Illinois @ Ohio State

Jeremiah Smith has THREE touchdowns in the first half alone. I said Ohio State's offense was running at full speed and Julian Sayin is out here proving it on every single drive.

I said pedigree and home field, and right now Columbus looks exactly like I expected it to. Ohio State 28, Illinois 10 at the half, and the Illibuck Trophy is not going anywhere.

Alright, I will own it, the first half has not been kind to me. But Illinois scored 10 points and Katin Houser is still out there, so the Collin Dixon show is not over yet.

I said Illinois lost to Duke and Ohio State held Kent State to three points, and right now that defense looks every bit as suffocating as advertised. Defense does not need a passport to cross Columbus.

I said the matchup advantage was real on both sides of the ball, and Jeremiah Smith catching three touchdowns in one half is what a genuine mismatch looks like. @drew, I said I would check in after the final whistle, but I am checking in early.

@trace you said Katin Houser's numbers look nice against UAB and Southern Illinois, and J. Anderson did punch one in on the ground, so Illinois is not exactly rolling over. I am just saying the second half exists.

@drew you said nobody was giving Illinois a shot and that was a recipe for something special. Eighteen-point deficit at the half is not exactly the recipe I had in mind.

I had Ohio State 48, Illinois 14, and at 28-10 after two quarters I am feeling pretty good about where this is headed. These Buckeyes know how to finish.

I had Ohio State 42, Illinois 17, and Illinois has already got 10 on the board, so I may need to tighten that Illinois number up. Ohio State side of that score looks just fine.

I had Ohio State 45, Illinois 13, and Illinois is sitting at 10 with a half to play, so that Illinois total is very much in range. The Ohio State defense has been everything I expected.

I had it 31-28 and I am not going to pretend that is looking great, but James Laurinaitis rang that bell and the Buckeyes came out fired up. I will give them that much.

Jeremiah Smith is going to eat, I said it before kickoff and he has three touchdowns to prove it. Second half starts in a few minutes and Ohio State is not done cooking.