4. The Illinois defense impressed me against Ohio State
I know, giving up 34 points doesn’t seem like an achievement. You won’t win too many games giving up that many points.
You have to consider everything, though. Ohio State came into the game with a good offense, and Illinois’ defense has struggled greatly.
The Illini defensive backs have been on the mend. Our front seven isn’t great and has trouble putting pressure on the quarterback. With that being said, I was impressed with the Illinois defense because of what they did on Saturday.
Illinois’ defense was constantly put behind the eight ball. The Illini offense had three turnovers in the game, and all of them were in our territory. Our punter gave the ball away in our territory, too.
Despite those big issues, the Illini defense held strong. Ohio State could have easily put up 50 points or more in this game. In the past, that would have happened.
Illinois’ defense didn’t give up big plays. We kept Jeremiah Smith in check for the most part. I wasn’t overly impressed with the Buckeyes’ firepower. Illinois held their offense to a quiet day.
If it wasn’t for the bad turnovers by our offense and special teams, Illinois could have competed in this game. The only reason we had any prayer was due to the undermanned Illini defense.