The Illini play right into OSU’s defense
Lovie Smith said that even though Ohio State's run defense has been stronger than its pass defense, that's not going to change Illinois' philosophy on offense. “We want to establish the run … we're not going to throw the ball 70 times a game.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 23, 2020
Indiana had success against the Ohio State defense because it had a quarterback that could sling it around to some pretty good weapons on the outside. But a quick look at the rushing stats for the Hoosiers (-5 yards) tells you all you need to know about the strength of this Buckeye defense.
Illinois is not going to throw the ball all around the yard, that’s just not its modus operandi. Instead, the Illini are going to look to establish the run and that’s going to play right in the hands of Ohio State. We’re not going to see an offensive explosion like Indiana showed us all last week.
Big advantage OSU.
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