What we learned about Ohio State's 34-16 win over Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCMH) -- While it wasn't the dominant performance that fans were used to seeing over the last four games, the top-ranked Buckeyes did more than enough to secure their sixth win of the year and tenth consecutive victory dating back to last year's College Football Playoff.

Saturday's 34-16 win over No. 17 Illinois saw Ohio State capitalize on its opponents' three turnovers, scoring touchdowns on each of the subsequent drives.

"Quite honestly, was it all perfect? No, but [Illinois is] a good team and that's kinda how it goes," coach Ryan Day said. "We all expect perfection, including me, but it's a good sign when you have to go into a locker room after a win like this and everyone understands what a great win it was."

Here's what we learned from the game.

Igbinosun steps up on defense

For the first time this season, the Ohio State defense gave up touchdowns in the red zone. And Illinois is the first opponent to score in double figures against the Buckeyes this year.

Still, the defense came up with huge stops and forced three turnovers, including Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer's first interception of the year. And Ohio State did all that without one of their starters, Lorenzo Styles, Jr.

In his absence, Jermaine Mathews moved from outside corner to nickel corner and never missed a beat, coming up with one of OSU's four sacks and a pass break up that led to Altmyer's interception. It's that kind of performance that showcases the unit's versatility and depth.

"It's one thing to go through a walkthrough. It's another thing to go through practice. But when you're now a nickel and you have to now fit the run, you have to hit the boxes, the coverage. Everything happens a little bit faster when you get closer to the ball," Day said. "And so for him to be able to do that and play the way he did says a lot about his preparation."

Donaldson leads OSU ground efforts in the red zone

The Ohio State offense made the most of its red zone opportunities, going six-for-six. While two of those drives saw OSU settle for field goals, the other four ended in touchdowns, which is a sign of improvement from earlier this season when quarterback Julian Sayin struggled at times to finish inside the 20-yard line.

Two of those touchdowns were brought in by West Virginia transfer running back C.J. Donaldson, who capped off a day when he had 13 carries for 44 yards. Bo Jackson added 47 yards on ten carries as Ohio State's ground game continues to be a two-headed monster.

"It's definitely important. Putting points up on the board when we're in the red zone, that's something that Coach Day emphasized, 'You know CJ that's your strength, you gotta finish your drive in the redzone.' So that's something I definitely take pride in."

While the Fighting Illini had the most total yardage Saturday, the ground game was where the Buckeyes shined offensively, coming up with 106 rushing yards compared with Illinois' 47. Donaldson credited the offensive line for his success, calling the front five "The Great Wall of Ohio."

"I definitely like where we are right now. But as they say we always got to upgrade," Donaldson said.

Illibuck Trophy stays in Columbus

While Illinois is Ohio State's second-most common opponent behind Michigan, meeting 104 times since 1902, Saturday marked the schools' first matchup since 2017 and the first in Champaign since 2015.

The victory marked the Buckeyes' 69th all-time against the Fighting Illini, extending their win streak in the series to nine consecutive games.

And it also means that the Illibuck Trophy gets to stay in Columbus.

"We got closer as a team in this trip. There's definitely stuff that we want to clean up. Every game you've got stuff you want to clean up," Sayin said. "We're going to keep building on this. It's tough to get a win on the road in this conference. We're going to enjoy the win, come in on Sunday and watch the tape and get better."