It was not the result any Illinois football fan wanted, but Ohio State was the better team on Saturday.
The Illini started the game shooting themselves in the foot, and that continued for a few quarters. Illinois couldn’t afford to give Ohio State the football, and we did it way too many times.
Illinois got into a 20-0 hole in the second quarter, but there was so much fight in this team. The Illini started to figure things out, and from that point on, we outscored Ohio State 16-14.
Sadly, it wasn’t enough. Illinois couldn’t score enough to keep up with the Buckeyes at the end of the day. Ohio State took advantage of an undermanned Illini squad, and Illinois would fall 34-16.
Here are five painful observations from the Illinois football loss to Ohio State
1. Illinois was annihilated in the turnover department
Coming into the game on Saturday, Illinois needed to play some good, clean football. We couldn’t afford to lose the turnover battle against the best team in the nation.
Not only did Illinois fail to win the turnover battle against Ohio State, but we were blown out of the water by the Buckeyes when it came to turnovers.
Illinois had a total of three turnovers on paper. This didn’t even include our punter trying to pick up the football, but he took a knee while doing so. That enabled Ohio State to start in Illinois territory.
Just on basic turnovers, it was a sloppy game by the Illini. The first offensive drive of the game resulted in an interception. This set the tone for the rest of the game.
Illinois’ next turnover was brutal. Running back Ca’Lil Valentine got twisted up and let the ball go, which enabled the Buckeyes to start in our territory.
The last turnover was a Luke Altmyer fumble. He didn’t see a cornerback blitz coming, and Ohio State was able to strip the ball and recover it in our territory once again.
To beat the top team in the country, we have to win the turnover battle. The fact that we lost the turnover battle by three turnovers and the Buckeyes didn’t put up 60 points is a miracle.