Five keys to Ohio State beating Illinois on Saturday

Ohio State travels to Illinois Saturday to try and remain undefeated. Here are five keys to the Buckeyes winning another Big Ten contest.

Master Teague can overpower the Illinois defense

The Fighting Illini have a rather fast defense, so expecting the Buckeye running attack to outrun it might be a little bit of a stretch, but it is not ready for a punishing attack. Ohio State running back Teague has the ability to hit defensive players and make them think about hitting him the next time he comes rumbling through the line. He has enough burst and moves to break a few longer runs, but breaking tackles will be huge.

If Teague can keep the Buckeyes ahead of the chains with solid pickups, it should open things up for Justin Fields to throw. The Illini are not going to let a lot get deep if it can help it, so getting Teague to pick up solid yardage early will help. Teague will help Fields, and Fields can help Teague.

[lawrence-related id=41260]

NEXT … Speaking of Justin Fields