While the Buckeyes’ defense has been the best in the nation, the offense has been good this year. However, Ohio State should be elite, if not the best, with the talent they have. Here’s a breakdown of where they’re thriving, where they can improve, and how they did in the Ohio State's 34-16 win over Illinois.
Starting with scoring offense, the Buckeyes came into this game 22nd in the nation, with 37.4 points per game. Their 36 points kept them right near that average. Their yardage, however, was another story. They were 29th in the nation with 451.4 yards per game, but put up only 272 total yards against Illinois, a whopping 179.4 yards below their average.
Their running game averaged 171.6 yards per game, for a middle ranking of 56th in the nation. That ranking will dip with the Buckeyes rushing for only 106 yards, 65.6 yards below average. Even their strength —the passing game —was low.
Their 279.8 yards per game was 28th in the nation, and they only got 166 yards against Illinois, 113.8 yards below their average. They didn’t improve their ranking of 63rd in the nation in first downs, with only 17.
There’s plenty of good news, though. Julian Sayin and the passing game stayed accurate. The team came into game 1st in completion percentage with 79.4, going 108 of 136. Sayin was 19 of 27 for a 70.3 percent completion percentage. Below the team's average, but anytime you complete over 70 percent of your passes, it is a good thing. They were 5th in the nation with 14 passing touchdowns, but I don’t think two against Illinois will help that ranking.
All of those Woody Hayes-era runs created this one-on-one match up, and any one-on-one is won by Jeremiah Smith. https://t.co/4B6biRDAmq
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) October 11, 2025
Ohio State was also solid on third downs. They were 12th in the nation, converting 54.2 percent of their third downs, and were 8 of 15 against Illinois. 53.3 percent against the Illini will keep them right there at converting slightly over half of their third downs.
Where the Buckeyes are very elite this year is on the offensive line. They allowed only two sacks in their first five games of the season, 0.40 per game, good enough for 2nd in the nation. Illinois never got to Julian Sayin, so through six games, Ohio State has given up only two sacks, allowing 1/3 of a sack per game.
They’ve been even better in preventing tackles for a loss, allowing only 10 all season, for 1st in the nation. They allowed four against the Illini, pushing their average slightly up from 2 a game to 2.3 a game.
While they’ve shown flashes of brilliance, are scoring enough to be #1 in the nation, and are 6-0, the Buckeye offense feels like it hasn’t hit its stride yet. They’ve been super conservative in their three biggest games (Texas, Washington, and Illinois), averaging 24 points in those three, and only opened up the offense against severely overmatched opponents (Grambling State, Ohio, Minnesota), where they average 49.6 points per game.
The Buckeyes need to open up their offense now so they can work out bugs in the system against teams like Minnesota and Illinois. That way, by the time you’re playing The Game, or in a Big Ten Championship, or in the College Football Playoff, you’re a well-oiled machine, like Ohio State became last year.
It’s not the time to panic or even be upset, but the sooner they stop pulling their punches, the better. They’ll get there sooner than later, and when they do, watch out, college football!