Eric Boggs
Ohio State’s return to Champaign for the first time since 2015 was a reminder of why the Buckeyes have long dominated the Illibuck rivalry. Behind a sharp start, opportunistic defense, and a balanced offensive effort, the nation’s top-ranked team rolled to a 34-16 win over No. 17 Illinois to remain undefeated at 6-0 and keep hold of the Illibuck trophy for the 10th straight meeting.
The Buckeyes jumped out early with the game’s first 20 points, forcing the Illini to chase from behind for the rest of the afternoon. Illinois closed the gap to 20-10 midway through the third quarter, but Ohio State quickly extinguished any thought of an upset with two unanswered touchdowns to pull away. All three of the Buckeyes’ takeaways resulted directly in touchdowns — a telling stat that proved to be the difference in what was otherwise a competitive contest.
Head coach Ryan Day was quick to praise his team’s energy and execution in a hostile environment. “I thought we came in with good energy,” Day said after the game. “Was it all perfect? No, but they’re a good team, that’s kind of how it goes. We all expect perfection, including me, but I thought we played well.”
The Buckeyes were dominant early but still showed some sloppiness that left players hungry for more improvement. Ohio State finished with seven penalties, several of which stalled drives or gave Illinois extra opportunities. “We had a lot of self-inflicted penalties,” quarterback Julian Sayin said. “We have to clean those up, and I think a lot of the time when we have those penalties it slows us down.”
Still, when the defense needed to make plays, it did. A key forced fumble by defensive lineman Kayden McDonald set up a short-field touchdown drive capped off by freshman running back Bo Jackson. McDonald said afterward that it was about mindset as much as execution. “Things happen for a reason,” he said. “And we’ve just got to keep playing.”
Illinois found some success moving the ball — becoming the first team all season to reach double digits against Ohio State’s defense and outgaining the Buckeyes by 23 total yards — but turnovers proved fatal. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 82 more yards than Sayin, but three costly mistakes kept his team from capitalizing. After the game, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema admitted he regretted not turning up the tempo sooner. “I actually wanted to go tempo the whole freaking game because they couldn’t do (expletive) with it,” Bielema said candidly. “It seemed like when we went tempo that things really began to work our way. We just needed to go to it sooner.”
Bielema also gave credit where it was due, acknowledging the Buckeyes’ talent and coaching. “I’m not giving Ohio State any advice,” he said. “They’re doing really good, they’re number one in the country. They got a lot of good talent, their coach is exceptional.” He later added that he’s proud of how programs like Ohio State represent the Big Ten on the national stage. “I think Ryan keeps them on edge. I’m excited because they’re a Big Ten team and I think they can do a lot of things nationally that continue to make our conference what it is.”
The win served as both a statement and a celebration. It marked 100 years since Ohio State and Illinois first played for the Illibuck trophy — a tradition that began in 1924 with a live turtle and has evolved into one of the Big Ten’s most unique rivalries. The 11th edition of the carved wooden turtle once again found its way back to Columbus after the final whistle, with several Buckeyes hoisting it proudly as fireworks punctuated another dominant performance.
Ohio State now owns a 70-30-4 all-time record against Illinois and has won 10 straight (including 2010’s vacated victory) in the series. The Buckeyes will look to keep their perfect season alive next week when they travel to Madison for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Wisconsin on CBS.
