Illinois vs. Ohio State: Game Grades, Analysis for the Buckeyes

After an uneven showing on the road against Penn State last week, No. 16 Ohio State (7-1) got back on track in a big way with a 55-14 rout of Illinois (4-5) Saturday night.

The Buckeyes dominated in all three phases of the game, outgaining the Illini by 302 total yards. In fact, Ohio State had a shutout going for much of the game, but Tim Beckman's squad put together two touchdown drives against the Buckeyes' second-team defense. 

How did Ohio State grade out from its convincing 41-point victory?

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A	A
Run Offense	A	A
Pass Defense	A	A
Run Defense	A	A
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	A	A

Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis

Pass Offense 

J.T. Barrett saw just two quarters of action, but he made the most of his limited time by completing 15 of 24 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Cardale Jones closed things out in the second half as the Buckeyes totaled 249 passing yards and four touchdowns against no interceptions.

Devin Smith paced the receivers, hauling in three catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes spread it around, though, as nine different pass-catchers hauled in receptions.

Run Offense 

The Buckeyes churned out yards on the ground at a high rate against the Illini. Ezekiel Elliott and Curtis Samuel led the way, combining for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, but Jalin Marshall was a surprising star. The H-back saw time as a wildcat quarterback and ran for 42 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Those three highlighted a Buckeyes rushing attack that totaled 296 yards and 6.7 yards per carry.

Pass Defense

Ohio State’s pass defense continues to improve under co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash, and against Illinois, the unit was dominant. The Buckeyes surrendered just 58 passing yards in the first half—56 of which came on one pass.

Starting quarterback Reilly O’Toole was benched midway through the second quarter, but backup Aaron Bailey didn’t have much success either. The Illini finished with just 137 passing yards and one touchdown. Ohio State's defense came up with two interceptions, both of which came in the first half against O'Toole.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Run Defense

The Buckeyes were just as dominant against the run, allowing a meager 106 rushing yards to the Illini. Bailey provided a spark when he came in for O’Toole, running for a team-high 39 yards from the quarterback position. But the Illini had a hard time getting anything going on the ground, as the team averaged just 2.5 yards per carry against Joey Bosa and a surging linebacker unit.

Special Teams

Freshman kicker Sean Nuernberger wasn’t called on very often, but he did drill two field goals of 44 and 26 yards and was a perfect 7-of-7 on extra-point attempts. The Buckeyes had a quiet night in the return game, but Dontre Wilson flashed in the fourth quarter, taking a kickoff 43 yards to midfield.

Coaching 

Urban Meyer and Tom Herman did an excellent job managing Barrett, who will be desperately needed next week when the Buckeyes travel to East Lansing for a prime-time matchup against Michigan State. Barrett showed that he's still dangerous, but the coaching staff did a great job keeping him on his feet without further injuring his sprained knee. 

The defensive staff called an outstanding game as well, limiting the Illinois offense to just 243 total yards and a season-low 14 points.

All stats via NCAA.com.  

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.