Sports

 
            === No. 6 Buckeyes roll past Illini to stay unbeaten ===
 
 Columbus,  OH (Sports Network) - Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller each accounted
 for  three touchdowns as No. 6 Ohio State pounded Illinois, 52-22, Saturday at
 Ohio Stadium.
 
 Hyde  rushed  for 137 yards  and three touchdowns  on 18 carries, while Miller
 threw  for 226 yards and two scores to go with 73 yards and a touchdown on the
 ground  for the Buckeyes  (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten), who are 10-0 for the first time
 since 2007.
 
 "For me, it all has to do with my offensive line," Hyde said. "When those guys
 go,  I  go because when they  do better, I can  do my job better. And they did
 great today."
 
 Bri'onte  Dunn rushed  for 73 yards and  a score and Corey Brown and Rod Smith
 each added a receiving touchdown in the victory.
 
 Nathan  Scheelhaase struggled  to get the Fighting Illini offense going, as he
 went  just 19-of-34  for 96 yards and an interception for Illinois (2-7, 0-5),
 which has lost 11 straight against conference foes.
 
 "Our  offense was too sporadic," Illinois coach Tim Beckman admitted. "We have
 got  to be able  to drive the ball down the field and put up seven points when
 we get in the red zone."
 
 Miller  only completed  half of his 10  passes in the first half, but each one
 helped set up an Ohio State score.
 
 After  Nick Immekus' 43-yard field goal gave Illinois a 3-0 lead on its second
 possession of the game, Ohio State countered with a 10-play, 79-yard drive.
 
 Miller's  first completion  was a 24-yard strike to Jake Stoneburner and after
 back-to-back  Miller  runs, Hyde capped the  trek with a 3-yard plunge to give
 the Buckeyes a 7-3 lead with 4:14 left in the first.
 
 Terry  Hawthorne returned the ensuing kick 45 yards to set up Immekus' 28-yard
 field  goal, but  Miller and the Buckeyes  answered with the next 24 points of
 the half.
 
 Miller's  second  completion came  on the Buckeyes'  ensuing possession, as he
 fired  a 31-yard strike to Nick Vannett down to the Illinois 16 to set up Drew
 Basil's 31-yard field for a 10-6 Ohio State lead.
 
 After  a three-and-out from Illinois, Miller's 32-yard toss to Brown moved the
 Buckeyes  to  the Illinois five  before Hyde  finished off the 5-play, 64-yard
 drive  with a  5-yard surge to press  Ohio State's lead to 17-6 midway through
 the second.
 
 Ohio State again forced the Illini to punt and Miller's fourth completion came
 three  plays later,  as he found Smith  wide open down the left sideline for a
 51-yard  TD pass  to extend  the Buckeyes'  lead to  24-6 with  less than  six
 minutes left until halftime.
 
 Another  Illinois three-and-out  gave Ohio  State possession  at midfield  and
 Miller  found  Vannett for 14 yards  to the Illinois 14. Miller then scrambled
 for  10 yards before  Hyde punched it in from three yards out for his third TD
 of the half and a 31-6 lead heading into the break.
 
 After  exchanging  three-and-outs to start the  second half, Hyde ripped off a
 24-yard  run  and then  picked up 20  more to move  the Buckeyes into Illinois
 territory.
 
 Facing  a  4th-and-1 later in  the drive, Hyde broke  through the line for two
 yards and a fresh set of downs.
 
 Miller  then  finished off the  trek four plays later,  as he faked a handoff,
 scrambled  around in  the backfield and then beat an Illinois defender off the
 right edge for a 2-yard TD run and a 38-6 Ohio State lead.
 
 Smith  fumbled the  ball on Ohio State's next touch, giving possession back to
 Illinois at the Ohio State 42.
 
 A  roughing the passer  penalty gave the Illini a fresh set of downs and three
 plays  later,  Jon Davis  punched it  in from  a yard  out before Matt LaCosse
 hauled  in the two-point conversion to bring the visitors within 38-14 late in
 the third.
 
 Ohio  State answered early in the fourth, as Miller converted a 3rd-and-6 with
 a 7-yard scamper and then found Brown, who weaved his way through the Illinois
 defense for a 37-yard TD and a 45-14 lead.
 
 Illinois turned another Ohio State turnover into points late in the fourth, as
 Kenny  Guiton  fumbled a pitch and  Ashante Williams scooped up the loose ball
 and rumbled 77 yards for the score.
 
 Illinois'  holder fumbled the  snap on the ensuing extra point, but he had the
 awareness to pick it up and cross the goal line to cut the margin to 45-22.
 
 Illinois  recovered the  onside kick, but the Illini were whistled for illegal
 touching  to  give possession to the  Buckeyes, who got a 3-yard touchdown run
 from Dunn with 1:26 left in game to account for the final margin.
 
                                   Game Notes
 
 Ohio  State  outgained Illinois, 567-170 ...  Ohio State has its off week next
 week,  while  Illinois hosts Minnesota  ... The  Buckeyes rushed for 330 yards
 compared  to just 74 for the Fighting Illini ... Ohio State leads the all-time
 series  64-30-4  ... With his  rushing touchdown  in the third quarter, Miller
 passed  former Buckeye  Cornelius Greene  (12;  1973) for  sole possession  of
 second  place on  the Ohio  State single-season  rushing touchdown  list by  a
 quarterback (13).
 
 11/03 21:21:24 ET