's on the Illini.

Zeke's turn

 

[Dryden]

Really, the only trophy in the B1G better than this is Nebraska and Minnesota playing for the $5 bits of a broken chair.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I hope UFM keeps this going. I remember '88-'94 when Illlinois won five straight and six-of-seven against us...not to mention 2007. Fuck 'em. Jump on them early and step on their throat...

'88 - the start of my undergrad. Coop came up to Block-O before the first game when we were all back on campus. Introduced himself. Didn't think highly of him.

'94 - the end of grad school. Yet to think highly of him.

SMH.

COOPER!!