Revitalized Illinois hosts undefeated No. 3 Ohio State

COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP) » Justin Fields and Ohio State are scoring points by the truckload, as expected, but cracks in the defense have made for some unsatisfying finishes of late for the No. 3 Buckeyes.

They haven’t let one slip by yet, but Indiana got close last week. Down 35-7 early in the second half, the Hoosiers fought back, leaving the Buckeyes (4- 0, CFP No. 4) and their exploited secondary happy to get out of nearly empty Ohio Stadium with a 42-35 win.

The previous week, the Buckeyes got a surprising late battle from Rutgers. Up 35-3 at halftime, they let the Scarlet Knights outscore them 24-14 in the second half. Ohio State won 49-27, but it was an unsettling day for coach Ryan Day and his defense.

“I don’t think there’s been anything schematically where you look at it and be like, ‘ Well, that’s not good,’” Day said. “I mean, again we’re up 35-7 (in the Indiana game) with a defense designed to avoid big plays, and we had too many big plays. So, I think schematically we’re right where we need to be. We just need to actually be better.”