Ohio State star defender sends a loud and clear message to opposing quarterbacks after win over Illinois
He stepped up when he was challenged in this one.
The Ohio State Buckeyes won’t be moving out of No. 1 this weekend thanks to their efforts in the Week 7 Big Ten win over Illinois. Ohio State was on the right side of a 34-16 game in Illinois on Saturday and it was the first half that was the difference. Two turnovers helped the Buckeyes carry a 20-3 lead into halftime. From there, this Ohio State defense gave up two touchdowns and it was the first two they had given up since their Week 3 win over the Ohio Bobcats.
Ohio State’s defense was still very good against Illinois and again had a couple of big fourth-down stands. The Buckeyes held the Illini to 4-of-14 on fourth down. Illinois QB Luke Altmyer attempted 44 passes against the Buckeyes and finished with just 248 passing yards. That’s a testament to this defense. In terms of players in the secondary making an impact, none were higher than Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun.
Davison Igbinosun has a message for quarterbacks yet to face the Buckeyes
“I had four pass breakups? Stop throwing at me,” Igbinosun said after the game when he was told by a reporter that he broke up four passes.
Igbinosun drew one penalty on the day for the Buckeyes but more than held his own against an Illinois team that clearly wanted to air it out. The senior cornerback led college football in defensive penalties last year and he’s been able to cut back on that number this year. Illinois was only good for 47 rushing yards against the Buckeyes, so the Ohio State cornerbacks were going to be tested. Igbinosun is having a strong season after deciding to come back and work on his draft stock for an extra season.
Ohio State gave freshman CB Devin Sanchez his first start on the outside after moving Jermaine Mathews Jr. to the stop for the injured Lorenzo Styles. Mathews had himself a day with a pass breakup resulting in an interception and a forced fumble. Sanchez and Igbinosun were heavily tested on the outside with Mathews in the slot.
The Buckeyes didn’t have the dominant defensive showing in Week 7 where they blanked their opponent and didn’t allow a touchdown. Ohio State was down two starters, Styles and DT Eddrick Houston, and still had a very good showing against an Illinois offense that can sling it around with a good quarterback. There are things to work on, but this Ohio State defense is playing like the best in the country.
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