Big Ten play will finally be here when Ohio State travels to Illinois for the first conference game of the season. It will not only be Ohio State’s first conference clash, but also the first road test for the Buckeyes in 2010.
The Big Ten has the reputation of a slow, plodding football conference nationally, but to the Midwest, the Big Ten style of football is a staple of the fall and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The “slow” stereotype is obnoxiously inaccurate anyway, particularly when it is used by national pundits to predict the outcome of games. Apparently, “Big Ten slow, other team fast” passes as expert knowledge these days.
Slow or not (not), the Big Ten season means hard hitting, smash mouth football that has an intensity about it that you just don’t see during out-of-conference play. I am ready.
Adding to the intensity is the target that Ohio State carries on its back each week in the conference. As five time defending champs, Ohio State will get everyone’s best shot. Illinois will be bringing it this weekend, and the road through Champaign will be no cake-walk for the Buckeyes.
At the same time, Ohio State is the class of the Big Ten conference for a reason, and athletically, the Buckeyes match up well with everyone on the schedule.
Join me after the jump for a look at those match ups against the Fighting Illini.
Ohio State’s defense vs. Illinois’ offense
Illinois comes into this game off of a bye week, so they should be fresh and ready to defend their home field. That is where their advantages end.
Illinois’ last game before the bye was a less than convincing 28-22 win against Northern Illinois, and the Illini have struggled mightily against I-A competition throwing the ball behind first year quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase.
Minus a decent game against I-AA Southern Illinois, Schellhaase has only completed 17 of 39 passes for 151 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions in two games.
It will be a good week for the Buckeyes to iron out any lingering issues in the secondary (if there are any) and gain some confidence against a struggling quarterback.
To their credit, Illinois has been effective running the ball for the most part, but without an effective passing attack to keep the Silver Bullets honest, the yards will be few and hard to come by for Zook and company.
Stopping the Illinois offense will be a nice test for the Ohio State defense, especially the defensive line.
First, stuffing the run starts up front, so Dexter Larimore, John Simon, and Big Hank will need to hold the point of attack at the line of scrimmage (bonus points for getting penetration and disrupting the backfield… which they should be able to do as well).
Second, the line will need to get pressure on Schellhaase to ensure that he continues to play poorly. Schellhaase is a good runner and dangerous when he gets out of the pocket, so staying disciplined and assignment sound in the rush lanes is a must.
Illinois presents a nice early challenge for Ohio State’s defense on the road, but they are fully capable of meeting that challenge… with flying colors.
Ohio State’s offense vs. Illinois’ defense
On offense, the Buckeyes have been well balanced and effective through four games.
Despite a ‘running back by committee’ backfield, Ohio State has been surprisingly effective on the ground (240.2 yards per game). With Terrelle Pryor’s improvement throwing the ball (234.8 yards per game, 10 TDs), the Buckeyes are a challenge for any defense to stop.
For their part, Illinois doesn’t appear to be particularly good at stopping the run or pass, but they may be a little more vulnerable through the air.
Minus I-AA opponent Southern Illinois, the Illini defense has averaged giving up 130.5 yards on the ground and 254 yards through the air against Northern Illinois (2-2) and Missouri (4-0).
It will be interesting to see if Illinois continues the trend of recent opponents and tries to “Purdue” Ohio State. This (if you haven’t heard me explain it before) involves loading the box and constantly blitzing on defense with the hope that Pryor makes mistakes and turns the ball over.
Given that it is the first road game of the year for Pryor, I imagine that is exactly what Illinois will try to do.
At the same time, Illinois has not stopped anyone from throwing the ball (even I-AA Southern Illinois had 184 yards and 9 first downs passing), so leaving themselves extra vulnerable through the air may be counter-productive for them.
As long as Terrelle Pryor continues to perform at the same high level he has been so far this season, Ohio State should have no problem moving the ball on the ground or through the air (depending on what Illinois’ defense chooses to focus on) on the way to a victory.
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