The Good, the Bad and the Ugly From Illinois' Loss to Ohio State

Illinois (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) traveled to Columbus for a matchup with No. 7 Ohio State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) for its Big Ten and road opener on Saturday. Trailing 28-10 after a half, the Illini cut the lead to two possessions after three quarters (28-13) but failed to ever truly get back within striking distance.

The final score was 42-19 in Ohio State’s favor. But the way the game played out wasn’t quite as lopsided as the scoreboard may suggest. Here’s the good, bad and ugly from Week 4 for Illinois:

The good from Illinois’ loss to Ohio State

Sep 26, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Aidan Laughery (21) fights for yards as Ohio State Buckeyes safety Earl Little Jr. (1) pursues at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The rushing attack with an injury-riddled offensive line

Despite Katin Houser getting sacked three times (which counts as negative rushing yards in college), the Illini ran for 6.0 yards per carry as a team in Columbus. Four separate players recorded a carry of 12-plus yards and Aidan Laughery showcased his burst and open-field acceleration to the tune of 113 yards on 11 carries. And Illinois did all of that while down four key linemen.

Matthew Bailey’s hard-hitting tackling

The lone bright spot on defense: Matthew Bailey. He registered a career-high 14 tackles, including one tackle for loss. And per usual, Bailey was laying the wood. He delivered massive, tone-setting blow after blow – but he didn’t let his heavy-hitting penchant take a front seat to actually wrapping up.

The bad from Illinois’ loss to Ohio State

No pass-rushing pressure

The Illini recorded zero sacks as a team and failed to consistently speed up Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin, who previously had been vulnerable at times in 2026 behind the line of scrimmage (five sacks in Ohio State’s first three games).

On the few occasions Illinois did reach Sayin in the backfield, he managed to escape and pick up yards with his legs (despite scrambling historically being a weakness for him).

Katin Houser missing the easy ones

Houser was spectacular against Ohio State … except in the biggest moments – namely this untimely miss to Brayden Trimble late in the first half. Illinois could have gone into the break down 21-14. Instead it wound up being 28-10.

Bret Bielema’s reaction to this near-catch says it all pic.twitter.com/BZPHmaThMo
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026

Houser’s overall performance in Week 4 bodes tremendously well for the Illini’s 2026 future. But time and again, Houser has been startlingly off target on key plays (and, surprisingly, often the wide-open ones).

The ugly from the Illini loss to Ohio State

The attempt to guard Jeremiah Smith

What else – or who else – would it be? Twelve receptions for 217 yards and four touchdowns. Quick hitters, intermediate throws, deep balls, red-zone muscle – Jeremiah Smith did it all Saturday, and did it at the highest level imaginable. Smith is the best player in college football.

The Illini can’t control that. But they can control leaving their cornerbacks on an island with him on a play-to-play basis. Single coverage against Smith is a choice – and a tremendously unwise one, as Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck and his staff learned firsthand on Saturday.

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