Jeremiah Smith produced one of the greatest receiving performances in Ohio State history, and the Buckeyes found several offensive answers in a 42–19 win over Illinois. They also allowed enough yards to make Saturday’s trip to Iowa feel like much more than a victory lap.

Our early prediction last Monday was Ohio State 38, Illinois 17. The actual 42–19 finish landed close to that expectation, but the path to the result was more revealing than the four-point difference in each direction. Ohio State opened Big Ten play with 518 yards, six touchdowns, an 8-for-12 performance on third down and a fourth consecutive masterpiece from Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes also gave up 462 yards, allowed Illinois to average six yards per rushing attempt and entered the fourth quarter only two scores ahead after leading by 18 at halftime.

That makes Saturday’s win neither something to apologize for nor something to accept without examination. Ohio State improved to 3–1 overall and 1–0 in the Big Ten, retained the Illibuck and moved back into the top five of the AP poll. Arthur Smith’s offense showed meaningful growth in areas that had been questioned for three weeks. Matt Patricia’s defense made important plays in the red zone and on late downs, but it also allowed far too many drives and explosive gains against the first capable conference offense it faced.

The Buckeyes now travel to Iowa City for a top-15 matchup against an undefeated Hawkeye team that just won at Michigan on the final play. Here are six Monday Musings from Illinois week and what they mean before Ohio State returns to Kinnick Stadium.

1. Jeremiah Smith Did More Than Dominate—He Changed the Shape of the Game

There are productive games, dominant games and performances that force everyone watching to reconsider what is possible at a position. Smith’s afternoon belonged in the last category. He caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns, setting career highs in all three categories. The four scores tied Ohio State’s single-game record, while his 3,175 career receiving yards made him the first Buckeye ever to cross 3,000.

The variety made the performance even more impressive. Smith finished the opening possession with a seven-yard touchdown, turned a deep reception into a 72-yard score on the next drive, somehow planted his left foot in bounds for a nine-yard touchdown before halftime and delivered the fourth on a 26-yard connection early in the final quarter. Illinois knew where the ball was going and still could not construct an answer.

Smith now has 34 career touchdown receptions, tying David Boston for second in program history and placing him one behind Chris Olave’s record of 35. Through four games this season, he has 33 catches for 617 yards and five touchdowns. Those are not simply All-America numbers. If Ohio State remains in the Big Ten and national championship races, Smith has built a legitimate Heisman Trophy case from a position that rarely receives the award.

The only caution is one Ohio State has encountered before: greatness can become dependency if the offense allows it. Smith accounted for nearly 60 percent of the Buckeyes’ passing yardage Saturday and caught every Ohio State touchdown pass. Feeding an unguardable receiver is intelligent football, but Iowa will enter the week knowing that almost every defining Illinois moment ran through No. 4. Brandon Inniss, Devin McCuin, and the rest of the passing game do not need equal billing. They do need to punish a defense that commits extra bodies and attention to Smith.

2. Julian Sayin Answered Two of the Most Important Questions

Sayin completed 27 of 36 passes for a career-high 367 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Just as encouraging, he used his legs to extend drives rather than waiting for the pocket to become a trap. He converted a third-and-seven with an eight-yard scramble, moved the chains on consecutive third-and-one quarterback sneaks and scored on a seven-yard run with 15 seconds left before halftime.

That mobility mattered because it helped correct the ugliest offensive number from the Kent State game. One week after finishing 1-for-8 on third down, Ohio State converted eight of 12 against Illinois and both of its fourth-down opportunities. The Buckeyes also went 4-for-4 in the red zone. Those are not cosmetic improvements created by a 50-yard gain against an overmatched opponent; they are the situational plays that sustain possession and decide conference games.

The 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive before halftime was especially important. Illinois had cut the margin to 21–10, Ohio State received the ball with 1:32 remaining, and Sayin directed the offense into the end zone before the break. At Texas, Ohio State’s offense could not find an answer once momentum began moving toward the opponent. Against Illinois, Sayin repeatedly produced answers—with his arm, his legs and his decisions.

Iowa will present the next level of that examination. The Hawkeyes have allowed 32 points in four games and are comfortable forcing an offense to remain patient. Sayin will not receive as many clean pictures, and Iowa will be satisfied if Ohio State becomes frustrated while searching for Smith downfield. His willingness to take the available completion, escape only when necessary and protect the football may matter more than whether he reaches 300 yards again.

3. The Running Game Made Real Progress Without Becoming the Offense’s Strength

Ohio State’s 151 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per attempt were not spectacular, but the underlying work was more convincing than the final rushing totals against Ball State or Kent State. Ja’Kobi Jackson gained 56 yards on 10 carries and scored his fifth touchdown in four games. Bo Jackson added 53 yards on 11 attempts. Together, the two primary backs produced 109 yards on 21 carries—better than five yards per attempt—without depending on one breakaway run to manufacture the average.

That is genuine progress. The Buckeyes were more decisive at the point of attack, remained willing to run after modest gains and used Sayin as an additional short-yardage option. Ohio State did not need the ground game to carry the offense because Smith was rewriting the record book, but it was credible enough that Illinois could not treat every meaningful snap as a passing down.

The standard rises again this week. Iowa’s defense is designed to eliminate easy yardage, force long drives and wait for an offense to make the impatient decision. Ohio State must be willing to take four and five yards without treating them as failed plays. The backs also need to keep Sayin out of the obvious passing situations in which Kinnick Stadium can become part of Iowa’s pass rush.

Right tackle Phillip Daniels missed a second consecutive game with a lower-body injury, leaving Austin Siereveld at tackle and Gabe VanSickle at guard. Daniels’ status for Iowa had not been established as of Monday morning. That makes the continuity of the current combination worth watching. Saturday showed that the adjusted line can produce against a Big Ten opponent. Kinnick will test whether it can communicate and hold up when the crowd, the defense and the game situation are all applying pressure at once.

4. The Defense’s 462-Yard Afternoon Cannot Be Explained Away

Illinois did not turn its yardage into enough points, and Ohio State deserves credit for that. The Buckeyes recorded three sacks, broke up 12 passes—their most in a game since 2012—and stopped Illinois on two of its three fourth-down attempts. The most important stand came early in the fourth quarter, when the Illini drove 74 yards into the red zone but came away empty after Jaylen McClain broke up a fourth-down pass. Ohio State responded with Smith’s fourth touchdown, turning a potentially tense finish into a 35–13 lead.

Those plays are evidence of a defense capable of tightening when the field shortens. They do not erase the 462 yards, 25 first downs or 199 rushing yards Illinois accumulated. Aidan Laughery ran for 113 yards on 11 carries, and the Illini averaged six yards per rush as a team. Katin Houser threw for 263 yards without an interception. Ohio State allowed more than 400 yards for the first time since the 2024 regular-season loss at Oregon.

This was not the fourth-quarter collapse at Texas repeated in a different uniform. Patricia’s defense made the decisive stop this time and generated pressure when it needed it. But the game reinforced the concern that Ohio State has not consistently controlled the line of scrimmage against stronger opponents. Illinois found room on the ground, kept the defense on the field for more than 30 minutes and remained within two possessions entering the fourth quarter.

Iowa gained only 285 yards at Michigan, including 58 on the ground, so the Hawkeyes are not likely to create the same kind of open-field stress. They are built to take whatever a defense gives them, play for field position and turn one mistake into the game’s most important possession. Ohio State’s challenge is to prevent a struggling Iowa run game from discovering confidence. If the Buckeyes allow another six yards per carry, Kinnick will have exactly the slow, tense and low-possession game it wants.

5. Ohio State Finally Responded in the Fourth Quarter

The middle of Saturday’s game deserves scrutiny. Ohio State led 28–10 at halftime, failed to score in the third quarter and watched Illinois move into the red zone with a chance to make it a one-score game. After what happened at Texas, that sequence naturally felt familiar. The Buckeyes had allowed a comfortable lead to become emotionally uncomfortable.

This time, they changed the ending. McClain’s fourth-down breakup ended the 13-play Illinois drive. Sayin then found Smith for the 26-yard touchdown. When Illinois answered with a 27-yard scoring pass, Ohio State put together an eight-play, 43-yard possession that ended with Ja’Kobi Jackson’s two-yard touchdown and removed the remaining doubt.

That does not mean the finishing issue is permanently solved. The offense still went through a scoreless third quarter, and the defense should not need a red-zone stand after allowing a 74-yard drive. It does mean Ohio State has now shown the ability to absorb an opponent’s response and produce its own. That was missing in Austin, when three Texas touchdown drives went unanswered and a 20-point lead disappeared.

Growth is often less dramatic than a team announcing that it has learned its lesson. It looks like a fourth-down pass breakup, a quarterback making the right throw on the next possession and a rushing drive that closes the game. Ohio State did not play a complete four quarters against Illinois. It did finish the fourth one.

6. Iowa Is a Playoff Opportunity Wrapped in a Kinnick Warning

Ohio State climbed to No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 6 in the Coaches poll. Iowa rose to No. 14 in both after improving to 4–0 with a 20–19 victory at Michigan. Hank Brown completed 21 of 35 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, including a 16-yard strike to Reece Vander Zee on fourth down as time expired. The Hawkeyes drove 91 yards for the winning touchdown, while Braeden Jackson supplied their other score with a 99-yard kickoff return.

The result tells us something useful about Iowa. The Hawkeyes were outgained 429–285, produced only 58 rushing yards and went scoreless in the second and third quarters. They still found a way to win because their defense kept the margin manageable, their special teams created a touchdown and their quarterback delivered when the entire game depended on one drive. That formula has been winning games in Iowa City for a long time.

Saturday will be Ohio State’s first trip to Kinnick Stadium since the 55–24 loss in 2017, one of the most jarring defeats of the Urban Meyer era. The current roster did not create that history and does not need to carry its weight, but the setting will draw on it. The game is sold out, ESPN’s College GameDay is returning to Iowa City for the first time in 20 years and both teams are 1–0 in Big Ten play.

For the Buckeyes, this is also a valuable résumé opportunity. The loss at Texas remains understandable in playoff terms, but it reduced the margin for another defeat. A road victory over an undefeated top-15 opponent would strengthen Ohio State’s national standing and keep the Buckeyes at the front of the Big Ten race. A loss would leave Ohio State 3–2 before a second-half schedule that still includes ranked Indiana, USC and Oregon, plus Michigan. The season would not mathematically end, but the path would become narrow enough that every remaining Saturday would feel like elimination.

What I’ll Be Watching

The first question is whether Ohio State’s defensive front can reestablish control after allowing Illinois to run for 199 yards. Iowa’s ground game struggled at Michigan, but the Hawkeyes will gladly keep handing the ball off if it shortens the game and protects Brown from obvious passing situations. The status of Zion Grady, who has missed two games with a lower-body injury, will matter to the defensive-end rotation.

I’ll also be watching Ohio State’s protection and communication on the right side of the offensive line if Daniels remains unavailable. Sayin handled Illinois pressure well and used his legs intelligently, but Kinnick punishes false starts, missed assignments and wasted early downs. On the perimeter, Iowa’s plan for Smith will reveal whether another receiver can become the decisive matchup. The Hawkeyes will not allow four touchdowns without changing something structurally.

Special teams cannot be treated as a transition between the offense and defense. Jackson’s 99-yard kickoff return kept Iowa within reach at Michigan, and one return like that could completely change the script of a low-possession game. Finally, freshman cornerback Jay Timmons left the Illinois game late in the third quarter and did not return. His status had not been clarified as of Monday, making the secondary rotation another early-week storyline.

Early Prediction

Iowa’s defense, home field and ability to survive an ugly game make this a more dangerous matchup than the offensive statistics suggest. Brown showed he can deliver a defining drive, and the Hawkeyes will believe that keeping the score in the teens into the second half gives them a real opportunity. Ohio State cannot provide that help through turnovers, coverage busts or special-teams lapses.

The Buckeyes still own the most decisive matchup in the game. Iowa must find a way to limit Smith without allowing Sayin easy answers everywhere else, and Ohio State’s improved third-down offense should prevent the Hawkeyes from controlling possession entirely. The defense will be motivated by the Illinois film and should find more success against an Iowa offense that has not consistently generated explosive plays from scrimmage.

Prediction: Ohio State 27, Iowa 17.

Game Information

● Matchup: No. 5 Ohio State (3–1, 1–0 Big Ten) at No. 14 Iowa (4–0, 1–0 Big Ten)

● Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026

● Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET

● Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa

● Television: CBS

● Streaming: Paramount+ with the applicable live-CBS plan

● Radio: 97.1 The Fan / Ohio State Sports Network

● Pregame: ESPN College GameDay will originate from Iowa City

The Bottom Line

Ohio State’s win over Illinois contained more real offensive progress than the previous week’s 59–3 rout. Sayin was efficient and resourceful, the Buckeyes converted the downs that had been stalling drives, the primary running backs created steady yardage and Smith produced a performance that will remain in the program’s record book long after this season ends.

The defense kept the Illini out of the end zone often enough to win comfortably, but 462 yards and six yards per rush are warning signs that cannot travel well. Iowa does not need to be explosive if Ohio State allows the Hawkeyes to stay on schedule, win field position and bring the crowd into every third down. The Buckeyes proved Saturday that they can respond when a game tightens. At Kinnick, they will need to avoid creating the crisis in the first place.

Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch