Squeezing the Orange-Ohio State beats Illinois 52-14

Photo Credit;Cleveland Plain Dealer 

Ohio State was expected to name their score in their final home game of the season against the Illinois Fighting Illini and did just that in a 52-14 squashing.
Illinois didn't score until the second half and due to a fumble returned for a touchdown, only scored one touchdown and that against the Buckeye backups.
Mike Weber rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the romp with J.T. Barrett throwing for two and rushing for one.
With the win and Michigan's loss to Wisconsin, Ohio State improved to 9-2 (6-1 Big 10) clinches the Big 10 East and will play Wisconsin in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title regardless of the results of next weeks game against you know who.

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1) Going to be honest-I didn't watch a lot of this game live.
Being that Illinois was winless in conference and on an eight game losing streak coming into Columbus, one didn't have to be the Emerald Seer to see that this shouldn't be close.
So I rolled the disc in another room with the game so I could flip back and forth between the Buckeyes and the Houston-Tulane game on ESPN News.
I would never do that in a game that was even remotely close, but this one turned out the way I expected.

2) Mike Weber looks to be back to form and the Kevin Wilson coordinated offense is starting to realize as other OC's did before him that the Ohio State offense runs best through the backs and not through the quarterback.
When the running game is pushing defenders downfield, the Buckeyes offense works best.

3) The biggest story from this games was after Illinois scored their first touchdown off a Dwayne Haskins fumble, Urban Meyer quickly returned the starters to the lineup with a 38-7 lead.
The Buckeyes scored a touchdown with the starters before Meyer felt comfortable enough to sit them for good.

4) I understood the reasoning for the decision, but I didn't think that it was very smart.
In a game that really was decided already and in poor weather, the Buckeyes were lucky to resist the injury bug and avoid a key injury.

5) I have really liked the play of Chris Worley in the last two games since being moved to the outside from the middle.
Worley had been a bit of a disappointment in the middle but has looked more comfortable in his familiar spot outside.

6) I know Dwayne Haskins fumbled, but his touchdown pass to Binjimin Victor was the type of throw that gifted throwers make and not the spread quarterbacks.
There will be a learning curve next season with Haskins at the controls for Urban Meyer and Kevin Wilson, but it's going to be an interesting, if not improved Buckeye team next season with Dwayne Haskins.

7) Illinois threw for just 16 yards and completed just four passes.
Illinois is a program that I've always thought had potential, but other than an occasional shot in the dark usually struggles.
All the ingredients are there to be at least a perennial middle of the pack like a Minnesota that goes fairly regularly to small bowl games, but they cannot even reach that low bar.

8) That leads me to Lovie Smith, who Illinois is paying 21 million for six years to preside over this trainwreck.
Smith looks almost uninterested on the sideline and even though some of the fault for this disaster has to go to former head coach Tim Beckman for the lack of veteran talent, Smith's young players don't show a lot of promise to think better times are ahead.
The question to me isn't this- does Lovie Smith survive to the end of his contract, the question is does Smith survive to see 2019?

9) J.T. Barrett threw his 100th touchdown pass and became the first Big Ten player to hit that number.
I suppose that is doable since it seems like Barrett has been here since the Bush administration!

10) That leads us to next Saturday and a desperate Mr.Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh's teams would finish 8-4 with a loss and that loss would leave him with a 1-5 record against rivals Ohio State and Michigan State.
The bluster and wind that Harbaugh created is already beginning to make their fans wonder about Harbaugh despite great recruiting classes and if that occurs next Saturday in Ann Arbor, it is going to a long off season for Michigan and the pressure that is present will increase a great deal.
Michigan has nothing to play for other than pride, but a victory for them would relieve the pressure and show their fans that things are headed up.
For a game that is strictly for pride (Ohio State is in the Big 10 title game win or lose), there is plenty on the line...