We are now on the eve of the Illinois vs. Ohio State game, and it honestly feels like impending doom.
I hate to say that. I am usually optimistic regardless of what the team looks like and what we are facing. Illinois isn’t a bad team, and I think we are going to make a bowl game. We do have issues, and the biggest glaring issue is our run defense.
Illinois is going to face a hard truth on Saturday. The run defense we put out on the field is not FBS-level. It might not even be FCS quality. It is one of the worst run defenses in the nation, and the Illini are going up against an Ohio State team that I believe is about to rewrite its record book.
Through three games this season, Illinois is giving up 182.0 yards per game on the ground. That is bad enough to rank No. 99 in the country. A little more context for that number: the Illini are allowing 4.4 yards per carry, ranking No. 88 in the nation.
Mind you, Illinois’ non-conference hasn’t exactly been filled with juggernauts. We played one FCS program in Southern Illinois, which doesn’t count for stats, and another team in UAB, which is struggling with Sun Belt programs. Duke was by far the toughest team.
Against UAB, the Illini allowed 194 yards and 4.0 yards per carry. Duke then went for 170 yards on 4.9 yards per carry. This game included Illinois making Blue Devils’ running back Nate Sheppard look like the second coming of Bo Jackson in the 1980s.
You don’t have to imagine what Jackson would have done to Illinois in the 2020s because, on Saturday, we get to face a Bo Jackson leading Ohio State’s backfield. In fact, the Illini are going to get a double dose of Jackson, as Ja’Kobi Jackson spells snaps for Bo Jackson.
This Ohio State duo has been special this season. Bo Jackson is the workhorse, though. He has 39 carries for 230 yards and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The fact that they can bring another Jackson into the game, who averages 7.1 yards per carry, is terrifying.
Ohio State’s run game struggled against Texas, going for 94 yards, with their Jackson duo only having 3.9 and 4.0 yards per carry. Where the Buckeyes run game didn’t struggle was against Kent State. Bo Jackson had 73 yards and 6.6 yards per carry, and Ja’Kobi Jackson had 47 yards and 5.9 yards per carry. They called the dogs off in the second half, too.
What is painful is that Illinois is much closer to the level of defense that the Golden Flashes put out on the field than the Longhorns. We have proven we can’t stop the run, and we are going up against two of the best running backs in the country on Saturday.
That leads me to the point, could we see Ohio State rewrite their record books?
To get into the top 20, one of the two Jacksons needs at least 214 yards. That is very plausible. If they don’t split the carries and Bo Jackson gets the rock for 20 or more carries, you could be looking at a top-10 rushing performance of all time for the Buckeyes.
What is funny is that three of the top six rushing performances in Ohio State history have come against the Illini. Eddie Georgie in 1995 is No. 2 with 314 yards, Keith Byars went for 274 yards in 1984 and is No. 4, and Carlos Hyde in 2013 is No. 6 with 246 yards.
Ohio State has a legitimate chance to do some damage to their record book as a team, too. They haven’t had a unit crack the top five in rushing yards in a game since 1978. To get into the top five, the Buckeyes need to rush for 465 yards on Saturday. With the way Illinois defends up the middle, that is a number very much in reach.
Illinois actually owns two of the top five Ohio State single-game rushing records. What is crazy is that none of the three I mentioned in individual rushing performances were in the top five in the team rushing performance. In 1962 and in 1974, the Buckeyes rushed for 517 yards on Illinois, ranking No. 2 all time.
What can Illinois football do to slow down a potential massive game out of the Ohio State running attack
I think this is the million-dollar question. If defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck can figure this out, Illinois might have a chance on Saturday.
With that being said, I don’t think there is some magic elixir. In one week’s time, I don’t think Illinois can fix the issues they've had on defense.
It is two-pronged. One, we don’t have the talent. This is usually the case, but when you constantly rely on the transfer portal to replenish the defensive line, sometimes you are going to land on stinkers. Illinois doesn’t have the dogs up front.
Secondly, if you don’t have the talent up front, you can’t play any type of 3-3-5 or 3-4 defense. That immediately makes the front lines weaker, as the secondary gets more help. The combination of talent and bodies not being there to stop the run does not bode well for the run defense.
I think the only way Illinois has a chance to slow down the Buckeyes’ run game is by loading the box. There has to be a ton of man coverage, and the Illini need to make sure we have eyes on the running back at all times.
What makes Ohio State tougher than most teams in the country is the fact that if Illinois does go man coverage, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith could set some records blazing down the sidelines.
It is honestly a no-win situation for Illinois’ defense. I talked about the Duke game being a stress test for the Hauck and the Illini defense a couple of weeks ago. We failed that stress test.
Logic says that if we failed a stress test against a Duke offense that is average, at best, then what is going to happen with a juggernaut Ohio State offense that is filled with high four and five-star players? Record book rewriting. That is just the hard truth.
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