Ohio State
Illinois
Road Test Awaits Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois
10/7/2025 10:06:00 AM | Football
FIRST AND TEN
- The No. 1/1 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0; 2-0 Big Ten), winners of nine consecutive games, take on the No. 17/17 Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1; 2-1) in a 12 p.m. EDT game (11 a.m. CDT) Saturday at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
- The two teams have not met on the gridiron in eight years with the last meeting coming in 2017, a 52-14 Ohio State win at Ohio Stadium.
- The Nov. 28, 2020 game in Champaign was cancelled the Friday night before the game. It was one of three Ohio State games cancelled that season because of COVID-19 outbreaks.
- It's been 10 years since Ohio State last played in Champaign. The Buckeyes defeated the Illini, 28-3 in 2015 in what was then Memorial Stadium.
- Ohio State's defense has allowed just two touchdowns this year; no first-half touchdowns.
- Illinois is one of three Big Ten Conference teams that Ryan Day has not faced as a head coach (although he was OC/QB coach vs. Illinois in '17).
- An Ohio State win would give Ryan Day four winning streaks of 10-or-more games in less than seven seasons as a head coach.
- Ohio State and Illinois will meet in 2026 in Columbus and back in Champaign in 2028.
BY THE NUMBERS
48-5: Ohio State under Ryan Day is 48-5 in Big Ten Conference games for a .905 winning percentage with a 23-3 record on the road and a 25-2 record in Ohio Stadium. Overall, Day is 75-10 as a head coach.
100: Ohio State is 89-11 overall in its last 100 games, dating to the last four games of the 2017 season, and the Buckeyes are 91-9 in their last 100 Big Ten Conference games, dating back to the 2013 season.
898: The terrific tandem of WRs Jeremiah Smith & Carnell Tate has combined for 59 receptions, 898 yards and 10 TDs so far. They combined for 16 receptions for 250 yards (15.6) and three TDs vs. Minnesota.
2x: QB Julian Sayin has been named the Big Ten's freshman of the week twice and to the Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 twice this year: vs. Minnesota (23-27/326/3 TDs) and vs. Grambling (18-19/306/4 TDs).
JUST SAYIN' AND SAYIN
Julian Sayin continued his season long passing expertise by completing 23 of 27 passes (85.1 pct.) for 326 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the win over Minnesota. He is now completing 80.2 percent of his passes to rank No. 1 nationally and he is also third in passing efficiency (196.99) and eighth in TD passes (13). He is 101 of 126 for 1,313 yards this season.
ILLINOIS … A DAY FIRST
- Ryan Day will coach a game against Illinois for the first time.
- There are two other teams in the Big Ten he has yet to coach against: USC and UCLA.
- He's coached six games vs. Indiana, Michigan State, Penn State and Rutgers, five times vs. Michigan and four times vs. Maryland and Nebraska.
- He has coached between one and three games against the other five schools.
OHIO STATE VS. ILLINOIS
- Ohio State and Illinois have played 103 times since the first meeting in 1902.
- Illinois is Ohio State's second-most common opponent, after Michigan, who Ohio State has played 119 times.
- Ohio State leads the all-time series with Illinois, 68-30-4, a record that includes a 36-11 mark in games played at Champaign. Note: 2010 game not included in records.
- Ohio State has won eight consecutive games over Illinois for its third-longest winning streak in the series after 15- and 11-game winning streaks from 1968-81 and 1935-45, respectively.
DAY VS. RANKED TEAMS
- Illinois is the second ranked opponent for the Buckeyes in 2025.
- Under Ryan Day the team is 25-9 versus Top 25 Teams and has won seven consecutive games.
COLUMN NOTES
- Ohio State and Illinois battle on the gridiron for the honor of winning and receiving the Illibuck Trophy.
- James Peoples was right behind Bo Jackson for the rushing lead vs. Minnesota with a season- and career-high tying 59 yards.
- Ohio State is now 14-0 in games where Caden Curry, the team leader in TFLs and sacks, records a TFL.
- Darn good and not to be outdone: Ohio State is 14-1 in games when Sonny Styles records a TFL.
