Ohio State Dominates Illinois 34-16 in Week 7
Ohio State's offense proved too much for Illinois to handle, with the Buckeyes cruising to a 34-16 victory in Week 7. The away team controlled the game from the start, jumping out to a 10-0 first quarter lead and extending their advantage to 20-3 by halftime.
Julian Sayin orchestrated Ohio State's passing attack efficiently, connecting with multiple receivers for big plays throughout the contest. Key completions to Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson, among others, set up scoring opportunities for the visiting Buckeyes. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer led the Illini with 248 passing yards, but the home team struggled to generate consistent offense and never threatened to close the gap.
Ohio State's defense also made an impact, forcing critical mistakes late in the game. The Buckeyes outscored Illinois 7-6 in the fourth quarter to seal the decisive victory.
The final score of 34-16 fell under the 51-point over-under, while Ohio State covered the 15-point spread with relative ease.
AI-generated recap · Aug 10, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio State | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
 Illinois | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Ohio State | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 19-27 | 30-44 |
| Pass Yards | 166 | 248 |
| Rush Yards | 109 | 47 |
| Total Yards | 275 | 295 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| 3rd Down | 8-15 | 4-14 |
| Penalties | 7-59 | 4-19 |
| Possession | 33:11 | 26:49 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Julian Sayin pass complete to Brandon Inniss for 11 yds to the OSU 36 for a 1ST down
Bo Jackson run for 2 yds to the OSU 38
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Carnell Tate
Julian Sayin pass complete to Jeremiah Smith for 18 yds to the ILL 44 for a 1ST down
Bo Jackson run for no gain to the ILL 44
Julian Sayin pass complete to Carnell Tate for 11 yds to the ILL 33 for a 1ST down
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Carnell Tate
Bo Jackson run for 17 yds to the ILL 16 for a 1ST down
Bo Jackson run for 3 yds to the ILL 13
Bo Jackson run for 3 yds to the ILL 10
Julian Sayin pass complete to Max Klare for 2 yds to the ILL 8
Jayden Fielding 26 yd FG GOOD
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 7 yds to the ILL 32
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 6 yds to the ILL 38 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 7 yds to the ILL 45
Ca'Lil Valentine run for a loss of 2 yards to the ILL 43
Luke Altmyer pass intercepted Payton Pierce return for 15 yds to the ILL 35
CJ Donaldson run for 5 yds to the ILL 30
CJ Donaldson run for 10 yds to the ILL 20 for a 1ST down
Julian Sayin pass complete to Jeremiah Smith for 13 yds to the ILL 7 for a 1ST down
James Peoples run for 3 yds to the ILL 4
CJ Donaldson run for 3 yds to the ILL 1
CJ Donaldson run for 1 yd for a TD (Jayden Fielding KICK)
Jayden Fielding kickoff for 65 yds , Jordan Anderson return for 20 yds to the ILL 20
Aidan Laughery run for 16 yds to the ILL 36 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Justin Bowick
Aidan Laughery run for no gain to the ILL 36
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hank Beatty
Keelan Crimmins punt for 37 yds, fair catch by Brandon Inniss at the OSU 27
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Jeremiah Smith
James Peoples run for 1 yd to the OSU 28
Julian Sayin pass complete to Carnell Tate for 11 yds to the OSU 39 for a 1ST down
(00:56) Shotgun Sayin,Julian pass complete short middle to Klare,Max caught at OSU45, for 0 yards to the OSU39 (Hood,Malachi; Rosiek,Dylan) PENALTY OSU Illegal Forward Pass (Klare,Max) 5 yards from OSU39 to OSU34. NO PLAY.
Bo Jackson run for 11 yds to the OSU 45
Julian Sayin pass complete to Jeremiah Smith for 32 yds to the ILL 23 for a 1ST down
Joe McGuire punt for 39 yds, fair catch by Hank Beatty at the ILL 16
(14:22) No Huddle-Shotgun Altmyer,Luke pass incomplete short middle to Dixon,Collin thrown to ILL26, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY OSU Pass Interference (Igbinosun,Davison) 10 yards from ILL16 to ILL26, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 8 yds to the ILL 34
Kaden Feagin run for 5 yds to the ILL 39 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 8 yds to the ILL 47
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hudson Clement
Jordan Anderson run for 1 yd to the ILL 48
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd to the ILL 49 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Tanner Arkin
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds to the OSU 48
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 9 yds to the OSU 39 for a 1ST down
Keelan Crimmins run for a loss of 14 yards to the ILL 38
Julian Sayin pass complete to Max Klare for 10 yds to the ILL 28 for a 1ST down
Julian Sayin pass complete to Carnell Tate for 11 yds to the ILL 17 for a 1ST down
Bo Jackson run for 4 yds to the ILL 13
Julian Sayin run for no gain to the ILL 13
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Carnell Tate
Jayden Fielding 31 yd FG GOOD
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 1 yd to the ILL 26 Ca'Lil Valentine fumbled, recovered by OSU Kayden McDonald
Bo Jackson run for no gain to the ILL 26
Bo Jackson run for 4 yds to the ILL 22
Julian Sayin pass complete to Jeremiah Smith for 7 yds to the ILL 15 for a 1ST down
James Peoples run for a loss of 2 yards to the ILL 17
Julian Sayin pass complete to Bo Jackson for 17 yds for a TD (Jayden Fielding KICK)
(03:48) PENALTY ILL False Start (Kreutz,Josh) 5 yards from ILL25 to ILL20. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 17 yds to the ILL 37 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 15 yds to the OSU 48 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 8 yds to the OSU 40
Kaden Feagin run for 9 yds to the OSU 31 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Jordan Anderson for 6 yds to the OSU 25
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 5 yds to the OSU 20 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 4 yds to the OSU 16
Luke Altmyer sacked by Caden Curry for a loss of 2 yards to the OSU 4
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Aidan Laughery for 3 yds to the OSU 1
PENALTY ILL False Start (Abney,Christian) 5 yards from OSU01 to OSU06. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Justin Bowick
David Olano 24 yd FG GOOD
Julian Sayin pass complete to Jeremiah Smith for 2 yds to the OSU 27
Julian Sayin pass complete to Max Klare for 4 yds to the OSU 31
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Max Klare
PENALTY OSU Delay Of Game 5 yards from OSU31 to OSU26. NO PLAY.
Joe McGuire punt for 34 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the ILL 40
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Jordan Anderson for 2 yds to the ILL 42
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hudson Clement
Luke Altmyer sacked for a loss of 8 yards to the ILL 34
End of 2nd Quarter
Aidan Laughery run for 2 yds to the ILL 27
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 13 yds to the ILL 40 for a 1ST down
Aidan Laughery run for 23 yds to the OSU 37 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 17 yds to the OSU 20 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 9 yds to the OSU 11
Kaden Feagin run for 2 yds to the OSU 9 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 2 yds to the OSU 7
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 6 yds to the OSU 1
Luke Altmyer run for no gain to the OSU 1
Aidan Laughery run for 1 yd for a TD (David Olano KICK)
David Olano kickoff for 65 yds , Brandon Inniss return for 37 yds to the OSU 37
CJ Donaldson run for a loss of 1 yard to the OSU 36
Julian Sayin pass complete to Max Klare for 22 yds to the ILL 42 for a 1ST down
CJ Donaldson run for 2 yds to the ILL 40
Bo Jackson run for 3 yds to the ILL 37
Illinois Penalty, Defensive Offside (Gabe Jacas) to the ILL 33
Julian Sayin pass complete to Will Kacmarek for 7 yds to the ILL 26 for a 1ST down
Jeremiah Smith run for 3 yds to the ILL 23
CJ Donaldson run for 8 yds to the ILL 15 for a 1ST down
Julian Sayin pass complete to Bo Jackson for 3 yds to the ILL 12
James Peoples run for 2 yds to the ILL 10
Julian Sayin pass complete to CJ Donaldson for 4 yds to the ILL 6
Julian Sayin run for 3 yds to the ILL 3 for a 1ST down
CJ Donaldson run for 2 yds to the ILL 1
CJ Donaldson run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 2
CJ Donaldson run for 2 yds for a TD (Jayden Fielding KICK)
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Aidan Laughery for no gain to the ILL 30
Luke Altmyer sacked by Jermaine Mathews Jr. for a loss of 6 yards to the ILL 24 Luke Altmyer fumbled, recovered by OSU Caden Curry , return for 0 yards
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Bo Jackson
Julian Sayin pass complete to Carnell Tate for 8 yds to the ILL 16
CJ Donaldson run for 4 yds to the ILL 12 for a 1ST down Illinois Penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct (Yards) to the ILL 12 for a 1ST down
CJ Donaldson run for 4 yds to the ILL 8
CJ Donaldson run for 5 yds to the ILL 3
Nate Roberts run for 1 yd to the ILL 2 for a 1ST down
Julian Sayin pass complete to Jeremiah Smith for 2 yds for a TD (Jayden Fielding KICK)
Jayden Fielding kickoff for 63 yds , Mario Sanders II return for 14 yds to the ILL 16
Aidan Laughery run for 1 yd to the ILL 17
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Aidan Laughery for 4 yds to the ILL 21
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 8 yds to the ILL 29 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for no gain to the ILL 29
PENALTY ILL False Start (Kreutz,Josh) 5 yards from ILL29 to ILL24. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer run for 6 yds to the ILL 30
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hank Beatty
Keelan Crimmins punt for 45 yds , Brandon Inniss returns for no gain to the OSU 23
Keelan Crimmins punt for 45 yds , Brandon Inniss returns for no gain to the OSU 23
Julian Sayin pass incomplete to Max Klare
James Peoples run for 3 yds to the OSU 26
Julian Sayin pass complete to Brandon Inniss for 3 yds to the OSU 29
PENALTY OSU Delay Of Game 5 yards from OSU29 to OSU24. NO PLAY.
Joe McGuire punt for 37 yds, fair catch by Hank Beatty at the ILL 39
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 17 yds to the OSU 44 for a 1ST down
Aidan Laughery run for 6 yds to the OSU 38
Aidan Laughery run for 1 yd to the OSU 37
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 7 yds to the OSU 30 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Aidan Laughery for 5 yds to the OSU 25
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Jordan Anderson for 4 yds to the OSU 21
Jordan Anderson run for no gain to the OSU 21
Jordan Anderson run for 2 yds to the OSU 19 for a 1ST down
(04:34) No Huddle-Shotgun Altmyer,Luke pass incomplete short left to Bowick,Justin thrown to OSU00, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY OSU Pass Interference (Mathews Jr.,Jermaine) 15 yards from OSU19 to OSU04, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 4 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Isaiah West run for 2 yds to the ILL 43
Isaiah West run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 44
Isaiah West run for 3 yds to the ILL 41
Joe McGuire punt for 41 yds for a touchback
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 19
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 17 yds to the ILL 36 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Justin Bowick for 15 yds to the OSU 49 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 20 yds to the OSU 29 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer sacked by Arvell Reese for a loss of 10 yards to the OSU 39
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 14 yds to the OSU 25
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hank Beatty
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hank Beatty
J. Sayin takes a knee
J. Sayin takes a knee