Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Columbus, OH — Entering the game, Ohio State had won the last four meetings against Illinois by a combined 171-9 margin of victory. But the Illini turned the tables on the Buckeyes by scoring the second-highest point total by an opponent in Ohio Stadium with a 46-20 win.

Illinois took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter off a pair of field goals by Neil Rackers. He hit from 24 and 47 yards, respectively.

In the second quarter, Illinois ran away with the game by outscoring OSU 23-7. Less than a minute into the quarter, Kurt Kittner capped a seven-play, 73-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd. UI failed on the two-point conversion but had a comfortable 19-0 lead. The Buckeyes scored their only points in the half with 6:59 remaining. Senior Michael Wiley rumbled for a 35-yard touchdown run to cut the UI lead to 19-7.

With 47 seconds remaining in the half, Rackers tied a career-best with a 50-yard field goal to stretch the UI lead to 22-7. Ohio State fumbled the ensuing kick and the ball was recovered by UI’s Antonio Harris at the OSU 1-yard line. Three plays later, Kittner connected with Josh Whitman for a touchdown reception. UI went into halftime with a 29-7 lead.

UI continued to dominate the game in the second half. Kittner connected with Jameel Cook for a 25-yard touchdown.

Defensively for OSU, Percy King led the Buckeyes with 11 tackles. Michael Doss chipped in with ten in his first career start and Na’il Diggs added nine.