Three important keys to Ohio State victory over No. 17 Illinois

It may be the toughest challenge Ohio State’s elite defense has seen this year. The No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini is going to be doing everything they can to prove their big loss to Indiana earlier in the season was a fluke.

No better chance than now for Illinois, knocking off the top team in all of football. Here are three keys for the Ohio State Buckeyes to make sure they avoid the upset, and stay undefeated.

1. Get pressure on Luke Altmyer

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer is playing some of the best football in the entire nation. He has thrown for 1,573 yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also has the eighth-best QBR (86.8) in the nation.

He’s been at his best when he has time, and luckily for him, his offensive line has been dominant. Against #21 USC, he was sacked only once. Meanwhile, he threw 328 yards and two touchdowns, beating the Trojans 34-32.

Ohio State has the best front seven in college football, and now they need to prove it. Caden Curry has five sacks this year, Arvell Reese has three and Kayden McDonald has three. Sonny Styles, the surefire tackler, adds 28 total for the team.

If the team can put constant pressure on Altmyer, they can stunt the Illinois offense. If Altmyer is able to get going, the Fighting Illini can score just as much as the Ohio State offense.

2. Limit turnovers

It seems obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less important. With a young quarterback in Julian Sayin, mistakes are going to happen.

To this point, Sayin has been nearly perfect. He’s hitting on over 80% of his passes, the highest rate in college football. He’s tossed 1,313 yards and 13 touchdowns, compared to just 3 interceptions.

It’s clear he’s built faith in the Ohio State coaching staff. He’s been free to control this offense, and take shots downfield when he sees them. Against Minnesota, that gave Carnell Tate over 20 yards per catch with 183 yards in the dominant win.

With those deep shots come mistakes though. The only way Illinois can still win this game is if they turn it into an ugly fight in the mud. Ohio State can’t play down to that level.

As long as Sayin can keep slinging it to Tate and Jeremiah Smith, avoiding the turnovers, the offense should show no signs of slowing.

3. Keep Bo Jackson involved

Ever since Bo Jackson took over as Ohio State’s RB1, the sledding has gotten tougher for the true freshman.

In his first two games he broke 100 yards twice, averaging over 12 yards per carry. Since then, Jackson has slowed down. He’s only had one run over 15 yards since, and hasn’t broken the 100 yard mark.

Against Washington he carried the ball 17 times, but had just 80 yards. In the Minnesota game he had 13 carries for 63 yards. It’s clear the more he plays tougher competition, the more prepared they are for him.

Ohio State needs to stay patient though. Jackson proved he has the talent to break off any run, they just need to be patient.

If Jackson can get into a rhythm, he’ll reward the offense. Expect him to be between 15-20 carries, but the offense needs to make sure he doesn’t get cold. If the run game isn’t working, throw him a screen. He’s proven to be a good enough athlete to have the ball in his hands often.