COLUMBUS — Ohio State responded to its crushing loss at Texas by flattening Kent State, 59-3, last Saturday. Now ranked 7th in the country, the Buckeyes will try to carry that momentum into Big Ten play when Illinois visits Ohio Stadium.
Saturday’s game will be the 104th meeting between the two programs. Ohio State leads the all-time series, 69-30-4, and has held the Illibuck Trophy since 2008. The Buckeyes won last year’s game in Champaign, 34-16.
The Buckeyes and Fighting Illini will kick off Saturday at noon on FOX. Both teams enter the game with 2-1 records and will be playing their first Big Ten game of the season.
On Thursday, Ohio State released its official game trailer, titled “The Illibuck.” The video combines highlights from the history of the series and last week’s win over Kent State with fiery messages from Ryan Day and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The message is simple: Every detail matters, and the time for talking is over. As you’ll see, the Buckeyes have no plans to give up their wooden turtle:
