THE RUNNING START
When: Saturday, November 14, 2015
Where: Champaign, Illinois // Memorial Stadium
TV: 12:00 // ABC
Announcers: Sean McDonough // Chris Spielman // Todd McShay
This is the 102nd game between Ohio State and Illinois. Ohio State leads the series 67-30-4.
Below you will find some interesting facts about the teams, key offensive player stats, coach information, and team stats.
THE LAST TIME...
- Ohio State played Illinois the Buckeyes won 55-14.
- The Buckeyes lost to the Illini in Champaign was 7-10 in 1991.
- Ezekiel Elliott did not rush for 100 yards was against Minnesota in 2014 (91 yards).
- Michael Thomas did not catch a pass in a game was against Michigan State in the 2013 B1G Championship
- The Buckeyes lost to a B1G opponent on the road was November 26, 2011 against That Team (34-40).
- OSU did not score at least 20 points was 2012 in a 17-16 win at No. 20 Michigan State.
ON THE HORIZON
- Ohio state currently has a record setting 29-game B1G regular season winning streak. The Buckeyes are one win away from sole possession of the record.
- Cameron Johnston is second all-time at Ohio State with 74 punts downed inside the 20 yard line. Johnston is 4 away from tying the Ohio State record.
- In the history of the AP Poll Ohio State has been ranked No. 1 for 105 weeks. That puts the Buckeyes in first place. Oklahoma (101) is second.
- Braxton Miller is seven rushing touchdowns away from becoming the ninth player in D-I with 40 rushing and 40 passing touchdowns.
-
Ohio State is one shutout away from having two shutouts in a season for three consecutive years.
Champaign, IL.
GET TO KNOW ILLINOIS
- Illinois is located in Urbana-Champaign, IL.
- Illinois was established in 1867.
- The Illini are 5-4 this season.
- Illinois is 17-29 (.370) since 2012.
-
Last week Illinois defeated Purdue (48-14).
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
-
What year did Ohio State and Illinois first play in football?
- How many years was Illinois the last game of the regular season for Ohio State?
Answers at the bottom of today's article.
ILLINOIS' INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 19/33 | .576 | 169 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 193/346 | .558 | 2,000 | 12 | 4 |
| CAREER | 427/718 | .595 | 4,871 | 32 | 14 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 180 | 11.3 | 2 |
| 2015 | 665 | 4.8 | 6 |
| CAREER | 665 | 4.8 | 6 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 133 | 11.1 | 1 |
| 2015 | 514 | 6.2 | 3 |
| CAREER | 2,392 | 5.2 | 18 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 74 | 12.3 | 1 |
| 2015 | 296 | 9.0 | 1 |
| CAREER | 296 | 9.0 | 1 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 22 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 756 | 13.5 | 3 |
| CAREER | 1,354 | 14.0 | 8 |
OHIO STATE'S INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | DNP | ||||
| 2015 | 41/62 | .661 | 472 | 7 | 2 |
| CAREER | 244/376 | .649 | 3,306 | 41 | 12 |
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 12/22 | .545 | 187 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 84/134 | .627 | 1,158 | 7 | 5 |
| CAREER | 140/227 | .617 | 2,020 | 14 | 7 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 114 | 4.4 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1,244 | 6.4 | 14 |
| CAREER | 3,384 | 6.8 | 34 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | DNP | ||
| 2015 | 329 | 7.8 | 7 |
| CAREER | 1,267 | 5.9 | 18 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 39 | 9.8 | 1 |
| 2015 | 575 | 14.7 | 7 |
| CAREER | 1,396 | 15.5 | 16 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 45 | 45.0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 324 | 17.1 | 3 |
| CAREER | 324 | 17.1 | 3 |
THE RUNOFF
Urban Meyer
47-3 (.940) at Ohio State (4th year)
151-26 (.853) overall (14th year)
Meyer is 3-0 against Illinois and is 27-0 in Oct. and Nov. as Ohio State's head coach.
Bill Cubit
5-4 (.556) at Illinois (1st year)
90-69-1 (.563) overall (1st year)
Bill Cubit replaced Tim Beckman as head coach after Beckman was fired on the 28th of August.
CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER
- Ohio State has never lost a road game (game on opponent's field) with Urban Meyer as head coach.
- The Buckeyes have won a nation's best 16 consecutive road games.
- In 27 games Urban Meyer is undefeated in October and November as Ohio State's head coach.
- Ezekiel Elliott leads the FBS with 14-straight games of at least 100-yards rushing.
- In those 14 games he has racked up 2,168 yards.
- Elliott is the first Urban Meyer coached player to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
- Ohio State has the most all-time appearances in the AP Poll with 849.
- The Buckeyes are first in the B1G in rushing yards per game (240.6).
- Urban Meyer's winning percentage of .853 is the highest among active coaches.
- Joey Bosa has recorded a tackle for loss in five consecutive games.
- Michael Thomas has caught a pass in 25-straight games.
- Among active players, Bosa is tied for first with 24.5 career sacks.
- Ohio State has won a nation’s best 22 consecutive games.
- The Buckeyes lead the B1G in rushing and scoring offense.
- Ohio State also leads the B1G in net punting, kickoff coverage and pass defense.
- Braxton Miller owns Ohio State's all-time record with 88 career touchdowns.
- Tyvis Powell's blocked field goal against WMU was Ohio State's first since 2012.
LITTLE KNOWN FACTS BUSTED
The Buckeyes' defense has not allowed a rush of 20+ yards this season. Diamont scored on a 79-yard touchdown run.
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| 2015 STATS | RANK | CATEGORY | 2015 STATS | RANK |
| 37.3 | 20th | Points For | 25.8 | 91st |
| 15.0 | 6th | Points Against | 21.7 | 33rd |
| OFFENSE | ||||
| 240.6 | 12th | Rushing Offense | 144.3 | 98th |
| 214.2 | 78th | Passing Offense | 240.0 | 49th |
| 454.8 | 32nd | Total Offense | 384.3 | 78th |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| 138.7 | 33rd | Rushing Defense | 139.4 | 34th |
| 163.9 | 5th | Pass Defense | 202.4 | 43rd |
| 302.6 | 13th | Total Defense | 341.9 | 31st |
| OFF. MISC. | ||||
| .395 | 67th | 3rd Down Conv. | .362 | 97th |
| .789 | 98th | Red Zone | .750 | 112th |
| 12.7 | 23rd | Punt Return | 11.1 | 37th |
| 23.4 | 30th | Kickoff Return | 20.5 | 81st |
| DEF. MISC. | ||||
| .322 | 26th | 3rd Down Conv. | .291 | 6th |
| .810 | 40th | Red Zone | .857 | 83rd |
| 101.1 | 9th | Pass Eff. Def. | 113.1 | 25th |
| 40.8 | 10th | Net Punting | 32.7 | 123rd |
| MISC. | ||||
| - 0.1 | 79th | Turnover Margin | + 0.6 | 24th |
| 6.2 | 67th | Penalties Per Game | 6.2 | 67th |
| Total: 15 | THE EDGE | Total: 4 |
TRIVIA ANSWERS
What year did Ohio State and Illinois first play in football?
Answer: 1902. The Buckeyes and Illini tied 0-0 in Columbus.
How many years was Illinois the last game of the regular season for Ohio State?
Answer: 13.
Sources
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
stats.ncaa.org
sportsreference.com
THIS WEEK'S ARTICLES
The Series History: Ohio State/Illinois
Prep Tracker Week 12
This is the forum edition of The Rundown. Go here for the Blog edition.
