COLUMBUS, Ohio — Looking at the critical areas and most important players as No. 3 Ohio State looks to stay unbeaten as it visits Illinois on Saturday (noon, ESPN).
Tune out the noise: The Buckeyes dialed up some of the conversation involving their BCS title chances with Evan Spencer’s confident comments in reference to Alabama and Florida State early in the week, and Urban Meyer made it quite clear he didn’t appreciate the potential distraction. The Ohio State coach has largely succeeded in his nearly two full seasons in avoiding the kind of public trash talk that can find its way on to bulletin boards of opponents, and Meyer has long emphasized the importance of not looking past any opponent and having his team evaluate itself only against the squad it faces on a given Saturday. It’s understandable at this point why the Buckeyes might be looking around elsewhere, given their position in the BCS standings and the recent struggles of the Illini. But they also are well aware that they shouldn’t be taking anything for granted on the road in the Big Ten.
Up in the air: Meyer made it no secret heading into the first bye week of the season last month that Ohio State’s top priority was shoring up its soft pass defense. Coming out of the second off date, it appears he’s seen the improvement, but a true barometer is on tap against the Illini, a team throwing for nearly 290 yards per game and certainly capable of exploiting any breakdowns in the secondary. The Buckeyes haven’t had many breakdowns in the last two weeks, largely keeping Penn State from doing any significant damage until the outcome had long been decided and then following that up by dismantling Purdue in a shutout victory. Even when the yardage was coming relatively easily against Ohio State, the defense has shown a knack to come up with a timely interception to swing momentum — the Buckeyes have at least one pick in every game this season.
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Five things: Ohio State at Illinois
