Know Your Opponent: Illinois Fighting Illini
November 18, 2017Last minute fantasy football suggestions
November 19, 2017When it’s Senior Day and the last home game of the year, it’s an emotional day, no matter who the opponent is. For the Ohio State Buckeyes, they were expected to blowout the very bad Fighting Illini. The scarlet and gray were 41-point favorites and, although they didn’t cover due to backups and other bench players getting so much time, the Buckeyes took care of business Saturday afternoon with an easy 52-14 win over Illinois. Even with horrible weather that included high winds and quite a bit of rain, it still couldn’t stop Ohio State’s offense.
Quick Recap
From the moment the game started, Ohio State outmatched, outcoached, and outplayed Illinois. They just had too much talent, speed, and athleticism all over the field. Whether it was on offense or defense, the Buckeyes dominated.
With it being Senior Day, 19 seniors played their last game at Ohio Stadium, including quarterback J.T. Barrett, defensive end Tyquan Lewis, center Billy Price, safety Damon Webb, left tackle Jamarco Jones, linebacker Chris Worley, tight end Marcus Baugh, defensive end Jalyn Holmes, and defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle.
Luckily, with the game not close, it gave head coach Urban Meyer an opportunity to give many if his players playing time, including some senior walk-ons that saw their first playing time of their career. Allowing players like that to get time means a lot, but on Senior Day, it meant to so much more. Kudos to Meyer for doing that.
The Turning Point
Just over four minutes into the game, Mike Weber scored on a four-yard touchdown to open the scoring and the Buckeyes never looked back. It was the first of four touchdowns scored in the first quarter and six that were scored in the first 23 minutes of the game.
Top Performers
J.T. Barrett: 11-of-19, 141 yards, two touchdowns; five carries, 33 yards, one touchdown
Dwayne Haskins: 5-of-8, 77 yards, one touchdown; eight carries, 23 yards
Mike Weber: 11 carries, 108 yards, two touchdowns
J.K. Dobbins: 12 carries, 51 yards, one touchdown; one catch, 14 yards
Antonio Williams: 19 carries, 74 yards
Parris Campbell: three catches, 59 yards, one carries, 44 yards
Benjimin Victor: three catches, 39 yards, two touchdowns
Erick Smith: six tackles, one pass breakup
Chris Worley: five tackles, one tackle for loss
Jonathon Cooper: three tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss
Davon Hamilton: two tackles, two tackles for loss
Damon Webb: two tackles, two pass breakups
On to the next one
The Game is here! Ohio State will travel to Ann Arbor and take on Michigan Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.
