Ohio State vs. Illinois: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

J.T. Barrett returned from suspension to help lead No. 3 Ohio State to a 28-3 road victory over mistake-prone Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Barrett, who was sidelined one game after an OVI arrest, accounted for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes defense, which allowed just 261 yards, kept the Fighting Illini at bay while the game remained close.

Here's a quarter-by-quarter scoring recap of the Big Ten clash:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Buckeyes	7	7	7	7	28
Fighting Illini	0	3	0	0	3

Facing the Illini ahead of high-profile matchups against Michigan State and Michigan created a proverbial trap-game situation for the Buckeyes. Head coach Urban Meyer hoped his group had enough experience to avoid looking past this week's challenge, as Craig Merz of the Associated Press noted.

"We have a fairly mature team, so letdown is probably not the proper word; (it's) execution and doing the right things, just the grind involved in college football right now," Meyer said. "I don't think there's a chance of a letdown."

Alas, Ohio State (10-0, 6-0) got off to a sluggish start for the second straight game.

After letting Minnesota hang around for far too long last week, the Buckeyes botched their opening drive Saturday to set the tone for a lackluster first half. They failed to find the end zone after getting a first down at the 3-yard line, and Sean Nuernberger missed a chip-shot field goal.

Ohio State did manage to get on the scoreboard first, though. After Curtis Samuel partially blocked an Illinois punt to give the Buckeyes terrific field position, it took the reigning champions just three plays to cover 49 yards.

Barrett and Michael Thomas hooked up twice on the drive, including a nice pitch and catch from 24 yards out for the score. ESPN highlighted the touchdown:

Illinois (5-5, 2-4) cut into Ohio State's advantage in the second quarter on Taylor Zalewski's 46-yard field goal. It also had a golden opportunity to take the lead after recovering a Barrett fumble at the OSU 31, but it couldn't move the ball, and Zalewski missed a 50-yard attempt.

The stop underlined a strong first-half effort from the Buckeyes defense, which helped the team avoid serious trouble. Ryan Donnelly of BuckeyeGrove.com discussed the disparity between the performances on each side of the ball:

Ohio State's offense did come to life late in the second quarter. Barrett kept the team's final drive of the half alive with a 16-yard scamper on fourth down from the Illini 38 and later scored on a keeper from six yards out to make it 14-3.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott served as a fullback on the play, a trend Dane Brugler of CBS Sports praised:

ESPN passed along video of the touchdown:

Another mistake, this time a fumbled snap on a field-goal attempt, prevented Illinois from adding points early in the third quarter.

Ohio State responded with a ground-and-pound touchdown drive that ate up 75 yards and nearly four minutes of the clock. Elliott led the charge with seven carries on the drive, including a one-yard score.

Eleven Warriors showcased the star junior's run of dominance:

ESPN Stats & Info provided context:

Elliott, who finished with 181 rushing yards, added another touchdown in the fourth as Ohio State went into cruise control.

Everything else was elementary, as the Buckeyes used their ground game against a tired Illinois defense to run out the clock.

Looking ahead, the level of competition increases sharply for Ohio State over the next two weeks. Facing the aforementioned Spartans and Wolverines, the Buckeyes' two toughest tests of the regular season, in back-to-back games at this stage creates a pressure-packed stretch.

Ohio State must work to remedy its stagnant offense because it certainly doesn't have much margin for error given the crowded race for berths in the College Football Playoff.

Illinois will go on the road next week to face off with Minnesota. It must win both that game and its regular-season finale against Northwestern in order to finish .500 in conference play. The Fighting Illini need one more victory to become bowl eligible as well.

Postgame Reaction

Meyer said this on ESPN after the victory:

Jeremy Werner of Scout provided remarks from Illinois interim head coach Bill Cubit: