Ohio State and Illinois have a lot of history in their matchups, particularly when the Buckeyes are ranked No. 1 in the country. The Buckeyes have won nine straight games against the Fighting Illini, a streak that dates back to 2007. That season, Illinois went into Columbus and shocked then-No. 1 Ohio State.
When the Buckeyes take the field in Champaign this Saturday, it will be the first time Illinois hosts the No. 1 team in the country since 2006. That game was against Ohio State.
Saturday will also
be the first time Illinois hosts the No. 1 team as a ranked team itself since 1950. You guessed it, that game was against Ohio State.
Needless to say, Saturday’s game is a marquee game for Ohio State. It’s on Big Noon Kickoff, and they’re going to be playing in front of a raucous Illinois crowd.
Julian Sayin gained road game experience by playing in a hostile environment at Washington two weeks ago. Saturday will be another tough test for Sayin, but his rapid ascension gives confidence that he’ll be able to overcome it.
Illinois is 5-1 and 2-1 in the Big Ten. They are a really experienced team, with 17 returning starters from last year’s team. Expectations are as high in Champaign as they have ever been, and the Fighting Illini have as much momentum as their program has ever had.
Let’s take a deeper look at Illinois ahead of Saturday’s marquee ranked showdown.
Quarterback: Luke Altmyer
Altmayer is in his third season with Illinois and fifth season playing college football. He has become one of college football’s most experienced quarterbacks.
In 2024, Altmyer led the Fighting Illini to a 10-3 record and was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. He was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Class of 2024 as one of the top 35 quarterbacks in college football, throwing 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
So far this season, Altmyer has not thrown an interception and has thrown for 12 touchdowns. He’s thrown for 718 yards over Illinois’s last two games, and is completing 74% of his passes this season.
At Purdue last week, Altmyer completed 19-of-22 passes for 390 yards and a touchdown in a 43-27 Illinois win.
Four Players to Watch on Illinois
1. Hank Beatty (WR)
Already the first Big Ten player since Michigan’s Steve Breaston in 2003 to record a passing, rushing, receiving, and punt return touchdown in a single season, Beatty is fifth in the country and second in the Big Ten with 569 receiving yards.
Beatty has 32 receptions and two touchdowns this season, while adding nine punt returns for 170 yards and a touchdown. Beatty has recorded three games of at least 100 receiving yards this season, including a season-high 186 at Purdue last week.
2. Gabe Jacas (LB)
The unquestioned leader of Illinois’s defense, Jacas has 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss this season. He was named to ESPN’s Preseason All-American team, while also being named the No. 20 player in college football in CBS.com‘s Spring rankings.
In 2024, Jacas had eight sacks. Among sack returners in the Big Ten this season, Jacas ranks second.
Jacas has at least a half-sack and a tackle-for-loss in five of Illinois’s six games.
3. Ca’Lil Valentine (RB)
The nephew of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones, Valentine is in his first season as one of Illinois’s feature running backs. He has 323 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 61 carries.
Valentine may be getting stronger, even though it’s just a one-game sample size. Last week at Purdue, Valentine had 95 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. That shows he’s getting more of a workload. If the Fighting Illini can run the ball, this offense could be one of the best in the Big Ten and the country.
4. Kaden Feagin (RB)
How did Illinois replace Chase Brown in 2023? By signing their highest-rated recruit at running back since 2009.
Feagin was having a strong start to 2024 before an injury sidelined him after five games. He has 306 yards on 67 carries and three touchdowns through five games, and Feagin already has five touchdowns this season. Not only that, Feagin has 316 yards this season to already surpass last season’s total.
Feagin and Valentine are a great running back tandem, and the Buckeyes will have to have a plan for both of them.
Head Coach: Bret Bielema (5th Season [33-23] | 17th Season Overall [130-81])
Entering this season No. 10 in wins among active head coaches in college football, Bielema is a highly accomplished head coach in the Big Ten. He won three Big Ten titles with Wisconsin from 2010 to 2012, and was the 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
The Fighting Illini have rewarded the job Bielema has done with a six-year contract that will keep him at Illinois through 2030. Illinois’s average attendance has increased by nearly 20,000 from 2021 to 2024, the No. 1 average attendance growth over a three-year span in the country. Season tickets for this season sold out on May 21st, the first season-ticket sellout in at least 20 years.
In between his stints at Wisconsin and Illinois, Bielema was the head coach at Arkansas for five seasons and took the Razorbacks to three straight bowl games.
Offensive Coordinator: Barry Lunney Jr. (3rd Season)
Lunney is a familiar face for Bielema, having served as Arkansas’s tight ends coach in each of his five seasons as Arkansas’s head coach.
In 2024, Illinois ranked No. 3 in red zone offense and No. 6 in scoring offense in the Big Ten. Luke Altmyer finished the season as the only Power Four quarterback with at least 20 touchdowns and five or fewer interceptions.
As a player at Arkansas, Lunney finished his career with records in passing yards, passing touchdowns, pass completions, pass attempts, and total offensive plays. He also played baseball for Arkansas and was drafted by the Montreal Expos out of high school in 1992.
Lunney was drafted again by the Minnesota Twins in 1996 and played one season in the Twins’ minor league farm system.
Defensive Coordinator: Aaron Henry (4th Season)
When Henry took over as the Fighting Illini defensive coordinator at the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2023, he was the youngest defensive coordinator in the Big Ten.
In 2024, Henry’s defense improved 62 spots to No. 31 in scoring defense, holding South Carolina to 14 points below their season scoring average in their win in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Illinois was 10th in the nation with 15 forced fumbles and fifth in the Big Ten with 24 sacks in conference play.
As a player at Wisconsin, playing for Bielema, Henry had seven interceptions, 23 passes defended, and 181 career tackles. He was a First-Team All-Big Ten performer in 2011.
Keys to the Game
1. Stop the run to have some fun
Illinois plans to unleash both of its running backs. They can run the ball and want their running game to create big plays in the passing game. The Buckeyes, though, have a deep defensive line that can slow down both Valentine and Feagin on Saturday.
If they do, the Buckeyes’ defense is going to make it really difficult for the Fighting Illini to move the ball on offense.
2. Get off to a fast start
Ohio State did a good job of doing this against Minnesota. If they can do it again on Saturday, they will take what should be a sold-out Illinois crowd right out of the game and allow the Buckeyes to do what they want on both sides of the ball.
3. Win the battle in the trenches
The Buckeyes are deep on both their offensive and defensive lines. Illinois is too, with a ton of experience. Whichever team wins the battle in the trenches will win this game.
4. Lean on your multitude of running backs
We’re seeing strides in Ohio State’s running game. They have three running backs capable of running the ball, and they can all keep the Fighting Illini defense on their toes.
If the Buckeyes have success running the ball on Saturday, their full offense can be unleashed.
Score Prediction: Buckeyes 42 – Fighting Illini 17
When you look at the way the Buckeyes are playing, it’s going to be difficult for any team to play them close, let alone beat them. Even with as good as Illinois is, let’s not forget they got smashed by Indiana 63-10 just three weeks ago.
Ohio State is better than Illinois. That’s why the Buckeyes should win this game going away, with another dominant performance on both sides of the ball.
