Illinois

2014 national title anniversary: A look back at Ohio State football’s win over Illinois

Published

1 year ago

November 1, 2024

2014 national title anniversary: A look back at Ohio State football’s win over Illinois

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 2014 national championship season, when the Ohio State football Buckeyes went 14-1 and captured the first College Football Playoff title. We’ll relive that remarkable year by sharing the game stories from that campaign as they appeared in the pages of The Columbus Dispatch.

Now up: Ohio State’s game against Illinois.

Buckeyes romp; Spartans next

Ohio State rolls to 38-0 lead over lowly Illinois

November 1, 2024

All week, Ohio State’s players and coaches insisted they would not look past Illinois toward next week’s showdown against Michigan State.

They were true to their word. The No. 13 Buckeyes got more help than resistance from Illinois last night, rolling to a 55-14 victory at Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State’s defense caused four turnovers, three of which were converted into scores. “I thought our defense came out and played really well,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett, who suffered a sprained knee ligament in last week’s double-overtime victory over Penn State, showed no ill effects from the injury in one half of work.

“The knee really didn’t give me any problems,” Barrett said.

The victory was the 20th straight regular-season Big Ten victory for Ohio State, tying the conference record set by the 2005-07 Buckeyes.

No. 21 will not come as easily. The Buckeyes and Spartans have seemingly been on a collision course since Michigan State ended Ohio State’s 24-game winning streak under Meyer in last year’s Big Ten championship game.

“We’ve not talked about it much,” Meyer said. “Obviously, the dream was ripped away from us by a very good team.”

The Spartans had a bye this week. The Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) might as well have, given how overmatched and mistake-prone the Illini were. There’s a reason that Illinois (4-5, 1-4) has won only two league games in three seasons under Tim Beckman.

One came last week against once-beaten Minnesota. That got their attention, the Buckeyes said, and they played as if focused on the here and now.

Ohio State led 31-0 at halftime, and it probably should have been worse. Twice, the Buckeyes were stopped on fourth down deep inside Illinois territory, the second time on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

The closest Illinois came to scoring in the first half came when Beckman passed up a chance to kick a field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Ohio State 12 in the second quarter with the Buckeyes ahead 24-0. Defensive end Joey Bosa threw

down backup Illinois quarterback Aaron Bailey for a loss on a bootleg.

Earlier, the Illini missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

The Buckeyes’ defense did more than stop Illinois. Linebackers Darron Lee and Curtis Grant had interceptions off of deflections thrown by starter Reilly O’Toole. Safety Tyvis Powell caused a fumble on a crunching hit on running back Josh Ferguson.

Lee’s interception and 26-yard return on Illinois’ opening possession set up Ohio State’s first score. Freshman running back Curtis Samuel, who earned the start over Ezekiel Elliott with a strong week of practice, scored on a 23-yard run.

Grant’s interception gave the ball to Ohio State at the Illinois 24 and set up Samuel’s second score on a 1-yard run.

Barrett wasn’t sharp early, overthrowing some receivers, but he settled in. He finished 15 of 24 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, both to Devin Smith. He also ran seven times for 38 yards before becoming a spectator for the entire second half.

Smith’s first touchdown came on a 32-yarder in which he beat cornerback Darius Mosely and made a nifty over-the-shoulder catch on Barrett’s perfect throw.

If there was to be any suspense about the second half, Smith ended it with his second score, which was aided by a questionable decision by Beckman.

After the Illini stopped Elliott on a shovel pass on fourth-and-goal, Illinois took over at its 2 with 1:38 left. On second down, Illinois attempted a short sideline pass, which fell incomplete. That allowed Ohio State to use its only remaining timeout after a third-down run.

The Buckeyes got a 28-yard punt return by Jalin Marshall to take over at the Illinois 25 with 34 seconds left. The Buckeyes needed only two plays to score – a 17-yard pass to Dontre Wilson and then Smith’s 8-yard touchdown catch to make it 31-0.

Backup quarterback Cardale Jones threw 27 yards to Wilson on Ohio State’s opening drive of the third quarter to extend the lead to 38-0.

By then, the only drama was whether the Buckeyes could maintain the shutout. That bid ended with mostly Ohio State’s backups on the field late in the third quarter when Donovonn Young capped a 65-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 48-7.

brabinowitz@dispatch.com

@brdispatch

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Illinois

3 Big IL Lottery Prizes Set To Expire Soon, Remain Unclaimed

Published

5 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Press Room

3 Big IL Lottery Prizes Set To Expire Soon, Remain Unclaimed

Three lottery tickets purchased in the Chicago area are set to expire soon, meaning the unknown lucky winners could be out thousands of dollars if they do not step up to claim their prizes.

Among the cash prizes are two tickets valued at $100,000 each that will expire in March and another with a $200,000 payout, which will expire next week, according to Illinois Lottery officials. The $200,000 Powerball winner was purchased at a Citgo at 44 E. Sibley Avenue in Dolton on Nov. 30.

The other two tickets that have winners that have not claimed prizes include:

A $100,000 Powerball ticket bought on March 12 at the Speedway, 110 Arrowhead Drive, Hampshire
A $100,000 Powerball ticket bought on March 19 at the Shell, 4900 S. Cicero Avenue, Chicago.

Winners have one year from the draw date to claim their prize, according to the Illinois Lottery.

The Illinois Lottery is urging players to check their tickets as the deadline approaches to claim a $200,000 winning Powerball ticket purchased nearly a year ago in Dolton, Illinois. The ticket will expire in two weeks if not claimed.

The Illinois Lottery encourages the ticket holder to sign the back of their winning ticket immediately and store it in a safe place until they are ready to claim their prize.

A full list of unclaimed prizes can be found on the Illinois Lottery’s website.

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Illinois

Illinois vs. Alabama Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel

Published

24 hours ago

November 19, 2025

Press Room

Illinois vs. Alabama Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel

The No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini (4-0) will attempt to extend a four-game home win streak when they take on the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1) on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at United Center. The matchup airs at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

The Fighting Illini, who are favored by 2.5 points, are set to take on the Crimson Tide. The matchup’s over/under is set at 180.5.

Continue scrolling to get everything you need to know ahead of betting on the Illinois-Alabama contest.

Illinois vs. Alabama How to Watch & Odds

When: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App and FOX One (Try free for 7 days)
Odds: Illinois is favored to win the game. Check out the latest odds.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Illinois vs. Alabama Prediction

Take the Illini to take down Alabama tonight. Illinois is riding high on their 4-0 record and has shown impressive defensive prowess, limiting opponents to just 66.8 points per game. Their frontcourt, led by players like David Mirkovic, could prove to be a significant matchup advantage against Alabama.

Alabama, on the other hand, is coming off a tough loss to Purdue, where they were outrebounded by 24 and struggled from three-point range, going 16-for-43. However, they’ve shown they can score, averaging 91.3 points per game. Labaron Philon Jr. is having a standout season, averaging 19.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.

Pick ATS: Illinois (-2.5)
Pick OU: Under (180.5)
Prediction: Illinois 86, Alabama 83

Prediction provided by FOX Sports’ Sports AI. Download the FOX Sports App for free access to Sports AI.

Illinois vs. Alabama Betting Insights

Betting Line Implied Predictions

Per the spread and over/under, the implied score for the game is Fighting Illini 92, Crimson Tide 89.
The Fighting Illini have a 60.5% chance to collect the win in this matchup per the moneyline’s implied probability.
The Crimson Tide have a 43.9% implied probability to come out on top.

Key Spread Facts

Illinois won 18 games against the spread last season, while failing to cover 17 times.
Alabama covered 21 times in 37 games with a spread last year.
Illinois had an ATS record of 15-12 when playing as at least a 2.5-point favorite last season.
Alabama was an underdog by 2.5 points or more six times last year, and covered the spread in four of those matchups.

Key Total Facts

Four times last year, the Fighting Illini and their opponent combined to score more than 180.5 points.
Last year, 15 Crimson Tide games featured more than 180.5 points scored.
Last year’s combined scoring average for these two teams (174.3 points per game) is 6.2 fewer than the total for this contest.

Key Moneyline Facts

Illinois went 19-7 in games it was listed as the moneyline favorite last season (winning 73.1% of those games).
Last season, Alabama was the underdog nine times and won five of those games.
Illinois had a record of 19-6 in games it played as a moneyline favorite with odds of -153 or shorter last year (76%).
Alabama had a record of 2-3 when it was set as the underdog by +128 or more by sportsbooks last season.

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Illinois

Illinois transportation crews prepare for winter weather

Published

2 days ago

November 18, 2025

Press Room

Illinois transportation crews prepare for winter weather

MILAN, Ill. (KWQC) – The Illinois Department of Transportation held a “Winter Weather, Get It Together” event Tuesday as crews prepare for the upcoming winter season.

Crews want drivers to pay extra attention to crews working to clear roads during winter weather events.

“Definitely just keep in mind, slow down when you see our trucks,” Devin McNeill, Illinois DOT lead worker at the Silvis yard said. “Our drivers are doing multiple things while they’re operating the trucks so they can’t see everywhere.”

He also said drivers should be patient.

Crews in District 2, which covers several counties in northwest Illinois, have nearly 4,100 miles of roads to plow.

Guidelines from the Illinois Department of Transportation:

Give yourself extra time for trips
Slow down and increase the distance between other vehicles
Prepare an emergency kits with jumper cable, flares or reflectors, windshield washer fluid, an ice scraper, traction material, blankets, food and a first-aid kit
Keep a cellphone charger in your vehcile
Check your battery, tires, lights, charging system and belts
Look out for black ice and slippery conditions, even with no snow
Be careful at intersections, ramps, bridges and shady areas
Don’t travel in bad weather unless you have to. If you do, share your route and check the forecast
Give plows and other equipment treating the roads space