Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Champaign, IL — Battered but still unbeaten after another scare on the road, Ohio State took another step toward playing for its first national title since 1968. The Buckeyes needed overtime but downed Illinois 23-16 to set up its annual final game against Michigan for a chance to play in the Fiesta Bowl.

The second-ranked Buckeyes nearly lost that rare opportunity against the Illini, whose chance to spoil Ohio State’s perfect season fell short when Illinois quarterback Jon Beutjer had his final pass batted down at the line of scrimmage in overtime.

Ohio State won the game on an 8-yard touchdown run by Maurice Hall, one of two backs who filled in for injured freshman Maurice Clarett.

The Buckeyes improved to 12-0 for the first time in school history.

Illinois came very close to sending the game into a second overtime, but Beutjer’s third-down pass to Walter Young in the end zone was ruled incomplete when Young bobbled the ball as he went out of bounds. OSU tackle Tim Anderson then batted down Beutjer’s pass on the next play.

Illinois sent the game to OT tied at 16 when John Gockman kicked a 48-yard field goal on the last play of regulation. The ball started out left and stayed that way, barely falling inside the left upright. It was the third field goal of the game for Gockman.

The Buckeyes played without Clarett, who was in uniform but never got into the game.

With Clarett standing on the sideline, Hall led the Buckeyes with 69 rushing yards on 17 carries. Lydell Ross, who started in place of Clarett, had 51 yards on 15 carries.

Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent had three field goals, the last a 27-yarder that put the Buckeyes up 16-13. Nugent later missed a 41-yard attempt into the wind with 5:31 to go. It was Nugent’s second miss of the game, the only two he’s missed all year.

Leading 6-3 at halftime, Ohio State gave up its first touchdown in a month when Beutjer threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Young at the start of the third quarter.

OSU retook the lead, 13-10, on a 50-yard touchdown strike from Craig Krenzel to Michael Jenkins on the next series.

Beutjer was 27-of-45 for 305 yards, but he was sacked six times and hurried on several other plays by a defense that had been giving up just 12 points a game.

Jenkins had six catches for 147 yards.