CJ Donaldson Jr. ran for two touchdowns, Julian Sayin passed for two more scores and No. 1 Ohio State scored 21 points off turnovers in a 34-16 victory over No. 17 Illinois 34-16 on Saturday at Champaign, Ill.
Sayin was 19-of-27 passing for 166 yards and Jeremiah Smith had five receptions for 42 yards for Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten). The Buckeyes entered the game having allowed 25 points, the fewest in the nation.
Luke Altmyer was 30-of-44 passing for 248 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Illinois (5-2, 2-2) while Hank Beatty had seven receptions for 48 yards. The Illini outgained the Buckeyes 295 yards to 272 in the defeat.
Ohio State led 20-10 in the third quarter before going 63 yards on a 14-play drive that used up 7:52 and culminated in Donaldson’s 1-yard run for a 27-10 advantage with 2:12 left in the third.
Altmyer was then strip-sacked by cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. at the Illini 24-yard line and Smith scored on a 2-yard reception to make it 34-10 with 13:25 remaining.
A 4-yard TD pass from Altmyer to Collin Dixon with 4:28 to play made it 34-16 after a failed two-point conversion.
The Buckeyes took advantage of numerous Illini mistakes for a 20-3 halftime lead.
Up 3-0, Buckeyes linebacker Payton Pierce intercepted Altmyer at midfield and Ohio State capped a six-play 35-yard drive with a 1-yard run from Donaldson for a 10-0 lead.
After Illinois punter Keelan Crimmins inadvertently downed himself at the 35 when his knee touched the ground fielding the snap, Jayden Fielding made a 31-yard field goal to give Ohio State a 13-0 lead.
After the Buckeyes’ Kayden McDonald recovered a fumble at the Illinois 26, Bo Jackson scored on a 17-yard reception with 3:48 remaining in the first half for a 20-0 lead.
The Illini drove to the 1-yard line late in the first half but a false start led to a 24-yard field goal by David Olano with 1:08 left to keep two Ohio State streaks alive: not conceding a first-half touchdown or allowing a TD in the red zone in nine tries by opponents this season.
The latter streak was snapped early in the third quarter when Illinois’ Aidan Laughery ran in from the 1 on fourth down to make it 20-10. It was the first rushing TD allowed by the Buckeyes this season.
