Three reasons Illinois could hang with Ohio State

Ohio State rolls into Champaign to take on Illinois this weekend. While just about everyone outside of Lovie Smith (we believe) thinks the Buckeyes will roll over Illinois, there are a few things that could trip Ohio Stae up on its path to victory. Ryan Day missing the game could hurt a little, but probably not enough to flip the tables.

The Fighting Illini have had an up and down season and with the confusion at quarterback, Lovie Smith has relied on a speedy defense. Let’s start there as we look at the three reasons Ohio State could have problems with the Illini.

NEXT … Speed on defense is Illinois’ hallmark…

Illinois has a ton of speed on defense and that could be important

National Rankings for Illinois….

Scoring Offense- 101st
Rushing Offense- 20th
Passing Offense- 113th
Total Offense- 79th

Scoring Defense- 78th
Rushing Defense- 94th
Passing Defense- 84th
Total Defense- 97th

— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) November 22, 2020

Before I go down the Illinois defensive speed, keep in mind that while it has been fast and solid, the Illini have had huge ups and downs this season. It has been better against the pass than the run, and a lot of that is because it has speed and not a ton of power.

The pass defense is opportunistic and relies on speed to close distance and break on the ball. Granted, the Illini defense has not played someone of Justin Fields’ caliber yet, but that doesn’t mean the defense can’t cause problems. Reading the field and not taking the bait will help Fields stay out of any trouble.

While Illinois has not been great against the run, it has been solid enough. It all starts with the big man in the middle, Rod Perry. While a lot of attention will be on speedy defensive end Owen Carney Jr., Perry clogs the middle nicely and allows the speed of the defense to converge on the ballcarrier.

NEXT … The Illini can run the ball

Illinois is still figuring out its passing game, but the running game is set

Illinois will test #OhioState’s run defense this Sat. They are B1G’s #2 rushing attack; avg 222.4 ypg. The #Buckeyes rush defense, #2 in B1G, allows an average of 98.5 ypg.
OSU leads the B1G in rushing at 233.2 ypg; the Illini allow an average of 194.6 ypg.#GoBucks #BeatIllinois pic.twitter.com/whDVIcBOg0

— Buckeye Fans Only (@buckeyefansonly) November 24, 2020

If we are being honest, Ohio State has struggled against the run this year. It has allowed 4.16 yards per carry and allowing 131.7 yards a game. Thankfully for Ohio State, the offense is high-powered enough to force teams to have to get away from the run to keep up in scoring. Illinois will run, a lot.

The Illinois passing attack is a little bit of a mess, so while the coaches figure it out, they will lean on their two-headed monster at running back in Chase Brown and Mike Epstein. Add in their running quarterback, Isaiah Williams, and the running game can and will make plays on offense.

If Ohio State can get ahead early and extend a lead it should lessen the number of runs the defense will face. I don’t think the Illini can beat the Buckeyes through the air, but the run game can be a different story.

NEXT … Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith is a good coach, that’s it, that’s the reason

Lovie Smith said that even though Ohio State's run defense has been stronger than its pass defense, that's not going to change Illinois' philosophy on offense. “We want to establish the run … we're not going to throw the ball 70 times a game.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 23, 2020

Lovie Smith is a good coach, he has been a good coach and he will remain so. Players tend to play quite hard for him and love him. Smith has always been one of those coaches that just gets what he wants out of players and sticks to his game plan, which is usually pretty solid. With Ryan Day out, I think Lovie might take advantage of it as much as he can from a coaching standpoint.

Smith was a winning coach with the Bears and now he is rebuilding the Fighting Illini into a viable program. While he still has work to do, you can see his team getting better every week. It is the little things he hones in on with his players that do make differences. I am not sure it will be enough, but Smith being Smith has to be considered.

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