Ohio State defeats Illinois

#10 Buckeyes top Illini 30-20

Ohio State played a brand of football that Woody Hayes would have loved.

The 10th-ranked Buckeyes rushed for 306 yards, attempted only 10 passes and made key plays on defense and special teams to defeat host Illinois, 30-20, on Saturday.

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“You knew that you were going to have a lot better chance of winning if you were going to be able to run today,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said, alluding to the cold and windy conditions at Memorial Stadium. “You could pass it some, but you better not try to make a living on that.”

During Hayes' era as coach at Ohio State more than three decades ago, running quarterbacks like Cornelius Greene and game-breaking tailbacks like Archie Griffin helped carry the Buckeyes to Big Ten championships and Rose Bowls.

In Saturday's contest in Champaign, freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor rushed for 110 yards and completed 6 of 10 passes for 49 yards, while junior tailback Chris Wells rumbled for 143 yards on 24 carries to help keep the Buckeyes (9-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) in contention for at least a share of a fourth consecutive conference crown.

“There was a lot of wind today, so we couldn't throw as much,” Pryor said. “They have a great offense, so our game plan was to run the clock.”

“We knew it was going to be a cold one and had to play hard,” said Wells. “It was a running back’s dream. Cold and wet, what more could you ask for?”

Pryor opened the scoring with a 1-yard run with 8:48 left in the first quarter. The 18-yard drive was set up when sophomore linebacker Tyler Moeller sacked Illinois quarterback Juice Williams, forcing a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive tackle Nader Abdallah.

After the Illini tied the score at 7-7 on a 7-yard pass from Williams to Jeff Cumberland, the Ohio State special teams came through with a play that put the Buckeyes ahead to stay.

On fourth-and-4 from the Illinois 14, Illini sophomore Anthony Santella attempted to punt from the goal line. Ohio State senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins busted through and blocked the kick, and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a safety to give the Buckeyes a 9-7 lead.

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After senior Brian Robiskie returned the ensuing free kick to the Illinois 43-yard line, Ohio State quickly extended its advantage to 16-7 with a five-play drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Wells.

On Illinois' subsequent possession, OSU junior cornerback Kurt Coleman snuffed out an Illini scoring threat by intercepting a Williams pass deep in Ohio State territory. The Buckeyes converted the turnover into points when Pryor threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Dane Sanzenbacher with 6:30 left in the second quarter.

A pair of field goals by Matt Eller drew Illinois to within 23-13 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Ohio State redshirt freshman Daniel Herron burst up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run to put the Buckeyes ahead 30-13 with 11:55 remaining.

Illinois (5-6, 3-4) tallied the game's final points on a 24-yard pass from Williams to Chris Duvalt with 42 seconds left.

With the victory, Ohio State heads into next Saturday's regular-season finale against rival Michigan in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten with Penn State and Michigan State. The Buckeyes and Wolverines will kick off at noon Eastern time in Columbus. The Nittany Lions and Spartans will line up at 3:30 p.m. For their showdown at Penn State.

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