Ohio State vs. Northern Illinois 2015: GameThread

On to week three! The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are facing one of the best teams in the MAC in Ohio State’s second home game of the season. The Buckeye defense was on-point last week, allowing only 165 total yards of offense against Hawaii. But questions still linger around the offense, which had a slow start against Hawaii last week. We are all ecstatic that Ezekiel Elliott more than doubled his carries from week one, but the offensive line was less than stellar, and neither of the quarterbacks attempting a pass managed to throw for a touchdown.

Northern Illinois has won the MAC three of the last four years. The Huskies have also won their last three matchups against Big Ten opponents, including Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern. They are also 2-0, with wins over UNLV and Murray State. A win over the top-ranked team in the country, however, is an entirely different sort of achievement, and would propel the Huskies to national recognition.

The Buckeyes, however, are looking not just for a win, but a win by a large margin. Despite late touchdowns by Ohio State against Hawaii last week, many in Buckeye Nation are wondering when the offense we got to see in the final games of last season will finally get back on track. Still, a win would propel the No. 1 team in the country to 3-0, and hopefully impress voters enough to maintain that position come next week.

Below is your Ohio State-Northern Illinois GameThread. Be respectful, be kind and as always, keep it classy. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Keep the season going strong. Go Bucks.