Barrett back at QB for No. 2 Ohio St, Illinois wary

If the Buckeyes are going to play in the postseason come March, a top-10 recruiting class led by point guard JaQuan Lyle and center Daniel Giddens will have to grow up quickly.

Coach Urban Meyer alluded to it in his opening remarks: “The defense is playing lights out – that’s obvious”. MI State quarterback Connor Cook had to leave Saturday’s win against the Maryland Terrapins with an injured throwing shoulder but the early prognosis is good and he expects to play in this game. I don’t think we’ve made our last Braxton Miller GIF for the regular season…

Buckeyes begin second quarter at their own 32 can’t convert and punt away. And given that Barrett tried to pull the old celebrity get-out-of-jail-free maneuver by telling police who he was – well, that, too, will likely go down as quite an embarrassment to the young football player…

IL was limited to 20 net yards rushing, one week after piling up 382 yards at Purdue.

Elliott says his offensive line deserves much of the credit for his success. The Illini still struggle to move the ball and settle for. While he’s still more than 2,000 yards from the top spot (Archie Griffin with 5,589 yards), Elliott is now just 213 yards behind Eddie George’s No. 2 rank. The Illini showed promise throughout majority of the first half, and the defense did their part for IL, but the offense just couldn’t seem to get going as IL would end up losing by a final score of 28-3. Stidham has completed 77% of his passes for 750 yard and nine touchdowns without an interception. The Buckeyes go for it on 4th and 11 after a Farris penalty and a run by J.T. Barrett to the 22 keeps them alive with 1:09 to go.

The Mountaineers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games. Buckeyes receive the kickoff to start the second half.

Buckeyes begin second half with a three and out and Johnston buries the Illini at the ten. The Buckeye’s also haven’t lost to IL since they were upset in 2007.

OSU isn’t only preparing for the Fighting Illini, but MI State a week from Saturday.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and the defense allowed just 259 total yards as the Buckeyes knocked off IL in a Big Ten game.

Facing a third-and-goal from the Baylor 7 in the fourth quarter, Mayfield scrambled to buy time, then found Dimitri Flowers open in the end zone for the touchdown, extending Oklahoma’s lead to 10 points.

In front of a season-high 4,248 home fans, the Ohio State women’s volleyball team came up well short against rival MI on Saturday night.

J.T. Barrett assumed the reins again and still Ohio State hobbled at times like a three-legged horse. The Fighting Illini won the 2010 Texas Bowl (over Baylor) and 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (over UCLA), then endured a two-year bowl drought in before returning to postseason play at the 2014 Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl.

With 1:45 left in the half, Barrett and the Buckeyes had the ball and a sudden sense of urgency. Jalin Marshall, the deep threat, has become more well-rounded.

There’s still a few hay to get to the barn, but when Iowa hosts Purdue next week, it can clinch a share of the Big Ten West title and punch its ticket to Indianapolis.