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Hello and welcome back to another edition of Cus Words Sports!
Today we’re talking a closer look at the history of Ohio State’s series with Illinois.
This is a unique one to say the least, and not just because they play for a wooden turtle. Perfect fodder for the latest edition of Buckeye Historian!
Ohio State-Illinois series notes
Ohio State and Illinois will be playing for the 105th time, including the 93rd with possession of the Illibuck on the line.
Ohio State leads the series 70-30-4, including 30-18-4 in Columbus, where the Buckeyes’ record is actually worse than it is in Champaign (38-12). Another oddity: The last five Illinois wins in the series all took place at Ohio Stadium (1992, ’94, ’99, 2001, 2007).
The Ohio State-Illinois rivalry is yet another victim of conference expansion, the answer to a question no one asked that keeps making everything worse. The Buckeyes and Fighting Illini played every year from 1914-2002 and 2005-15, but they have only played twice in the last 10 years.
Illinois game notes point out Michigan is the only team with more wins against Ohio State since 1988. The Wolverines have 17 while the Illini have nine. This includes a five-game winning streak for Illinois from ’88-92, but that’s not all. Illinois also won at Ohio State in ’99 and 2001. The latter game is notable because it had major Big Ten title ramifications, but that’s not all (more below).
The series is interesting not only because it is Ohio State’s only trophy game, but that helps. If you’re not familiar with the history of the Illibuck, it’s pretty amazing: Fraternities from each school originally decided to use a live turtle because they expected it to live for a long time. However, the original turtle turned up dead in a bathtub in 1926 and was replaced by a wooden replica. Inscribed with scores from each game, the current trophy is the sixth to be used.
The only older trophy in the Big Ten is the Little Brown Jug, which Michigan and Minnesota have played for since 1909. Ohio State leads the Illibuck games 66-24-2.
Ohio State has won 10 in a row over Illinois. The Illini last won in 2007 when Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Daniel Dufrene and others teamed up for 260 yards rushing and Illinois knocked off the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes 28-21 in the penultimate game of the regular season. They memorably closed out the game with a 16-play drive that lasted 8:09. (More memorable games in the series can be found below.)
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Noteworthy Ohio State-Illinois games
1916: Ohio State 7, Illinois 6
Scintillating sophomore halfback Chic Harley scored all his team’s points as Ohio State knocked off Illinois for the first time.
The Buckeyes trailed 6-0 late when Harley scrambled 12 yards for his team’s only touchdown. He followed that with a successful PAT kick to provide the winning margin in a crucial victory along the way to Ohio State’s first Western Conference (now Big Ten) football championship. It was the Fighting Illini’s first loss since the last game of the 1913 season.
1943: Ohio State 29, Illinois 26
John Stungis kicked a 27-yard field goal to give Ohio State a victory in a game that appeared to have ended in a tie.
Both teams left the field after what they thought was the final play, but they were called back after a reporter noticed a flag was thrown on Illinois. That gave the Buckeyes a chance to win the game, and Stungis made it count.
1980: No. 7 Ohio State 49, Illinois 42
Illinois QB Dave Wilson put the ball in the air 69 times and completed 43 passes for 621 yards, three of five Ohio State opponent records set that day against a secondary coached by a youngster named Nick Saban.
Wilson threw six touchdown passes, including five in the second half as the teams combined for 56 points after intermission, but Ohio State forced seven turnovers, including three interceptions.
Art Schlichter threw four touchdown passes for Ohio State, including three in the first half as the Buckeyes built a 28-0 lead. The junior was 17 for 21 passing with 284 yards and no interceptions as Doug Donley picked up 137 yards receiving and Gary Williams added 120.
Ohio State’s Cal Murray helped hold off an Illinois rally in the second half with a 13-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, then Tim Spencer scored the eventual-winning points on a 2-yard run with 10:55 to play. The teams combined for 1,057 yards of total offense.
1984: No. 8 Ohio State 45, Illinois 38
Illinois led 24-0 before Keith Byars sparked a 28-0 run by the Buckeyes in the second and third quarters to take the lead.
After an Illinois field goal made it a one-point game, Byars famously ran out of his shoe on a 67-yard touchdown run that stretched the Ohio State lead to eight points only to see Illinois tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion with just over a minute left in the third quarter.
After the teams traded field goals, Byars found the end zone from three yards out for the game-winning touchdown with 36 seconds left.
When all was said and done, Byars had a school single-game record 274 yards rushing and tied Pete Johnson’s school record with five rushing touchdowns in a game.
Both teams went over 500 yards of total offense on the day, and Ohio State went on to win the Big Ten championship.
1992: Illinois 18, No. 21 Ohio State 16
A young running back named Eddie George ran for a 4-yard touchdown, but he also lost fumbles twice at the goal line in a frustrating defeat for him and the team.
George’s first fumble was returned 96 yards for a touchdown and gave Illinois a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. His second prevented the Buckeyes from extending their 16-15 lead early in the fourth quarter and ultimately led to a game-winning field goal by Illinois.
Ohio State had a chance to go back in front, but Tim Williams missed a 44-yard field goal with 48 seconds left.
1995: No. 2 Ohio State 41, Illinois 3
With star wide receiver Terry Glenn not in the Buckeye lineup because of a shoulder injury, George turned in one of the finest performances in Ohio State and Ohio Stadium history.
The senior from Philadelphia ran 36 times for 314 yards to break Byars’ single-game rushing record, scored two touchdowns on the ground and added another on a 13-yard reception as he positioned himself as the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
Running behind left tackle Orlando Pace much of the day, the Buckeyes picked up 423 rushing yards on 61 carries while throwing only 14 passes. They gashed an Illinois defense that featured future NFL first-round draft picks Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice and entered the day allowing 109 yards per game on the ground.
2001: Illinois 34, Ohio State 22
Illinois scored on a 2-yard blocked punt return and a 5-yard interception return (by Ty Myers of Springfield), but that’s not the most noteworthy thing that happened.
Steve Bellisari entered the week coming off one of his best stretches of games in three years as a starter, but he was suspended after being pulled over for DWI during the week. Scott McMullen got the start in his place, but Tressel later went to a sophomore from Michigan named Craig Krenzel.
Krenzel didn’t light the world on fire (11 for 23 for 164 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown), but he came out of the game ahead of McMullen and got the start a week later at Michigan, where Ohio State delivered on Jim Tressel’s promise to make fans proud 310 days earlier.
Illinois ended up with a share of the Big Ten title, the last time the Illini have finished on top of the conference standings.
2002: No. 2 Ohio State 23, Illinois 16
After Maurice Hall gave the Buckeyes a lead with a touchdown run to start overtime, defensive lineman Tim Anderson knocked down a fourth-down pass by Illinois’ Jon Beutjer to end the game and preserve a dramatic win in a national championship season full of them.
Krenzel, Hall and Lydell Ross combined to grind out 145 yards rushing on 45 carries and came up with plays when necessary. A 50-yard touchdown pass from Krenzel to Michael Jenkins gave Ohio State a 13-10 lead in the third quarter, but John Gockman sandwiched a pair of field goals around one for Ohio State by Mike Nugent. Gockman’s second three-pointer from 48 yards out sent the game to overtime.
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That’s all for this edition of Buckeye Historian from CusWordsSports.com.
Be sure to check out this week’s Tressel Tales recounting Ohio State’s win at Indiana 25 years ago, and be on the look out for This Week in Ohio State Football on Friday as the present-day Buckeyes prepare to play host to Illinois at noon Saturday.
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