COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Until a couple of weeks ago, even hardcore Illinois fans probably thought Reilly O’Toole was the proprietor of a new Irish pub near campus.O’Toole was a cypher on the Illini roster for 3 1/2 years, coming in late in the occasional game. But then starting quarterback Wes Lunt was lost for six weeks with a broken leg and O’Toole was thrust into action.Not a thrower like Lunt and not all that fast, he nonetheless is smart and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He led the downtrodden Illini (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten) to a huge upset of Minnesota a week ago.”It was nice to see the coaches getting excited,” the senior said. ”You want to win for them, for their kids, their families.”Now he’ll really dip his toes into the fire when the Illini play at No. 13 Ohio State (6-1, 3-0) on Saturday night.The Buckeyes, winners of five in a row this season and 19 consecutive Big Ten games (one off the conference record), are still making plans for big games to come.For O’Toole, however, the focus is much, much simpler. View gallery Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) throws a pass during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college … ”A bowl game is obviously still in the picture,” he said. ”The goal is still there.”Here are several things to watch when O’Toole and the Illini duel the Buckeyes in primetime:THE OTHER GUY: A lot of eyeballs will be on Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett. The Buckeyes barely escaped a night game at Penn State last Saturday, 31-24 in double-overtime, with Barrett playing the second half with a sprained left knee.Still, he ran for both Ohio State TDs after regulation ended.He’s wearing a brace this week and was asked if he intends to play.”That is correct,” he said emphatically. View gallery Ohio State coach Urban Meyer reacts to a touchdown by his team during the second quarter an NCAA col … COLOR COORDINATED: Illinois head coach Tim Beckman used to be an assistant at Ohio State under Jim Tressel and also was an assistant to current Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer at Bowling Green.He grew up in a superstitious household.When his football-coach father’s team scored, his mother gave the Beckman kids Lifesavers.”If it was a color that was the other team, we had to crush it in the stands,” Beckman said.That means wasting some treats this week.”There’s definitely no red Lifesavers in the house,” he said. View gallery Illinois head coach Tim Beckman shouts at the referees during the third quarter of an NCAA football … CLOSE-CALL HELPER: The Buckeyes say that the white-knuckler at Beaver Stadium really helped them.They led 17-0 at the half and were poised to run up some big numbers on the Nittany Lions. Instead, Penn State roared back to force OT and then scored on the first possession to put the Buckeyes in a seven-point, match-it-or-lose hole.”It was real good,” safety Von Bell said. ”It really made us pull as one. We all kept strong.”CLOSE TO THE VEST: Meyer said after Barrett threw an interception that was returned for a TD early in the second half, the staff decided to take no more cances…
Continue Reading: Illini’s O’Toole leads 1 upset, hopes for a 2nd
