COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — No. 1 Ohio State hits the road for the second time this season, visiting No. 17 Illinois in its second meeting with a Top 25 team. Kickoff is set for noon Saturday in Champaign, Illinois.
OSU defeated then-No. 1 Texas in its only other matchup against a ranked team. Now, the Buckeyes put a nine-game win streak on the line against the Fighting Illini. A victory would give coach Ryan Day his fourth win streak of 10-or-more games since taking over the program.
“We’ve got a really good opponent that we’re playing this week that knows how to win,” Day said. “To me, this is a top-10 opponent on the road.”
Here are three things to know.
Getting off to a fast start
After the last two games in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are prioritizing the importance of a fast start.
Against Washington on the road, the Buckeyes had opportunities early on but did not score for the first time until the final 90 seconds of the first half. Then last weekend against Minnesota at home, OSU missed a 53-yard field goal before quarterback Julian Sayin came up with a 47-yard pass that flipped the field. C.J. Donaldson scored a touchdown two plays later, and the Buckeyes turned a 7-3 first-quarter lead into a 42-3 victory.
“I think just giving them a clean plan and, you know, really emphasizing efficiency. And finishing the drives, I think that’s important,” Day said. “I think we can start better. And when you’re on the road, an environment like this, you definitely want a fast start.”
Stopping Luke Altmyer
The Ohio State defense has looked unstoppable lately. Through five games, the Buckeyes have yet to allow an opponent to score in double figures and kept teams out of the end zone so far in Big Ten play.
Washington entered its matchup with Ohio State averaging over 55 points but only managed to put up six. Similarly, Minnesota averaged 33 points, only to put up three.
The Fighting Illini average 37 points and are led by quarterback Luke Altmyer.
“I think he’s a great quarterback in the scheme. He’s a great quarterback,” linebacker Arvell Reese said. “He fits in well. He can run, too.”
Day knows the challenge that Altmyer brings to the field. The senior has thrown for 1,573 yards and 12 touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception this year.
“He’s won some big games before and he’s a really good quarterback. So another really good challenge for us,” Day said. “You know, we’ve gone against good quarterbacks already this year, but he presents some different challenges and so we need to finish off the week in our preparation.”
Connecting on deep passes
Ohio State scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions against the Golden Gophers in the first half. And each one of those drives saw a play that measured at least 40 yards.
Carnell Tate was involved in all three, leading to a career day for the receiver, with nine receptions for 183 yards. With the Buckeyes’ success in taking shots and connecting, it’s the work that the receivers are putting in practice that makes it happen.
“Those are long routes down the field that you can only have so many of those within a week. Otherwise, you know, you just blow your doors off your wideouts. So it has to be efficient,” Day said. “There’s a lot that goes with throwing the ball down the field: the footwork, the timing, you know, all those things. And we work hard. We work hard at it, but ultimately the player is going to make the plays.”
