Illinois Football offense shows major promise in loss vs Ohio State

Illinois football lost its second game of the season in the Saturday showdown vs the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Illini had some moments but overall could not contain the Buckeyes and star WR Jeremiah Smith. Smith went off against the Illini‘s secondary, hauling in 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Illini offense did show some positives that they can use for the rest of the season.

The offensive line continues to step up

Illinois football continues to have a string of bad luck on the offensive line. Before the game, the Illini announced that starting guards Brandon Henderson and Maika Matelau will miss another game with injuries suffered in prior games. To make matters worse, Dezmond Schuster, who was filling in for injured backup TJ McMillen, was also a late scratch on the injury list. The offensive line was incredibly thin, and later on, Micah “Champ” Smith limped off the field and wasn’t able to put weight on his injured lower extremity.

Players like Eddie Tuerk and Brandon Hansen stepped up admirably as QB Katin Houser was only sacked twice during the game. Illinois football also gained 208 yards on the ground, which is a testament to the reserves stepping up on the Offensive line. Henderson and Matelau are currently week-to-week; should they return, the Illini should feel really good about their offensive line’s depth.

A solid performance, but still left some food on the table

Katin Houser is really good for the Illini, and he had some tough throws to get Illinois football out of jams on fourth down. However, he missed some key throws that would’ve helped Illinois get some momentum. For example, Houser had a chance to really put some pressure on the Buckeyes and overthrew a wide-open Brayden Trimble in the end zone.

With a defense that is punching up, the Illini simply cannot afford any kind of error on the offensive side. However, it does appear that Houser will lead the Illini to victory at various points throughout the season. Aidan Laughery also had a solid running game with 11 carries for 113 yards. If the defense can get some early-game stops, the Illini will be able to control the ground game a little better and feed their talented stable of backs more often.

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