Sorry for the abbreviated report card, but I’m working on a few things for Michigan week.  I’ll try to be a little nicer this week.

  • The Opponent - B-. I can’t figure Illinois out. Last year they went to the Rose Bowl. This year they’ll probably lose seven games and watch the bowl season from both Champaign and Urbana. Their performance can be explained, in part, by Juice Williams’ schizophrenia. But the Illini fans fear it might be something more debilitating. Could it be that the Florida criticism of Ron Zook had more than a little merit?
  • The Defense - B-. The Buckeye defense took a step backwards this week. With a few exceptions, they weren’t particularly sharp in the secondary, and the overall tackling effort was poor. The D line was also less aggressive up front as they’ve been over the last few games. Illinois churned out big rushing yards and had their chances, but they couldn’t seem to get in sync when it mattered. You have to give the Buckeyes credit for making plays when they had to, particularly Kurt Coleman’s interception to stop a good-looking Illinois drive.
  • The Offense - B+. It’s still not a well-oiled machine, but Terrelle Pryor and Beanie Wells have decided that they’re going to drive it anyway. Pryor is increasingly confident in his execution, but I like his leadership skills even more. There’s not much else to say about Beanie that I haven’t said in the past. We’ll miss him dearly when he’s gone - which, unfortunately, might be sooner than we’d like.  Keep your eye on Sanzenbacher during the Michigan game, as he seems to have emerged as Pryor’s security blanket.
  • The Special Teams - A-. A blocked Illinois punt and terrific field position provided by Trepasso proved to be the difference in the game.
  • My Favorite Play. I could go with either of two Beanie runs: The 2nd quarter display of balance and power to pick up a first down, or the 3rd quarter display of athletic grace and aerodynamics when he jumped over an Illinois DB.
  • Game Ball. Beanie Wells.

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