Jim Tressel gets high marks for going for it on fourth-and-1 late in the game, but the refs still get low marks for their questionable spot on the play.
View full sizeRunning back Dan Herron (1) wasn't stellar on Saturday, but he was solid enough in the second half for the Buckeyes.It's an A only because it worked. With about 11 minutes left in the game, the Buckeyes went for it on fourth-and-1 from the 19-yard line, passing up a shot at a 36-yard field goal while holding a 14-10 lead.
"We were only up by four," Tressel said. "So it really didn't make it a two-score game if you kick a field goal. It just made it if they score once, it's overtime. So I was thinking let's take a couple of more minutes off the clock, plus I had confidence we could get a yard, and we did."
The Buckeyes didn't gain much over their next set of downs, so they settled for a 32-yard Devin Barclay field goal to take a 17-10 lead. But they did work another 2:35 off the clock because they made it on Dan Herron's fourth-down carry. That's if they really made it, the final mark giving them a first down by the nose of the ball. See the lower grades.
Ohio State running back Dan Herron: B+
His average of 4.1 yards per carry certainly wasn't great, but with the Illinois defense knowing Ohio State was going to run late in the game, he did enough to help the Buckeyes grind out the win, taking care of the ball and bouncing some nice runs outside in the final minutes.
"He just has that ability to spark you," Tressel said. "Physically, he has that ability to raise up everybody around him because of his personality. And the types of things we were doing were things he does best. Put that all together and he was the man for the job."
Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase: B-
In his fourth career start, the redshirt freshman landed a few shots against the OSU defense but couldn't put together consistent drives. Still, he gave the Buckeyes some things to think about and showed he could be a problem for Big Ten defenses in the future.
"He looked like he's going to be a good quarterback," OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said. "That's a good offense that's going to score a lot of points this year."
Fighting the wind, Scheelhaase finished 12-of-22 for 109 yards and one interception. He was sacked three times and finished with 12 rushing yards on 11 carries.
"I think he'll be a great player," OSU linebacker Brian Rolle said. "I didn't think he could run like [former Illinois quarterback] Juice Williams, but after today I thought he did. He's a little taller than Juice, and he's a good athletic kid."
The spot on Ohio State's fourth-down try: C
There certainly was a question whether Herron really got there on that fourth-down try, and Illinois coach Ron Zook challenged the spot of the ball. The review upheld the original spot.
"I just thought it was a time I should challenge because it was a critical down," Zook said. "I hate to give up a timeout, but I just thought it was important."
And the Illini certainly thought they had a beef.
"I don't think that was a first down," Illinois linebacker Martez Wilson said. "I think we definitely stopped him, but it was a tough judgment. ... I felt like that was a very critical play because it was a play where we could have been off the field. You give them a little momentum, and it was just a momentum thing."