​It was a chance to set the tone for conference play, and Ohio State did just that with a 42-19 win over Illinois on Saturday afternoon.The Buckeyes needed to set the tone early and went to whom other than Jeremiah Smith to do so. Ohio State scored on four of its five first-half possessions, with three coming from Smith in spectacular fashion. The all-time leading receiver in Ohio State history knew what was needed and turned in an unbelievable performance. By halftime, Smith had eight catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns, en route to 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns on the afternoon.Illinois, which came in struggling to defend the run, was unable to hold down Ohio State’s inconsistent rushing attack, giving early life to the Buckeyes and allowing Arthur Smith to open up the playback. Ohio State averaged 4.9 yards a carry in the first half and had 98 yards, giving the Buckeyes one of the most balanced offensive halves of the season. On the flip side, it was Ohio State’s defense that gave way to the early offensive explosion. Ryan Day put pressure on Matt Patricia to ramp up the defensive production this week, and that he did, as Ohio State had two sacks in the first half after entering the week with just three combined on the season.Illinois had some momentum in the third quarter, controlling the possession with 13 minutes but was only able to come away with three points after one field goal and a turnover on downs — allowing the Buckeyes to flip things back in their favor, which they did marching down the field for a touchdown and the fourth of the day for Smith. That switch in momentum would be the last straw for the Illini as the Buckeyes were in total control after that. Ohio State finished with ENTER total yards, while Julian Sayin had 367 yards through the air and four touchdowns. The Buckeyes added 153 yards on the ground with a 5.1-yard-per-carry average — the best performance since the opener.Illinois finished with ENTER but was held to just ENTER on third downs and ENTER in the red zone.The Buckeyes move to 3-1 on the season and face Iowa next week.Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State takes down Illinois in Big Ten opener | Buckeyes Wire