Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 388 — Illinois Week

Voice of College Football | OhioStateVOCFB Mark Rogers, Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders) Special guest: Sunny Verma (Locked On Illini) Aired Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET

Show open / Kent State wrap

00:00–04:45

• No more Ball State/Kent State. Big Ten opener Saturday at noon ET in Columbus vs. Illinois.
• Kent State recap in 15 seconds (Helwagen): Played a lot of guys, public mugging, crowd gone by third quarter. Veteran Columbus voice Dom Tiberi walking the press box saying “this is terrible.”
• Gerdeman: Only meaningful takeaways are the negatives. Starters out first half + one third-quarter drive. Ready for Big Ten football.
• Sayin 18-of-22 looks nice on paper, but:
  • Missed a fourth-down throw that should have been completed
  • Took a fourth-down sack in the red zone (“ball has to come out 100 times out of 100”)
  • 1-of-8 on third down
  • Cannot run it in the red zone or on third-and-short
• Defense: two field goals allowed in cupcake games; want more pass rush. Starters were 0-for-4 on third down vs. Kent State.
• Day on Tuesday: “You all saw the problem.” Tight-end blocking in C/D gaps is the likely allusion.

Illinois situation: NIL, scheme, first three games

04:45–14:30

Sunny Verma on the Illini:

• Bielema publicly contrasted roster spend: Ohio State ~$48–54M range vs. Illinois ~$19–23M.
• Defense overhauled after Aaron Henry left for Notre Dame. New DC Bobby Houck (Montana HC) installing a 3-3-5 he has never coordinated at this level. Hire came after the portal closed — suggests 3-3-5 was not original Plan A.
• Entire starting DL from 2025 gone; replacements took better money elsewhere. Secondary mostly back (Matthew Bailey, Juice Clark, etc.).
• Week 1 UAB: defense poor, led Power 4 in missed tackles (~17). Still only 23 points allowed.
• Week 2 Duke: Illinois had a double-digit lead. Fake punt kept a Duke drive alive; offense stalled badly in the second half / fourth quarter (three-and-outs, conservative play-calling, Hauser mistakes under pressure). Defense actually better than Week 1.
• Week 3 Southern Illinois: similar to OSU-Kent State. Tackling improved (two hands on a guy and they went down). Little schematic takeaway.

Offense is the strength. OL has been ravaged (ninth/tenth lineman used at one point; two freshman guards started last week; one starter out for the year). Still a pleasant surprise so far. Jake Renfro health is a concern.

Illinois skill players

14:30–21:00

• Colin Dixon, WR: Already owns the Illinois single-season home receiving TD record after three home games. Seven TDs. On a 28-TD pace. Connection with Hauser developed in the offseason. Third-year breakout after special-teams / blocking years (same path as Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams).
• Other WRs: Jay Sean Platt (lower-level transfer) out since preseason, doubtful vs. OSU. Hudson Clement missed time.
• RBs: younger guys Braden Trimble, Javari Barnett stepping up.
• Front six: Will Holmes (No. 24, 24–25 years old) the only consistent positive impact; Week 1 MVP candidate. Name Buckeye fans should know.

Caden Hauser vs. Luke Altmyer

• Different QBs. Hauser has a cannon (60-yard Hail Mary vs. UAB). Elite first-read processor; gets the ball out fast. Two sacks allowed in three games — some of those “should have been sacks” per OC Barry Lunney Jr.; Hauser still needs to elude better.
• Weakness: creating when the play breaks down (showed vs. Duke). Hasn’t played Big Ten defense in 3–4 years.
• Captain as a first-year transfer (Altmyer