CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Throughout an up-and-down season filled with highs and lows, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has been able to depend on one thing — one player, even — to give his team consistent production.
That player is Ezekiel Elliott.
The Buckeyes’ junior running back has played at a consistently high level all season long for third-ranked Ohio State and Saturday’s 28-3 win at Illinois was no different. The St. Louis native carried the ball 27 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns against the Illini.
“We’re certainly not in this situation without Zeke,” Meyer said following the game. “There is some issues, back-and-forth at quarterback, then we had another issue and [Elliott] has been the one constant.”
Elliott has run for over 100 yards in every game this season for Ohio State and 15-straight contents overall. He’s racked up 1,425 yards on the ground this year to go along with 16 touchdowns. Elliott’s 3,565 career rushing yards ranks third all time in school history as he moved past Tim Spencer during Saturday’s win over the Illini.
Elliott needs just 204 yards to pass Eddie George for second all time on Ohio State’s career rushing list. He’ll get that number at some point this season as the Buckeyes have a minimum of three games remaining. Archie Griffin is the school’s all-time leading rusher at 5,589 yards.
“It’s a blessing to be compared to the great running backs at Ohio State,” Elliott said. “I’ve just gotta give thanks to the O-line, we’ve basically had the same O-line since I started here and they make it easy for me week in and week out. Just blessed to be behind those guys.”
Ohio State hasn’t looked like itself on offense at times through the first 10 games of the season. The Buckeyes have been disjointed and out of sync on more than one occasion.
The one part that hasn’t been that way, though? Elliott and the running game.
Defense Dominates Again
After Penn State’s Saquon Barkley ran all over Ohio State a few weeks back to the tone of 26 carries for 194 yards, the Buckeyes have made it a major point of emphasis to stop the opposing team’s running game.
Ohio State limited Minnesota to just 33 yards rushing two weeks ago and the Buckeyes’ run defense was even more stout on Saturday, holding to the Illini to just 20 yards rushing as a team. What might be even more impressive is that the Buckeyes limited Illinois to minus-12 yards rushing in the second half.
Led by All-American defensive end Joey Bosa, Ohio State had a dominant performance on the defensive line. The Buckeyes had three sacks and 11 tackles for loss against the Illini. Linebacker Raekwon McMillan had a team-high 14 tackles, while Bosa made three stops behind the line of scrimmage and was credited with a half-sack.
“Our defense is playing lights out and that’s obvious,” Meyer said. “I would say our defense and obviously, offensively, running the ball. That’s how you win championships.”
Meyer's 4th-and-11 Decision
With Ohio State leading 7-3 late in the first half, the Buckeyes were faced with a 4th-and-11 at the Illinois 38-yard line. With the Buckeyes’ offense reeling a bit, Meyer elected not to punt and to go for the first down.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett dropped back to pass, then took off running around the left end, picking up 16 yards in the process to give Ohio State first down and extend the drive. Three plays later, Barrett plunged in from 6 yards out and the Buckeyes were in the end zone.
Afterward, both Barrett and Meyer addressed the crucial fourth-down conversion which helped lift Ohio State to a 14-3 halftime lead.
“I’m not really surprised, I knew we needed to score right there,” Barrett said. “We needed some points, not really a touchdown, but we needed some points. That’s who we are as a football team. Trust in our guys to go out there and make plays and we did that.”
Added Meyer: “That was one of those moments where I just challenged the offensive line. At that point, we were playing good, but not great. I knew the defensive line was the strength of [Illinois’] unit, but with what’s coming down the road, if I can’t trust the offensive line right now then we’ve got a major problem.”
