Ohio State will look to kick off the Big Ten portion of their regular season schedule with a bang when they host Illinois in a battle for Illibuck on Saturday in Columbus.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 59-3 win over Kent State last week in their final non-conference game of the regular season. The victory was the 46th home win for Ohio State since Ryan Day took over in 2019, which is the most in the country during that span.
Head coach Ryan Day enters this game with a not only a 55-5 record in Big Ten games, the Buckeyes are 29-2 at home and 26-2 in games in September with Day in charge. With the victory over Kent State last week, Day is now 84-13 as Ohio State head coach.
The win allowed Day to pass Urban Meyer for fourth-most wins by a Buckeye head coach. Day only trails Woody Hayes, John Cooper, and Jim Tressel.
Ohio State will be looking to stay perfect in Big Ten games in September, as currently has an 8-0 record. In Big Ten games under Day, the Buckeyes are averaging 40 points per game and only allowing 15 points per game.
This marks the second time Day has faced Illinois as Ohio State head coach. Last year the Buckeyes went to Champaign and beat the Fighting Illini 34-16, which was Ohio State’s 10th straight win in the series. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 69-30-4. The last Illinois win came back in 2007 when they beat Ohio State 28-21 at Ohio Stadium.
Last week the Buckeyes bounced back from their loss to Texas was a rout of Kent State, which was their second win over a MAC team this season. Ohio State notched their 24th 50-point game since 2019, which is the most in the country during that span, currently one ahead of Alabama.
The lopsided win was also their 56th by at least 20 points since 2019, which is two more than Georgia has recorded.
The big story from the Buckeye offense in the win over the Golden Flashes was wide receiver Jeremiah Smith breaking Michael Jenkins’ career record for most receiving yards at Ohio State. After finishing with five catches for 85 yards, Smith now has 2,958 receiving yards as a Buckeye.
The junior is now 22 receptions away from breaking Emeka Egbuka‘s career record, as well as six receiving touchdowns from moving past Chris Olave‘s record for most at Ohio State. With three more 100-yard games, Smith will eclipse the 15 100-yard receiving games Marvin Harrison Jr. recorded during his time as a Buckeye.
While Smith is rewriting the record books as Ohio State, the Buckeyes are still looking for another receiver to step up and compliment the superstar junior. Brandon Inniss finished last week’s game with 78 yards receiving, but most of those came on a hail mary at the end of the first half.
After the backups were given some playing time in the second half, Chris Henry Jr. had a 75-yard touchdown in the second half, while Brock Boyd added 66 yards.
Following a rough second half against Texas, quarterback Julian Sayin completed 18 of his 22 pass attempts last week, finishing with 241 yards and two scores.
The Heisman Trophy finalist from last season completed at least 80 percent of his passes in the wins over Ball State and Kent State. Had it not been for only connecting on 53 percent of his attempts against Texas, Sayin’s completion percentage on the year would be close to the 77 percent he posted last season.
By rushing for 73 yards last week against Kent State, Bo Jackson has now ran for at least 70 yards in all three of Ohio State’s games this season. Dating back to last season, Jackson has reached at least 70 yards rushing in 9 of the last 10 games, with the only game where he didn’t hit that mark coming in the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami.
Bo wasn’t the only Jackson who had a good game last week. Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson ran for 47 yards and two scores.
Now in his seventh year of college football, Jackson has found the end zone at least once in each of Ohio State’s first three games this season. Entering this week’s game, Jackson now has 150 yards rushing this year, which only trails the 230 yards Bo Jackson has racked up.
The Buckeye defense continued to show they are a tough nut to crack, only allowing a field goal to Kent State last week. Since the start of the 2024 season, Ohio State has allowed just 11.1 points per game, which is 1.6 points per game lower than any other team in the country.
Over the last 33 games, the Buckeyes have allowed their opponents to score just 38 touchdowns.
By playing such an overmatched opponent, Ohio State was able to get plenty of players action on defense last week.
The highlight of the game was when freshman Jamir Perez became the heaviest Buckeye to ever score a touchdown when he recovered a fumble and took it to the house. The only sack of the game for the defense came when defensive tackles Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr. split a sack.
The defensive line will be looking to create more pressure this week and make life uncomfortable for Illinois quarterback Katin Houser. After finishing last season with six sacks, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. leads the group. Beau Atkinson is still trying to make his mark after transferring from North Carolina after joining the Buckeyes after the 2024 season.
The good news for the defensive line is after leaving last week’s game with an injury, defensive tackle James Smith isn’t on this week’s injury report. Smith and fellow Alabama transfer Qua Russaw are eager to get on field more as the season moves along.
The other notable transfer on the defensive line on this year’s team is John Walker, who started his career at UCF.
Ohio State’s linebackers continue to make plays early on in the season. Last week Riley Pettijohn joined T.J. Alford as linebackers who have picked off a pass through the first three games.
Pettijohn has notched a sack and 12 tackles, sitting him two stops behind Payton Pierce for most tackles by a linebacker this year. Christian Alliegro has added 11 tackles in his first season at Ohio State after transferring from Wisconsin.
The leader in tackles so far this year for the Buckeyes comes from the secondary. Earl Little Jr. has been credited with 17 tackles after joining Ohio State from the transfer portal. Freshman Jay Timmons is making waves early in his college career, breaking up three passes and forcing a fumble which he recovered against Texas.
Safety Jaylen McClain has the lone interception by a safety after picking off an Arch Manning pass in the game at Texas a couple weeks ago.
Cornerbacks Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Devin Sanchez have also been playing well to start the season. Matthews has nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Sanchez has added 10 tackles and two pass breakups.
For the third straight season Illinois will open their Big Ten schedule with a game against a ranked opponent.
The Fighting Illini are coming off a 48-10 win over Southern Illinois. Prior to the win over the Salukis, Illinois opened up their season with a win over UAB, followed by a 31-27 loss to Duke.
Since taking over in Champaign, former Wisconsin and Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema is 39-27, which is not only the most wins in the first five years by a Fighting Illini head coach, it is the fourth-most wins in school history. Bielema is the first Illinois head coach to win at least five games in their first five seasons with the program.
If Illinois is able to become bowl eligible, it will mark the third straight season the Fighting Illini will have become postseason eligible, a feat they have not accomplished since they reached five straight bowl games from 1988-1992.
Over the last two seasons Illinois is 19-7, which is a program record for a two-year period. Since 2024, Illinois has the fourth-best winning percentage among Big Ten teams.
Taking over for Luke Altmyer at quarterback for the Fighting Illini is Katin Houser. After starting his career at Michigan State, Houser spent two years at East Carolina before transferring to Illinois following last season.
Houser threw for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Pirates last season before deciding to return to the Big Ten.
Through three games with the Fighting Illini, Houser has thrown for 758 yards, eight touchdowns, and tossed two picks. With each game Houser has seen his passing yardage increased. Last time out the senior threw for 305 yards in the win over Southern Illinois.
Houser appeared in Michigan State’s 2023 game against the Buckeyes, completing 12 of his 24 passing attempts and finishing with 92 yards passing in the 38-3 loss.
Despite being new to the program, Houser already has formed a strong bond with Collin Dixon. The wide receiver already has 25 catches for 367 yards and seven scores. The seven touchdowns by Dixon is not only the most in the country, the last Big Ten receiver to record seven receiving touchdowns through three games was Taylor Stubbefield of Purdue in 2004.
Another wide receiver Ohio State will have to keep tabs on is Hudson Clement, who is second on the team with 12 catches for 140 yards. The senior from West Virginia now has at least one reception in 30 straight games.
The only other Fighting Illini receiver with a touchdown reception this year is Ty Robinson, while Brayden Trimble is the only other Illinois player aside from Dixon and Clement with more than four receptions in 2026.
When the Fighting Illini run the football, expect to see either Ca’Lil Valentine or Aidan Laughery receiving the carries. Of the 74 carries by Illinois running backs this season, Valentine and Laughery have carried the football 60 times. Valentine leads the team with 177 yards, while Laughery has added 159 yards. Both Valentine and Laughery each have a rushing touchdown.
One reason Illinois could have some trouble keeping the Buckeyes out of the backfield on Saturday is because the Fighting Illini are one of just two teams to have three different starters in the first three games at an offensive line spot, with Stanford being the other. Illinois has started three different players at right guard this season.
After injuries to Brandon Henderson and T.J. McMillen, Champ Smith got the start at right guard in the game against Southern Illinois. The start was the first of Smith’s career. The only Illinois offensive lineman with more than 15 career starts is center Jake Renfro, who is on the Rimington Trophy watch list.
The Illinois defense is coached by Bobby Hauck, who is in his first year with the program. Hauck most recently coached Montana before leaving the position last year and briefly retiring before taking the job as defensive coordinator on Bret Bielema’s staff. Hauck takes over for Aaron Henry, who is now the co-defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.
The key for Illinois if they want to spring the upset on Ohio State is to force turnovers. The Fighting Illini have won 12 straight games where the have forced at least one turnover. Illinois has two turnovers so far this season, with one coming in each of their wins.
Both of the turnovers they have forced have been interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
The strength of the Illinois defense lies in the secondary, mostly because of the presence of Matthew Bailey. The strong safety enters this week with 30 career starts under his belt. The other Fighting Illini defensive back with at least 30 starts is cornerback Xavier Scott, who is now in his fifth season with the Fighting Illini.
Last week in the fourth quarter against Southern Illinois, Bailey had an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown. Bailey is the only returning player in the FBS who led his team in tackles in both 2024 and 2025. This year Bailey is tied for second on the team with 14 tackles.
Joining Bailey at safety is Mac Resetich, while Juice Clarke and Jakwon Morris should start at the other cornerback spots. Clarke also has 14 tackles on the season and has broken up two passes.
The linebackers for the Fighting Illini will be led by Ismael Kante, who is currently the team’s leading tackler with 15 stops. Much like Bailey, Kante also has a pick-six this year, taking a UAB pass 59 yards the other way for a score in the opener against UAB. Veterans James Kruetz and Mason Muragin are expected to line up with Kante at the other linebacker spots.
In the trenches, Illinois will often line up with three defensive linemen. Defensive tackle Darrell Prater is in his first season in Champaign after spending four seasons at Jacksonville State. The fifth-year senior has started 11 games in his college career. Joe Barna and Pat Farrell should start at the end positions for the Fighting Illini on Saturday. Barna leads the team with 2.5 tackles for loss.
There’s no question Illinois is a scrappy team. Last year the Fighting Illini had one of the higher scoring outputs against the Ohio State defense. The problem for Illinois is they lost dual-threat quarterback Luke Altmyer. Katin Houser has been solid for the Fighting Illini this year, he just doesn’t have quite the same skill set as Altmyer.
The Buckeyes should be able to pin their ears back and rush Houser since he isn’t nearly as much of a running threat as Altmyer was last year. This means the defensive line could have their best game of the season after struggling to create pressure in the first three games.
Even if Ohio State isn’t able to get to the quarterback, they’ll at least make life uncomfortable for Houser, which could lead to him making some bad throws that are picked off by an opportunistic secondary. With the defensive backs looking like the strength of the defense right now, it is going to be hard for Collin Dixon to replicate the success he has had in the first three games.
Last week was a chance for Ohio State to rotate a lot of players in on offense since they had loads more talent and depth than Kent State. This week should allow the starters to start to find a rhythm for Big Ten play. Jeremiah Smith is already clicking on all cylinders. Saturday’s game would be a great time for a second receiver to step up and take some of the attention away from Smith.
Next week the Buckeyes have a sneaky tough road trip to Iowa, so the Buckeyes should aim to act accordingly this week. The sooner Ryan Day’s team puts this game away, the sooner they can turn their attention to the Hawkeyes.
Closing out the month with a big win over the Fighting Illini could go a long way in setting the table for a tough October stretch.
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