Proof Points From Ohio State’s Win at Illinois, Presented by High Bank Distillery

By Josh Poloha on October 11, 2025 at 6:41 pm
Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews, Kayden McDonald
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Another win, another dominant performance by the Silver Bullets.

High Bank Distillery Co.
Presented by High Bank Distillery Co.

In a game that Ohio State was in control of pretty much the entire way, there is still plenty to learn from in the Buckeyes' 34-16 win over Illinois, a top-20 road win for OSU.

While Ohio State was outgained, 272-295, the Buckeyes still found a way to win comfortably, mainly because Matt Patricia's unit continued to look very impressive. Although the Fighting Illini scored 16 points after OSU had allowed only 25 total points in its first five games of the season, it was Ohio State's 21 points off three Illini turnovers that proved to be the game-changer.

Let's take a look at some Proof Points from Ohio State's win at Illinois to advance to 6-0 on the season:

3 Forced Turnovers Lead to 3 Touchdowns

Ohio State's defense continued to dominate on Saturday, just like the Silver Bullets have all season.

The Buckeye forced three turnovers – an interception and two fumbles – against Illinois, and the OSU offense certainly took advantage of all three of those takeaways as Ohio State scored three touchdowns following those three turnovers by the Fighting Illini.

Matt Patricia's unit had only forced five turnovers – three fumble recoveries and two interceptions – in the first five games of the season, but that certainly increased in Champaign.

Jermaine Mathews Has 1 Sack, Forces a Fumble and Tips A Pass That Leads to an Interception

Starting in the slot with Lorenzo Styles Jr. missing the game and true freshman Devin Sanchez earning his first start at cornerback, Jermaine Mathews certainly made the most of the move Saturday afternoon.

Although he only had one tackle in the game, which was one of Ohio State's four sacks on the day, Mathews had quite a game, even if the box score doesn't necessarily prove that.

His first big play of the game came on a tipped pass that led to an interception by Payton Pierce, Luke Altmyer's first interception of the season.

The second came on a cornerback blitz as Mathews came around the edge and forced a fumble by Altmyer, which Caden Curry recovered.

Davison Igbinosun Forces 4 Pass Breakups

The senior has always been known for being physical, using his 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame to try to get opposing wide receivers out of position. While it used to lead to plenty of penalties, Igbinosun has now found a way to be physical but to do so in a way that doesn't draw a flag.

That was apparent against Illinois, as the cornerback forced a career-high four pass breakups against the Fighting Illini, as Altmyer and co. continued to go at Igbinosun. His previous career best was two, which he did twice in 2023 and once in 2022.

After the game, Igbinosun was asked by Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope about his four pass breakups against Illinois, in which he had a simple response after being surprised he had that many: "Stop throwing at me."

Honorable Mention

Arvelle Reese Has Nine Tackles, 1.5 Sacks

Much like he has all season, Reese dominated once again, looking like a man amongst boys on certain plays, even. He had nine tackles and a team-high 1.5 sacks in the win over the Fighting Illini, and when he wasn't making tackles, he was making things extremely tough for Altmyer and co.

(Top photo: © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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