BIG TEN For 2nd straight week, OSU looks to avoid upset on road

The Buckeyes' loss to the Illini last year should keep them from coming out flat today.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is comfortable being called predictable, even boring at times.
And why not? No. 2 Ohio State is two wins away from playing for the national championship because it is running the ball more than any team in the Big Ten and its defense is allowing 12 points a game. Hardly exciting, but certainly effective.
"I hope there's a day that we're very predictable but it doesn't matter," Tressel said. "Then, I know we're good."
For the record
The Buckeyes (11-0, 6-0 Big Ten) are not merely good, they're No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. They will earn a trip to the Fiesta Bowl to play for the national title with wins over Illinois (4-6, 3-3) today and Michigan next week.
A victory over Illinois also would put the Buckeyes at 12-0, a mark no other team in Ohio State history has reached.
"It means a lot. Some guys might say they're not thinking about it or that it doesn't really matter now, but anybody who has a chance to play in a national championship -- it has to mean something," defensive lineman Darrion Scott said.
"Every guy on this team, we're very excited right now."
Whether they have the same amount of enthusiasm for Illinois, a team that started the season 1-5, is another question.
Unlike the annual season-ending matchup with Michigan, one of the most spirited rivalries in the nation, Ohio State's series with Illinois has hardly been competitive. The Buckeyes have won four in a row at Memorial Stadium and 30 of the last 42 in Champaign.
However, Illinois did beat Ohio State last year. That alone should keep Tressel's players from coming out flat.
"Our guys know that Illinois is good and that this is an important game," he said. "Do I see anything beyond the excellent focus I've seen all year? I don't think so."
Lacking something
It may not be focus, but Ohio State has lacked something while playing on the road. The Buckeyes have won their home games by an average of 27 points a game. On the road, that's down to six points.
Tight end Ben Hartsock, who scored the winning touchdown against Wisconsin, said unlike previous years, the Buckeyes are winning the close calls on the road.
"I think we've been very fortunate, but I think good things happen to teams that do the small things," he said. "As poorly as the offense has been playing, never once has a defensive player or the defense as a whole ever gotten down on us or doubted that we'll come through when we need to."
They came through again last week against Purdue, but barely.
Ohio State trailed late in the game against the Boilermakers and faced a fourth-and-1 when quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins for the winning score.
"It was our good fortune that our guys stepped up and did that. We knew it was going to be grueling and we knew it was going to be tough, just like when we travel to Illinois," Tressel said.
After a bleak start, the Illini have played better of late and are actually in a position to qualify for a postseason bowl game with wins in their final two games.
Illinois stats
Illinois has the top passing offense in the Big Ten despite swapping quarterbacks Dustin Ward and Jon Beutjer in and out of the lineup. Beutjer, who started the season on the bench, threw four touchdown passes in a 37-20 win over Wisconsin last week after Turner named him the starter for the rest of the year.
Illinois should have receiver Brandon Lloyd back in the lineup. Lloyd, fourth in the league in receiving, was sidelined after three series against Wisconsin with a strained hip flexor.
The Illini also hinted earlier in the week they will take a few shots at two-way starter Chris Gamble, who plays receiver on offense and defensive back for the Buckeyes.
"I hope he does well in the future, but we'll have something in store for him this weekend," Walter Young said. "We'll be looking forward to that. If he plays both ways the whole game then in the fourth quarter we'll be looking to do some things."
Other teams have tried and failed.
Gamble returned an interception for a touchdown as a cornerback and made a touchdown-saving tackle as a wide receiver against Penn State. He has four interceptions on the season, including one last week against Purdue, and is tied for third in the Big Ten.