Buckeyes-Illini Gameday Binoculars: Live Blogging, Play-by-Play & Analysis

UPDATE: Illinois falls 24-13 as a late Ohio State rushing touchdown with less than 2 minutes to go puts the game away. Ohio State wasn’t very impressive this afternoon, and Illinois played tough, especially defensively. Unfortunately, Illinois was done in by some boneheaded penalties on Ohio State’s final touchdown drive and an offense that did nothing much after the first quarter.

The Illini played much better than expected but have to be disappointed with the final outcome. This game was there for the taking. Ron Zook’s team has played really hard this season but still lacks the discipline that is necessary to be a good team as opposed to just a talented one.

With that said, let’s see how Illinois responds with two huge road games at Penn State and Michigan State. If Illinois can somehow split in the next two weeks, fans should be ecstatic, considering the team’s brutal schedule to start Big Ten play. How the Illini compete in the next two weeks could be the difference between whether the season snowballs or continues to surprise.

A positive: Illinois has given a very honest effort thus far in the 2010 season, competing with and even outplaying Missouri and Ohio State at times. Some negatives: Illinois continues to hurt itself with poor, untimely decision making and seemingly lacks the ability to make a big play on both sides of the ball when it absolutely matters in close games

Alright. I’m going to pick up the live blogging with 11:02 to go in the fourth quarter.

Illinois is down 14-10, though Ohio State has the ball inside the Illini 20.

Let’s do this.

1:32 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 19: Boom Herron runs for three yards. 2nd and 7 from the 16: Corey Liuget eats up Herron for a loss of two yards. Liuget has 11 tackles today. 3rd and 9 from the 18: Ohio State lines up with Terrelle Pryor under center, but runs the play clock out. Delay of game on the Buckeyes, which look out of sync. 3rd and 14 Ohio State from the Illinois 23: Pryor is in the gun and hits Reid Fragel for a gain of 6. 4th and 8 Ohio State from the Illinois 17: Devin Barclay hits a 33-yard field goal.

Ohio  State leads 17-10 after a Barclay field goal. The Illini defense does a good job of keeping this a one-possession game as the Buckeyes continue to play conservative football. Can the Illini offense put together a drive?

1:40 p.m.

Drew Basil kicks the ball out of the end zone. 1st and 10 Illinois from its own 20 with 8:27 to go: Mikel Leshoure runs for six yards on the play. 2nd and 4 Illinois from its own 26: Leshoure churns his way up field for a tough run of five yards. Illinois gets the first down as Leshoure kept his feet pumping.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 31: Nathan Scheelhaase lines up under center and hands off to Leshoure, who rips off a 25-yard run to the Ohio State 45.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 45: Jason Ford loses a yard on a first-down run. Illinois needs to open up the game a bit with the pass. 2nd and 11 Illinois from the Ohio State 46: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hits Jarred Fayson for a gain to the Ohio State 16-yard line. There is a flag on the play. What a great job by Scheelhaase of using his legs there. The flag is picked up. Fayson was pushed out of bounds, thus making his catch legal.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio  State 16: Leshoure gets stuffed by Nathan Williams at the line of scrimmage with 5:40 to go. 2nd and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 16: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hits Fayson for two yards. 3rd and 8 Illinois from the Ohio State 14: Here we go. Huge play here for the Illini. Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and throws the ball out of bounds. 4th and 7 from the Ohio State 14 with 4:40 to go: Illinois is going to take the points. Derek Dimke will attempt a 30-yard field goal. Dimke is 1-for-2 on the day. Dimke hits the field goal, and Illinois trails 17-13.

Illinois cuts the game to 17-13 on a Derek Dimke field goal. The Illini needed seven points there. The defense will have to stop the Buckeyes. Expect Terrelle Pryor to be moving on this series. Can the Illini defense hold?

1:52 p.m.

Dimke kicks the ball high in the air and Ohio State returns the ball to its own 31. There is a personal foul on the Illini after the play. Talk about an inexcusable penalty.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 46: Dan Herron runs for 6 yards on first down. 2nd and 4 Ohio State from the Illinosi 47: Herron runs for three yards as Trulon Henry makes the tackle with 3:28 to go. 3rd and 1 Ohio State from the Illinois 44: Dan Herron is swarmed by the Illini for a loss of two yards. There is a flag on the play. Illinois was offside, specifically Justin Green.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illini 39: Herron runs for two yards as Ian Thomas makes the tackle. Illinois calls a timeout with 2:33 to go. Herron has rushed 20 times for 65 yards.

Illinois has killed itself thus far with two inexcusable penalties.

2nd and 8 Ohio State from the Illinois 37: Dan Herron runs for 13 yards to the Illini 24. That is likely the ballgame.

1st and 10 Ohio State at the Illinois 24 with 2 minutes to go: Herron runs for about 9 yards. There is a flag on the play. Another personal foul on the Illini, with Nate Bussey called for a face mask. 1st and Goal Ohio State from the Illinois 7: Dan Herron runs for a 7-yard touchdown with 1:49 left. Barclay’s PAT is good, and this game is ovah, as Hawk Harrelson likes to say.

Ohio State will survive with an ugly victory as Herron takes over late on the ground. Illinois shoots itself in the foot on that drive, with 2 personal fouls and an offsides penalty.

2:04 p.m.

Darius Millines returns the Ohio State kickoff to the Illinois 13-yard line.

1st and 10 Illinois from the OSU 13: Scheelhaase hits Fayson for seven yards as the clock runs. 2nd and 3 from the Ohio State 20: Scheelhaase loses a yard on a keeper, and Illinois burns its last timeout.

3rd and 4 Illinois from the OSU 19: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and Illinois false starts. 3rd and 9 Illinois from the Ohio State 14 with 1:16 to go: Scheelhaase checks down to Mikel Leshoure, who gets back to the line of scrimmage. 4th and 9 from the OSU 14: Scheelhaase avoids a sack and hits A.J. Jenkins for a gain of 15.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 29: Scheelhaase hits Jason Ford to the 38. 2nd and 1: Scheelhaase throws a pass over the middle, but it is incomplete. 3rd and 1 from the 38: Scheelhaase overthrows the ball as the game clock expires. Illinois loses 24-13.

Final Score: Ohio State 24, Illinois 13. The final score is a bit deceiving as a late Ohio State touchdown results in the 11-point final. The Illini defense couldn’t stop the Ohio State offense in the final 4 minutes, in large part due to some very poor penalties. Illinois got lucky to survive against NIU despite some penalties, but couldn’t overcome such mental gaffes today. Illinois played hard and competed but has to feel bad about getting the “moral victory” on a day when Ohio State was not impressive on offense, especially with Terrelle Pryor nicked up. This game was winnable, but the Illini couldn’t muster enough offense (Mikel Leshoure was held to under 100 yards) and lacked discipline when it mattered. We’ll see how the Illini respond on the road against Penn State and Michigan State in the next two weeks. Illinois has been much better than expected but needs to be more disciplined as a team.

I’m going to catch up with the rest of the game in a bit.

OK.

Here is the film review of the first half and third quarter, which I unfortunately missed due to a prior commitment.

#2 Ohio State (4-0, 0-0) vs. Illinois (2-1, 0-0)

Announcers: Eric Collins and Chris Martin

2:55 p.m.

Ohio State will receive the ball to start. Illinois placekicker Derek Dimke lines it up and kicks to Jordan Hall who takes a knee in the end zone.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 20: Terrelle Pryor lines up in the gun with two backs next to him and hands to Dan Herron for a run of about a yard. Corey Liuget was in on that tackle. 2nd and 9 OSU from its own 21: Prior keeps on an option and is tackled by Tavon Wilson and Akeem Spence after a gain of 5 yards. 3rd and 4 OSU from its own 26: Pryor lines up under center and is pressured and sacked by Clay Nurse. Vic Koenning brought the pressure there. 4th and 8 Ohio State from its own 22: Ohio State punter Ben Buchanan punts the ball to the Illinois 45, where Jack Ramsey makes the catch and is tackled.

Illinois gets a three-and-out on the first Ohio State possession.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 45: Nathan Scheelhaase lines up under center and hands off to Mikel Leshoure, who loses a yard. There is a penalty on the play. Ohio State declines the illegal motion penalty on Evan Wilson. 2nd and 11 Illinois from its own 44: Scheelhaase is in the gun and hands off to Leshoure, who gets one yard. 3rd and 10 Illinois from the 45: Jack Cornell is starting for Hugh Thornton. Eddie McGee is out with an ankle injury. Scheelhaase hits Jarred Fayson for a 10-yard gain and a first down. That play came out of the gun. A nice pitch and catch there between Scheelhaase and Fayson.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 44: Scheelhaase with a play-action fake and hits Fayson for 14 yards. Good play call right there by Paul Petrino.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 30: Mikel Leshoure runs the ball but loses a yard. There is a penalty on the play. Ohio State’s Cameron Heyward makes the tackle. Ohio State declines another illegal motion penalty, this time on Darius Millines. 2nd and 11 Illinois from the Ohio State 31: Scheelhaase is in the gun and fires behind the line of scrimmage to Fayson, who throws back to Scheelhaase for a gain of 22 yards. A great play there.

1st and Goal Illinois from the Ohio State 9: Leshoure runs for two yards. 2nd and Goal Illinois from the Ohio State 7: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hands off to Leshoure, who runs to the three-yard line. 3rd and Goal Illinois from the Ohio State 3: Scheelhaase lines in the gun with three receivers, fakes a hand off to Leshoure and keeps the ball up the middle for a three-yard touchdown run. Illinois takes a 6-0 lead. Dimke makes the PAT and Illinois leads 7-0 with 8:29 to go.

Illinois gets off to a great start, using some opportune field position and trickery to drive 55 yards and take a 7-0 lead on a Scheelhaase touchdown run. Couldn’t ask for a better start.

3:01 p.m.

Dimke kicks off to Jordan Hall, who returns the ball to the Ohio State 25-yard line.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 25: Pryor lines up in the gun, fakes a hand off to Herron and rushes for 66 yards to the Illinois 8-yard line. Talk about speed right there. Those are the big plays that Illinois has to avoid.

1st and Goal Ohio State from the Illinois 8: Brandon Saine runs for a tough yard, with Tavon Wilson making the tackle. 2nd and Goal Ohio State from the Illinois 7: Pryor avoids a Clay Nurse sack and hits DeVier Posey for a loss of one. 3rd and Goal Ohio State from the Illinois 8: Pryor lines up in the gun and lofts a touchdown pass to a wide open Saine. Illinois got no pressure on that play. Devin Barclay has the PAT blocked by Martez Wilson, although there is a flag on the play. There is a penalty on Corey Liuget. Barclay will get another shot at the PAT, and Barclay drills it.

Ohio State has tied the game at 7 with 6:17 to go in the first quarter. The Buckeyes needed just 4 plays there, as Pryor ripped off a big 66-yard run to get the drive started.

3:16 p.m.

Ohio State kicks off to Darius Millines, who returns the ball to the Illinois 29.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 29: Scheelhaase lines up in the pistol and hands off to Jason Ford, who battery rams his way to a 5-yard run. 2nd and 5 Illinois from its own 34: Scheelhaase lines in the gun with 5 receivers and hits Fayson over the middle for 12 yards and a first down. Scheelhaase and Fayson have a nice rhythm early on.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 46: Scheelhaase rolls out and throws a pass downfield that is incomplete. Scheelhaase got hammered on that throw by Brian Rolle. 2nd and 10 Illinois from its own 46: Leshoure loses two yards on a slow draw play. 3rd and 11 Illinois from its own 44: Scheelhaase scrambles, avoids a sack and runs to the Ohio State 46-yard line. 4th and 3 Illinois from the Ohio State 46: Anthony Santella is in the game to punt and drills a ball that is downed by Fayson inside the Ohio State one-yard line.

Illinois can’t sustain much of a drive, though Anthony Santella continues his strong punting by pinning the Buckeyes at their own 1-yard line. Jarred Fayson downed the ball. Fayson has been the star of the first quarter, with 3 receptions, a completion to Scheelhaase, and a big special teams play.

1st and 10 Ohio State inside its own 1 with 3:27 to go: Ohio State hands off the ball for a gain of two yards, with Ian Thomas getting the tackle. 2nd and 8 Ohio State from its own 3: Pryor hands off to Herron but the play is whistled dead due to a false start by J.P. Shugarts. 2nd and 9 Ohio State from its own 1: Herron gets a yard as Michael Buchanan makes the tackle. 3rd and 8 Ohio State from its own 2: Herron runs for about two yards on a conservative call. 4th and 7 from the Ohio State 5: Ben Buchanan just gets off the punt as Illinois brought the pressure. Jack Ramsey calls a fair catch at the Ohio State 36.

Santella’s excellent punt and another three and out from the Illini defense result in great field position for the Illini.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 36: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and options the ball to Leshoure, who runs for 8 yards. That was a nice fake by Scheelhaase, who looked like he was going to Jason Ford but kept the ball before optioning to Leshoure. 2nd and 2 Illinois from the Ohio State 28: Scheelhaase hands off to Leshoure, who picks his way for 7 yards.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 21: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hands off to Leshoure, who loses a yard as the first quarter ends.

Illinois and Ohio State are tied at 7 at the end of the first quarter. The Illini have played a great 15 minutes, sans the big run by Pryor. Scheelhaase looks poised against the Buckeyes, while the Illini are doing a nice job of connecting on some quick hitters in the passing game. The Illinois defense has been good at stuffing the run up the middle while Santella is allowing the Illini to win the field-position battle.

3:21 p.m.

2nd and 11 Illinois from the Ohio State 22: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun, fakes a hand off to Leshoure, rolls out and fires over the head of Leshoure. With nothing there on that play, Scheelhaase made a smart decision to throw the ball out of bounds. 3rd and 11 Illinois from the Ohio State 22: Illinois false starts again, this time on A.J. Jenkins. 3rd and 16 Illinois from the Ohio State 27: Scheelhaase hits Leshoure for a gain of three yards. 4th and 13 Illinois from the Ohio State 24: Dimke will try a 41-yarder, which looks good but falls just short going into the wind. That’s the first field goal attempt that Dimke has missed in his collegiate career.

Illinois looked to have a 10-7 lead, but Dimke’s 41-yard field goal into the wind fell about a yard short. That’s a tough break for the Illini with 14 minutes left in the half.

3:30 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 24: Pryor is pressured by Nurse and Martez Wilson before hitting Herron for 6 yards. 2nd and 4 Ohio State from its own 30: Pryor hands off to Herron, who is tackled right at the sticks. Ohio State looks to be slightly short. 3rd and 1 Ohio State from the 33: Pryor keeps the ball up the middle and picks up the first down.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 35: Pryor lines up in the gun but throws the ball too high on a sideline rout to DeVier Posey. 2nd and 10 Ohio State from its own 35: Pryor lines up in the gun and hands off to Herron, who is wrapped up behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 1 yard. Michael Buchanan had the tackle on the play. 3rd and 11 Ohio State from its own 34: Pryor goes down field to Posey, but the pass is overthrown. Steve Hull provided some nice coverage for the Illini. 4th and 11 Ohio State from its own 34: Buchanan booms a 56-yard punt to Jack Ramsey, who loses a yard on the play.

Illinois has limited the Buckeyes to just 2 first downs in 3 possessions.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 9: Scheelhaase hands off to Leshoure, who gets a tough five yards up the middle. 2nd and 5 Illinois from its own 14: Scheelhaase lines up under center, fakes a hand off to Leshoure and rolls out before getting sacked by Nathan Williams and Cameron Heyward for a loss of 4 yards. 3rd and 9 Illinois from its own 10: Scheelhaase keeps the ball and runs for five yards before getting hammered by Ross Homan. 4th and 4 Illinois from its own 15: Santella booms one to the Ohio State 44, where Jordan Hall makes the catch and returns the ball to the Illinois 45.

Illinois can’t muster any offense deep in its own territory. The field position has swung, with Ohio State returning a Santella punt to the Illinois 46. The game is still nodded up at 7 with 8:59 to go in the first half.

3:40 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 46: Saine runs for about a yard. 2nd and 9 OSU from the Illinois 45: Pryor hits Dane Sanzenbacher for a gain of 8 yards. 3rd and 1 Ohio State from the Illinois 37: Saine easily runs for a first down, gaining 7 yards before Tavon Wilson tripped him up.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 30: Pryor lines up under center and can’t hit an open Sanzenbacher in the end zone as Ian Thomas brought the pressure. 2nd and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 30: Pryor lines up in the shotgun and has a pass over the middle to Posey go off the Ohio State receiver. That pass was hot too handle, but Posey did have the alligator arms there. 3rd and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 30: Prior is sacked by Martez Wilson for a loss of 18 yards. 4th and 18 Ohio State from the Illinois 38: Ben Buchanan places a ball inside the Illinois two-yard line. There is a flag on the play. Ohio State is called for an illegal formation, having five men in the backfield, and will have to punt the ball again. 4th and 23 Ohio State from the Illinois 43: Illinois takes a timeout with 6:28 remaining in the half.

Illinois is waiting to receive a punt as Ohio State is facing a 4th and 23 from the Illinois 43. The Illini have taken a timeout. Martez Wilson just came up with a big sack that knocked the Buckeyes out of field-goal position.

4th and 23 OSU from the Illinois 43: Buchanan’s punt bounces into the end zone. Illinois will get the ball at the 20 with 6:23 to go and the game still tied at 7.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Scheelhaase lines up in the pistol and has his pass to A.J. Jenkins dropped. Jenkins slipped on that play. 2nd and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Scheelhaase lines up in the pistol and hands off to Jason Ford, who picks up 7 tough yards. I love the way Ford runs through guys. 3rd and 3 Illinois from its own 27: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun, rolls out and hits Fayson just short of the sticks. Illinois only got 2 yards there as Christian Bryant made a nice tackle for the Buckeyes. 4th and 1 Illinois from its own 29: The punting crew is on and Santella kicks a low ball to Jordan Hall, who returns the ball two yards to the Ohio State 35.

Illinois goes three and out, coming up just short on a third-down pass.

3:51 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 35: Pryor lines up in the gun and has his passed intercepted by Trulon Henry, who returns the ball to the Ohio State 25. Henry did a great job of getting in front of that slant route. That’s Illinois’ first interception of the season.

Illinois comes up with a big turnover as Rejus Benn’s brother Trulon Henry jumps in front of a Pryor pass. Illinois has great field position at the Ohio State 25. A touchdown would be huge here. Got to love the defensive effort from the Illini thus far.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 25: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hands off to Ford, who runs for 8 yards. Ford is proving to be a nice change-of-pace back thus far. 2nd and 2 Illinois from the Ohio State 17: Scheelhaase keeps the ball out of the shotgun and rushes for a first down before getting hammered.

1st and 10 Illinois from the Ohio State 13: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun, pumps fake and then runs for two yards before Homan makes a tackle. 2nd and 8 Illinois from the Ohio State 11: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hands off to Ford, who runs for 4 tough yards. 3rd and 4 Illinois from the Ohio State 7: Scheelhaase lines in the gun, fakes to Ford and then gets hit for a loss. That was way too conservative of a play call. Illinois will have to settle for a field goal. 4th and 7 from the Ohio State 10: Derek Dimke will line up for a field goal, but Ohio State takes a timeout with 1:55 remaining to keep some time on the clock.

Illinois will attempt a 27-yard field goal with 1:55 to go following a Trulon Henry interception. Ohio State has taken a timeout to keep some time on the clock for a 2-minute drive.

4th and 7 Illinois from the Ohio State 10: Dimke drills the field goal and Illinois leads 10-7.

With 1:55 to go in the first half, Illinois leads 10-7. The Illini would have loved a touchdown on that drive but will take the points and the lead. Can the defense hold the dangerous but off-kilter Pryor before the half?

3:52 p.m.

Dimke kicks the ball to the Ohio State 7 where Jaamal Berry returns the ball to the Ohio State 38. There is a penalty on the play. Illinois is called for an illegal formation. Ohio State will get 5 more yards and start off with great field position.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 43 with 1:44 to go: Pryor lines up in the shotgun, keeps the ball, gets the edge and runs the ball to the Illinois 23-yard line. Another big run from Pryor hurts the Illini.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 23: Pryor is incomplete on an ugly pass that is way over the head of Sanzenbacher. 2nd and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 23 with 1:31 to go: Pryor lines up in the gun and hits Sanzenbacher on an out route to the Illinois 6-yard line.

1st and Goal Ohio State from the Illinois 6: Pryor lines up in the gun and is sacked by a blitzing Nate Bussey with 51 seconds left. Ohio State takes a timeout.

Ohio State is on the verge of scoring with 51 seconds left in the first half, though Nate Bussey just sacked Pryor to push the Buckeyes outside of the Illini 10-yard line.

2nd and Goal Ohio State from the Illinois 12: Pryor lines up in the gun and hits a wide-open Sanzenbacher for a touchdown. Ohio State has had two wide-open touchdown catches thus far. Trulon Henry seemed to make a mistake there. Barclay’s extra point is good and Illinois trails 14-10 with 45 seconds left.

Ohio State has taken a 14-10 lead right before the half. Both Ohio State touchdown drives have been set up by big runs from Pryor and then wide-open touchdown passes. That possession only took 1:05. That hurts the Illini defense, which has been great for most of the half.

3:59 p.m.

Ohio State kicks the ball to the Illinois 1, where Darius Millines receives the ball and returns it to the Illinois 29-yard line.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 29: Scheelhaase is in the gun and nearly throws an interception. Scheelhaase tried to hit Jarred Fayson, but Nathan Williams just missed the pick. That was a force. 2nd and 10 Illinois from its own 29: Scheelhaase hands off to Leshoure for 4 yards. Illinois will let the clock run out.

Illinois trails 14-10 at the half. The Illini have played tough, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Ohio State has gotten two big runs of 66 yards and 35 yards by Pryor on its two touchdown drives. Illinois has hung around and even outplayed the Buckeyes for most of the half. Ultimately, Ohio State’s quick-strike and big-play ability has been the difference thus far. Illinois only had 1 first down in the second quarter. Leshoure hasn’t got going but Ford has done a nice job in a backup role.

4:03 p.m.

Illinois will receive the ball first. Drew Bazel kicks the ball to Jack Ramsey, who is hammered at the 18-yard line.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 18: Scheelhaase lines up under center, fakes a hand off to Leshoure, rolls out and throws an ugly pass to a wide open Evan Wilson that is dropped. That play was there, but Scheelhaase didn’t have much on that ball. 2nd and 10 from the 18: Jason Ford rattles off a tough 5 yards. 3rd and 5 Illinois from its own 24: Scheelhaase avoids a sack and falls forward for two yards. There is a flag on the play. Illinois is called for holding, Ryan Palmer to be exact. The Buckeyes decline the penalty. 4th and 3 Illinois from its own 26: Santella booms a punt to Hall, who is tackled at the Ohio State 16.

Illinois goes three and out to start the second half and has not converted on six straight third downs.

4:10 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 16: Pryor hands off to Saine out of the gun for two yards. Ian Thomas makes the tackle. 2nd and 8 Ohio State from its own 18: Pryor lines up in the gun, keeps the ball and dives to the 29 for a first down. Pryor is down after getting tackled by the Memorial Stadium carpet. Joe Bauserman is warming up on the Ohio State sidelines as Pryor is helped off the field.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 29: Bauserman lines up under center and hands off to Saine for one yard. Corey Liuget has a very nice tackle on that play. 2nd and 9 Ohio State from its own 30 with 12:19 to go: Bauserman lines up in the gun and hands off to Saine, who is swarmed at the line of scrimmage by Martez Wilson. 3rd and 9 Ohio State from its own 30: Pryor is limping around on the sidelines. Bauserman lines up in the gun and hits fullback Zach Boren for a gain of two yards. Ian Thomas made a great tackle on that play but is down after the tackle. Thomas is now up on his feet while Pryor is heading to the locker room. 4th and 8 Ohio State from its own 31: Buchanan punts the ball to the Illinois 31, where Jack Ramsey makes a fair catch.

Illinois is staying competitive here and seems to be energized by the fact that Pryor is in the locker room with an apparent leg injury. The Buckeyes gained just 3 yards on 2 plays with backup Joe Bauserman in the game. Can the Illini offense string something together here? A score, without Pryor in the game, would continue to swing the momentum on the side of the Illini.

4:18 p.m.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 31: Leshoure runs for 4 yards before getting tackled by Nathan Williams. 2nd and 6 Illinois from its own 35: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and scrambles for 7 yards and a first down.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 42: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and has his pass over the middle picked off by Ohio State’s Jermale Hynes. That was a bad pass by Scheelhaase, who tried to force the ball there. That is Illinois’ first turnover of the game and Scheelhaase’s first interception since the Missouri game, when he threw three picks.

Illinois turns the ball over on a poor throw by Scheelhaase that is intercepted. Ohio State has a first and 10 at the Illini 45 but Pryor is still out of the game with 9:28 remaining in the third.

4:21 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 45: Bauserman is in for Pryor and hands off to Saine for two yards. 2nd and 8 Ohio State from the Illinois 43: Bauserman lines up in the gun and tentatively throws a pass into coverage that is intercepted by Trulon Henry.

Trulon Henry turns the Buckeyes right back over, with his second pick of the game.The Illinois defense is keeping the Illini in the game.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 34: Scheelhaase hands off to Leshoure for two yards. 2nd and 8 Illinois from its own 35: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and hands off to Leshoure for two yards. The Illini are playing way too close to the vest. 3rd and 6 Illinois from its own 37: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and fires a pass to the 50-yard line that is dropped by Darius Millines. Got to catch that pass, which was set up by Scheelhaase’s legs. 4th and 6 Illinois from its own 37: Scheelhaase booms a punt around the Ohio State 15, where Hall is pushed out of bounds.

Illinois cannot sustain any offense after the Henry pick as the Illini go three and out again, thanks to a dropped pass by Darius Millines. Illinois has just 4 passing yards since the first quarter. Ouch.

4:26 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 13: Pryor is coming out of the locker room, though he is not yet back in the game. On first down, Bauserman hands off to Herron for a run of 9 yards. 2nd and 1 Ohio State from its own 22: Herron runs up the gut for a first down.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 26: Pryor is back in the game and hands off to Herron, who gains nothing. There is a penalty on the play. Nate Bussey is called for a face mask.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 41: Pryor lines up under center and hands off to Herron, who gains 8 yards. There is a penalty on Ohio State, a crack block by Posey. 1st and 22 Ohio State from its own 28: Pryor has a mild left quad strain. He hands off to Herron for a gain of 4 yards. Corey Liuget registers another tackle. 2nd and 18 Ohio State from its own 32: Herron rushes for 6 yards before getting swarmed by Liuget and several other Illini. 3rd and 12 Ohio State from its own 38: Herron runs for a couple of yards on a very conservative call before Tavon Wilson makes the tackle. 4th and 9 Ohio State from its own 42: Buchanan punts the ball before Ramsey makes a fair catch.

Illinois holds the Buckeyes again as Ohio State is very conservative with Pryor back in the game. It’s time for the offense to do something here.

4:34 p.m.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 33 with 3:23 to go in the third: Scheelhaase tries to throw but is sacked by Nathan Williams for a big loss. 2nd and 22 Illinois from its own 16: Troy Pollard is in the game, but Scheelhaase hands off to Leshoure for 7 yards. 3rd and 15 Illinois from its own 23: Scheelhaaase hits Fayson for a short gain. That’s not going to do it for the Illini. 4th and 9 Illinois from its own 29: Santella punts the ball out of bounds at the Ohio State 25-yard line.

Illinois goes three and out yet again. The Illini haven’t sustained any offense in the last two quarters. Illinois is still in this game somehow (thanks to the defense), trailing 14-10 with 1:19 to go in the third quarter.

4:38 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 25: Pryor hands off to Herron, who runs for 9 yards. The Ohio State offensive line is starting to win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Herron has ran the ball 8 straight times. Illinois defensive back Steve Hull is getting helped off the field. 2nd and 1 Ohio State from the Illinois 34: Pryor lines up under center, kills a lot of time and keeps up the middle for a first down. That will take us to the fourth quarter.

Illinois trails 14-10 at the end of three quarters, with both teams sustaining little offense in the third quarter.

4:41 p.m.

1st and 10 Ohio State from its own 36: Herron begins the fourth quarter with a 5-yard run. 2nd and 5 Ohio State from its own 41: Herron is wrapped up for a loss of 1 yard by Whitney Mercilus, who unfortunately grabbed the face mask. Actually, upon the replay review, Mercilus did not get the face mask. It doesn’t matter as the penalty has been called.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 44: The Buckeyes have ran the ball 11 straight times. Pryor lines up in the gun and flips a dangerous shovel pass in the middle that is deflected in the air and knocked down by the OSU quarterback. That was a nice deflection by Illinois defensive end Justin Staples and a smart reaction by Pryor. 2nd and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 44: Brandon Saine gets strung out and gains nothing on a second-down run. 3rd and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 44: Pryor hits Posey for 15 yards and a first down.

1st and 10 Ohio State from the Illinois 28: Pryor hands off to Herron, who runs for 4 yards before Akeem Spence and Martez Wilson make the tackle. 2nd and 6 Ohio State from the Illinois 24: Pryor lines up under the center and hits Posey for a gain of 5 yards. 3rd and 1 Ohio State from the Illinois 19: Pryor hands off to Herron, who is stuffed at the sticks by Spence. Herron was short on that play. 4th and 1 Ohio State from the Illinois 19: The Buckeyes will decide whether to go for the first down after taking a timeout at 11:06.

Ohio State is facing a fourth and one at the Illinois 19 with 11:06 to go. We’ll see what the Buckeyes decide to do. If Ohio State goes for the first and is able to score a touchdown on this drive, that should do it for this game, when considering what Illinois hasn’t been able to do on offense in the last 30 minutes.

4:49 p.m.

4th and 1 Ohio State from the Illinois 19: The Buckeyes have decided to go for it. Pryor is under center and hands off to Herron, who looks to be stuffed just short of the first down. Ohio State gets a good spot, however. The measurement shows a first down. Ron Zook has taken a timeout to challenge the spot. After the booth review, the play stands. Ohio State will have a first down at the Illinois 18 with 10:47 to go.

Alright.

The rest of this game was picked up during live blogging that can be viewed at the top of this post.

Until Monday, when Nick Houska will review the Ohio State loss.