Ohio State Buckeyes Put a Shutout on Illinois

Ohio State defeated Illinois on Saturday in a rain socked battle in Ohio Stadium 30-0. This is their second shutout in a row following a defensive dominating performance against Toledo last weekend. The running game was back in force with Daniel ‘Boom’ Herron and Brandon Saine having very good performances and Terrelle Pryor scrambling for extra yards when needed.

By Steve Patterson

Revenge on Illinois

Two years ago, Illinois was able to steal one in the Horseshoe from the Buckeyes to upset their perfect season but this year, a great defensive effort from Ohio State led to a clear victory and improved the confidence of the young OSU team. Dan Herron scored twice on the ground in addition to gaining 75 yards on 14 carries. Brandon Saine added another 81 yards on his 13 carries while quarterback Terrelle Pryor scrambled for 59 yards when his receivers were covered and the protection began to give.

Defense Dominates

The defense was the story of the game with Ohio State not allowing Illinois to gain more than 170 yards total and intercepting three passes from the Illini quarterbacks. Juice Williams finished the day with only 52% accuracy and 2 interceptions and Eddie McGee was about the same with 50% accuracy and 1 interception during the late stages. Senior Defensive Tackle Todd Denlinger felt great about the shut-out after the game. "It feels great to shut them out. Illinois has a high-powered offense. They're going to win a lot of games this season." he told reporters. "We knew we had to take the game out of Juice's hands. He's a great player and killed us in 2007. I'm sure the rain probably played in our favor." he explained.