Ohio State leaves Champaign, Ill., with a 6-0 record after taking down Illinois 34-16 on Saturday. The Buckeyes won the turnover battle 3-0 and many players are likely deserving of Buckeye Leaves.
Here’s who the BSB staff is giving Buckeye Leaves:
Sam Cipriani: For his two touchdown performance against Illinois, my Buckeye Leaf is going to running back CJ Donaldson Jr. The senior back led Ohio State with 13 carries Oct. 11, rushing for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
Donaldson’s first touchdown, a 1-yard rush late in the first quarter, extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 10-0 and kickstarted a run that saw Ohio State score 20 unanswered points to begin the game. Illinois scored a touchdown on its first drive of the second half, though Ohio State quickly answered with a 14-play, 63-yard drive capped off by a 2-yard touchdown rush for Donaldson’s second score of the afternoon.
Bobby Gorbett: My Buckeye leaf is going to sophomore cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. Mathews was a big part of the Buckeyes limiting a solid Illinois passing attack to just 248 yards on the day, and he played a big role in the team forcing three turnovers.
Mathews made his first impact play of the game in the first quarter when Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer looked for star receiver Hank Beatty. Mathews had good coverage on Beatty and tipped the ball into the air. Linebacker Payton Pierce was in the right place at the right time and came up with the interception.
Then in the third quarter, Mathews made an impact as a blitzer. On a second-and-10 play with Illinois having the ball at its own 30, Mathews got a free hit on Altmyer and stripped the ball out of his grasp. Defensive end Caden Curry picked up the ball to complete Mathews’ big play.
Mathews, who spent a lot of his time at nickel in place of the injured Lorenzo Styles Jr., was solid in coverage all day. The fact that Mathews finished the game with only one tackle indicates he didn’t give Altmyer a chance to target him in coverage.
Greg Wilson: I’m going with Caleb Downs for my Buckeye Leaf. he is extremely important to the Ohio State defense both on and off the ball, but he was on the ball a lot in the win over Illinois.
He finished the game with nine tackles (seven solo) and it’s almost surprising that one of the three turnovers created by the Buckeyes didn’t come because of how violently he was hitting some of the Illini ball carriers.
