Three Key Stats: Ohio State Running Game Dominates Again, Illinois Fails to Pass the Ball and Move the Chains

By Dan Hope on November 18, 2017 at 10:08 pm
Mike Weber
11 Comments

Ohio State’s 52-14 win over Illinois on Saturday might have been even more lopsided than the final score indicated.

The Buckeyes took a 38-0 lead into halftime, and likely would have won by a much bigger margin than 38 if they continued to play their starters throughout the second half.

A closer look at the rest of the box score shows just how dominant the Buckeyes were on both sides of the ball, as Ohio State’s offense ended the game with more than five times as many yards (543) as Illinois’ offense (105).

A second straight excellent performance by Ohio State’s rushing offense, coupled with a stifling day by Ohio State’s passing defense, led the way to the Buckeyes’ big win, which we examine in this week’s Three Key Stats.

Ohio State runs for 325 yards

For the first time since 2013, Ohio State has rushed for more than 300 yards in consecutive game.

One week after a dominant, 335-yard, four-touchdown performance on the ground against Michigan State, Ohio State continued its dominance in the ground game against Illinois, rushing for 325 yards and four touchdowns on 59 carries.

The Buckeyes were particularly dominant in the ground game in the first half, rushing for 229 yards and all four of those touchdowns on 30 carries, good for more than 7.6 yards per carry.

Mike Weber led the way with 11 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including his third touchdown of more than 40 yards (43 yards, to be exact) in two games. Antonio Williams had 19 carries for 74 yards, with all but one of those carries coming in the second half, while J.K. Dobbins – the Buckeyes’ leading rusher on the season – had 12 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Illinois passes for 16 yards

For the second time in a Big Ten game this season, Ohio State held its opponent to only 16 passing yards on Saturday.

Illinois’ Chayce Crouch, who had not thrown a pass for the Illini since September, completed only four of his 14 passing attempts in Saturday’s game, matching the putrid total of passing yards that Maryland’s Max Bortenschlager had against the Buckeyes on Oct. 7.

Crouch completed only one pass to a wide receiver in Saturday’s game, with his other three pass completions going to running backs.

While Ohio State’s passing defense has had its ups and downs this year, the Buckeyes have now held opponents under 20 passing yards in three games this season, also including its Sept. 16 game against Army.

Illinois gains five first downs

By moving the chains only five times against the Ohio State defense on Saturday, Illinois had less first downs than any opponent has had against the Buckeyes since Florida A&M – a Football Championship Subdivision team – in 2013.

The Illini did not have a single first down in Saturday’s game until there were less four minutes remaining in the second quarter, and that was the only time the Illini moved the chains in the first half of the game.

Illinois would not have another first down until the final three minutes of the third quarter, with their final three first downs coming in the fourth quarter.

11 Comments
View 11 Comments