CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Ohio State withstood a light scare to take down Illinois 60-35 today at Memorial Stadium.
After sprinting to a 28-0 lead, the third-ranked Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) spent the rest of the afternoon fighting back the Illini (3-7, 0-6).
PHOTO GALLERY: OSU rolls hard-playing Illini 60-35.
Illinois opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive to pull within 14 points at 35-21 and OSU quarterback Braxton Miller lost a fumble on the Illini 39-yard line on the following possession. But the Buckeyes soon answered with a safety and a one-yard touchdown run by Carlos Hyde.
OSU went ahead 44-21 before scrapping to the finish.
Ohio State matched a school record with its 22nd straight win while extending the hapless Illini’s streak of misery — their 20th straight Big Ten loss the second longest in conference history.
THIRD QUARTER
Third-ranked Ohio State leads Illinois 44-21 after the third quarter of today's Big Ten game at Memorial Stadium.
After Illinois plodded down the field for a 75-yard touchdown drive to pull within 14 points at 35-21, OSU answered with a safety and a 1-yard TD run by Carlos Hyde.
HALFTIME
Third-ranked Ohio State is on its way to another Big Ten rout, leading Illinois 35-14 at halftime despite an uneven second quarter in today's game at Memorial Stadium.
After taking a 28-0 lead, the Illini answered with a pair of scores. V'Angelo Bentley returned a punt 67 yards for the touchdown and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase threw a 19-yard TD pass to Steve Hull.
OSU went ahead 28-0 on Braxton Miller's 11-yard TD pass to Corey Brown and 35-7 on an eight-yard TD run by Carlos Hyde.
FIRST QUARTER
Ohio State has sprinted past Illinois to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter of today's Big Ten game at Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Braxton Miller ran for a 70-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage, Miller threw an 18-yard scoring pass to Carlos Hyde, and cornerback Bradley Roby returned an interception 70 yards into the end zone.