No. 3 Ohio State can finally look ahead to its season-defining showdowns with Michigan State and Michigan, but it wasn't easy Saturday afternoon, as it beat Illinois 28-3 in Memorial Stadium.
The Buckeyes (10-0) moved the ball decently, racking up 440 total yards against an underrated defense from the Illini (5-5). The win keeps Ohio State alive in the College Football Playoff race, but things will get much more difficult moving forward.
How did the Buckeyes grade out from their 25-point win?
Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
The Buckeyes had it going in the pass game early, as J.T. Barrett completed his first four passes, highlighted by a beautiful 24-yard touchdown throw to Michael Thomas. But the aerial attack sputtered in the second quarter, and Barrett finished the first half with just 106 yards through the air.
Ohio State turned to the ground game in the second half, as Barrett finished with 150 passing yards, completing 15 of 23 passes for a touchdown and an interception. The offensive line was the biggest disappointment, as it consistently buckled against Illinois' front four.
Run Offense
Ezekiel Elliott has struggled with some slow starts this season, but that wasn't the case against Illinois, as he ran for 40 yards on seven carries in the first quarter. The Buckeyes went away from him in the second quarter for some reason, as he got just two carries for seven yards before the break. He was complemented by Barrett at quarterback, though, who ran for 56 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
The Buckeyes opened the second half featuring Elliott, who eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the 15th consecutive game midway through the third quarter. He finished with 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns, fueling a 283-yard effort for the Buckeyes.
Pass Defense
Ohio State's secondary came into Saturday's action boasting the fifth-ranked passing defense, and it flexed its muscle against Illinois. Illini quarterback Wes Lunt had a very tough time in the first half, completing just nine of 21 passes for 69 yards. Leading receiver Geronimo Allison, who came into the game with 56 receptions for 756 yards, was held without a catch through two quarters.
Lunt found a bit of a rhythm in the second half, but that came against a defense looking to prevent the big play. The Illini finished with 241 passing yards, and Lunt completed just 48.9 percent of his passes.
Run Defense
Illinois' rushing attack hit its stride with the return of running back Josh Ferguson last week. The Illini routed a surging Purdue team 48-14, running for a season-high 382 yards.
Against the Buckeyes, though, Illinois had a much tougher time. Ferguson had a good first half, running for 44 yards on seven carries, but the rest of the team lost 12 yards. It didn't get much better in the second half, as the Illini finished with 20 rushing yards, averaging a meager 0.8 yards per carry.
Special Teams
Duke transfer Jack Willoughby won the starting kicker position in fall camp, but he has struggled this year, connecting on just seven of 11 field goals and missing on all three attempts beyond 40 yards. That prompted head coach Urban Meyer to make a move and promote Sean Nuernberger, but he got off to a bad start in the first quarter when he hooked a 24-yard field goal.
The special teams units bounced back a few plays later, when Curtis Samuel broke free and got his hand on an Illinois punt, but that was one of the lone highlights. Punter Cameron Johnston has a good day, but he missed a few huge opportunities to convert fourth downs:
Coaching
Ohio State came in with a great game plan, and on the first two drives of the game, the offense piled up 115 yards and what should have been two touchdowns—a blown review ruled Barrett short on a touchdown run. But Illinois' defense adjusted, limiting Barrett in the run game, and it took too long for Ohio State to get back to Elliott.
The passing attack couldn't find a rhythm because of Illinois' stout pass rush, and Ohio State didn't throw a single screen to combat that. The Buckeyes got the win, but it looked like they were happy to grind out an uninspired effort before the big showdown with Michigan State next week.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com