Ohio State cornerback sends message after big day against Illinois

The Buckeyes continued to prove their place as the number one team in the country with a 34-16 win over Illinois, their second ranked win of the season.

The defense was electric all game long, boosting the team to a 20-3 lead at the half. From there it was smooth sailing for the Buckeyes to finish out the game.

One member of the secondary really stood out throughout the game, locking down Illinois’s receivers all game long. Illinois quarterback and Heisman hopeful Luke Altmyer attempted 44 passes and finished with just 248 yards in the air. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun may have been the Buckeyes best defender all day lon in that effort.

According to Pro Football Focus, Igbinosun was targeted seven times in the win. On those seven attempts, he allowed just one catch for six yards. Meanwhile he broke up two passes, and forced incompletions on the other four.

Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun vs Illinois:

🌰 7 Times Targeted
🌰 1 Catch Allowed
🌰 6 Yards Allowed
🌰 2 Pass Breakups@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/IYe8YXc5CD
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 13, 2025

Igbinosun also had a clear message for opposing quarterbacks in his postgame interview.

“Stop throwing at me,” Igbinosun said.

Igbinosun has drastically improved from last season to this year. Last season he did start all 16 games for the national champion Buckeyes, picking off two passes. However, he was the most penalized player in all of college football, drawing 16 penalties for mainly pass interference.

He opted to return to Ohio State this season in hopes of cleaning those penalties up and improving his draft stock.

Against Illinois he was flagged for one penalty, but it was one of the first this season.

The secondary knew they were going to have a challenge against Illinois. Altmyer had been nearly perfect coming into the game, throwing 15 touchdowns without an interception.

Lorenzo Styles was inactive at corner, bringing the freshman Devin Sanchez in for his first career start.

With one of the best defensive fronts in football already, led by future first round draft pick Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Caden Curry, Illinois knew they’d have trouble running the ball.

Illinois ran the ball for a team total of 47 yards. Their leading rusher had just eight carries on the day. The gameplan was clearly to attack Sanchez and Igbinosun on the outside.

Igbinosun made it count, sending a message to all quarterbacks in the future that he’ll be ready to guard anyone.

Igbinosun has been improving every game this season for the Buckeyes, and at this rate, he’ll be playing on NFL Sundays, while leading Ohio State to one of the greatest defenses in team history.