COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State may not have been concentrating solely on Illinois when it struggled to beat the Illini last season.
The Buckeyes swear it won’t happen again – even as a date with archrival Michigan looms on Nov. 17.
So why did the unbeaten Buckeyes have so much trouble in a 17-10 victory at Champaign, Ill., against a team that finished the season 2-10?
“I think we just got lazy, to be honest,” Ohio State receiver Brian Hartline said yesterday. “Sometimes the Illinois name can get you. They were never a big powerhouse. We kind of got a little bit too complacent last year and confident at that point in the year. They caught us sleeping and we couldn’t snap out of it.”
Coach Jim Tressel said he didn’t foresee that being a problem this Saturday, with the Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) again ranked No. 1 hosting an Illinois (7-3, 4-2) team having a turnaround season.
“This group really understands that we’ve got work to do,” Tressel said.
No one could blame the Buckeyes if they’re peeking ahead. The Big Ten has become a two-horse race, with Michigan and the Buckeyes both unbeaten through six games. The Wolverines play at Wisconsin in another marquee game on Saturday, before next week’s annual rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor.
Backup linebacker and special-teams standout Austin Spitler said it’s hard to focus on Illinois when “The Game” is just around the corner.
“Michigan’s always in the back of our minds – first day of camp to last game of the year – they’re always there because it’s such a big rivalry and such a big game for us,” he said.
