Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – J.T. Barrett passed for 167 yards and two
touchdowns in the first half and No. 13 Ohio State had no trouble in a 55-14
win over Illinois on Saturday night.
The Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) forced three turnovers in the first half to
take a 31-0 lead into the locker room, giving Barrett the final two quarters
off.
The freshman completed 15 of his 24 attempts with a pair of touchdown passes
to Devin Smith. Sophomore Cardale Jones then passed for 82 yards and two
scores in the second half.
Curtis Samuel had two touchdown runs in the first half for the Buckeyes, who
have won six in a row since losing to Virginia Tech on Sept. 6. Last week’s
31-24 win over Penn State in double overtime is the only time in the last six
games the Buckeyes didn’t score at least 50 points.
Ohio State ran its record to 20-0 in regular-season Big Ten games under Urban
Meyer, tying the 2005-07 Buckeyes teams for the longest such winning streak in
conference history.
That streak was ended by Illinois, which knocked off the top-ranked Buckeyes
in Columbus on Nov. 10, 2007. Ohio State has won the last seven meetings with
the Fighting Illini (4-5, 1-4).
