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🏈 No. 7 Ohio State vs. Illinois
📅 Sat 9/26, 12:00pm ET
📺 FOX
Ryan Day · Head Coach
On facing Illinois and Bret Bielema:
"He's not only well-respected in the conference, but nationally for how he coaches."
On third down:
"As you know, third down is not where it needs to be right now... I think we're 12 of 33 coming off of last year."
On Julian Sayin's sack against Kent State:
"I think he would tell you that he didn't progress through that play very well and wishes he had that back."
On Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd heading into conference play:
"We see them playing a lot of football. They're gonna be major contributors."
Matt Patricia · Defensive Coordinator
On linebacker Riley Pettijohn:
"One of those guys who has, just from a trait standpoint, explosive power, speed, quickness, a little bit of elusiveness, maybe Gumby-ish, when you're trying to block him and he just kind of slips, and you're like, how did he do that?"
Ja'Kobi Jackson · Running Back
On the running backs' mindset entering Big Ten play:
"Coach Lock coaches us hard every day, so that's something that's not going to change. The RBs, we're pretty level-headed. We understand that we're going into our first conference game and that we have to run the ball hard and we have to do what we need to do in order to be successful."
Brandon Inniss · Wide Receiver
Julian Sayin's own words, per Inniss, right after missing him for a touchdown against Kent State:
"I missed you. It was my fault."
Christian Alliegro · Linebacker
On the mindset entering conference play:
"We got to win out from here on out."
DJ Jacobs · 5-Star Edge, 2027 Commit
DJ Jacobs is a five-star edge recruit, the top-rated recruit in Ohio State's 2027 class. He'll visit Tennessee this weekend as other programs keep pushing for a flip.
His father's words, on whether the interest has moved him:
"DJ is straight forward telling those people he's locked in with Ohio State."
Linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, a member of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, will serve as Saturday's pregame Bell Ringer and will be honored on the field after the first quarter with his Hall of Fame plaque. The Sept. 25-27 weekend is Ohio State's Hall of Fame Weekend, and the Illinois game is designated the "Buckeyes for a Cancer Free World" contest.
Ohio State's injury report has defensive tackle James Smith (wrist) and running back Legend Bey (ankle) cleared to play after leaving the Kent State game with injuries. Right tackle Phillip Daniels, defensive end Zion Grady, running back Anthony "Turbo" Rogers, wide receiver Kyle Parker, and offensive lineman Ian Gecse are questionable; tight end Bennett Christian and offensive linemen Jaxon Powell and Vasean Washington are out.
Ohio State is 2-1 entering Big Ten play, having beaten Ball State 56-3 and Kent State 59-3 around a 24-23 loss at Texas on Sept. 12. Ohio State leads the all-time series 69-30-4 and has retained the Illibuck Trophy since 2008, seeking its 10th straight win in the rivalry.
Storylines worth tracking Saturday.
Jeremiah Smith's record pace continues.
Already Ohio State's career leader in receiving yards (2,958), Smith needs 22 receptions to break Emeka Egbuka's school record of 205 career catches and six touchdown catches to break Chris Olave's mark of 35.
Illinois's Katin Houser-to-Collin Dixon connection.
Dixon leads the FBS in touchdown receptions with seven. Worth watching how Ohio State's secondary handles that matchup.
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