BUCKEYES NOTEBOOK From Ohio Stadium

STUNNED: As they quietly made their way out of the Ohio Stadium locker room into a chilly, dark Saturday night, Ohio State’s players tried hard not to think about what had just happened. Besides, they couldn’t really afford to. Michigan beckons. Led by catch-me-if-you-can quarterback Juice Williams’ four touchdown passes, Illinois upended the top-ranked Buckeyes 28-21 to damage their hopes of a national title. “We can’t erase how we feel about it,” coach Jim Tressel said. That’s because the Buckeyes must lick their wounds and regroup for Saturday’s showdown with rival Michigan in The Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan, too, lost on Saturday. So the winner still gts an outright Big Ten title while the loser may be spirited off to a secondary bowl despite a lengthy winning streak during the season. “Nobody expected it to be like this,” said fullback Dionte Johnson, who was part of a senior class that was stuck with a loss in its final appearance at the Horseshoe. Linebacker James Laurinaitis, who had 12 tackles in the defeat, said the Buckeyes can’t afford to hang their heads. “We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and go in there tonight or tomorrow and focus on Michigan because everybody knows this is the week, no matter what happens,” he said. As is usually the case, offensive tackle Kirk Barton has the final word. “We’ve got to start grinding because that’s our shot, you know?” he said.

PLAY OF THE DAY: What else could it be? With 6:53 left and the Illini trying to hold onto a 28-21 lead, they faced a fourth-and-inches at their own 34. At first, Illinois coach Ron Zook was going to punt. But after Tressel called a timeout, Williams talked Zook into going for it. “We didn’t come here to play it close,” Zook said. Still, he needed some convincing. After Williams promised he could make the first down, Zook consulted with offensive coordinator Mike Locksley up in the press box and gave the go-ahead to Williams. “I saw it in his eyes,” said Zook, a native of Loudonville, Ohio. “He’s a competitor.” Williams said he wasn’t necessarily volunteering. “I wasn’t particularly talking about myself getting the first down,” he said with a grin. “I was referring to Rashard [Mendenhall]. Then the quarterback-sneak call came down and it came out good.” Williams tucked himself behind his front wall and burrowed for the first down. Twice more he had quarterback draws that picked up first downs on third-and-long.

Illinois’ defense limited Ohio State to just three plays in the fourth quarter. But with Williams and tailback Mendenhall carrying the load, the Illini held the ball for the final 8:09 to seal the deal. “Well, I wish I wouldn’t have called timeout,” Tressel said.

BOWL BIZ: Depending on how the next BCS rankings come out, the Buckeyes remain a longshot to make the title game unless there is a series of upsets. Why not? This has already been a crazy year for the nation’s supposedly superior teams. If the teams ahead of them don’t fall like dominoes, then the options would seem to be few. Should they beat Michigan, they would capture their first back-to-back outright Big Ten titles since 1954-55 and would go to the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The opponent is up for grabs. And if they should lose, they would end up at the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 against a Southeastern Conference team.

A FALLEN HERO: Seconds after Ohio State needed just two plays to go 76 yards for a 7-0 lead, Ray Mendoza was remembered by the crowd of 105,453. Mendoza was a two-year letterwinner on the Ohio State wrestling team (1992-93) who was killed at age 37 while serving his country in New Ubaydi, Iraq. As a senior with the Buckeyes, he battled his way to the Big Ten championship match and finished as conference runner-up. He enlisted in the Marines in 1995 and was successful on the corps’ wrestling team, winning the 1996 Central Region Olympic Trial Greco-Roman championship at 100 kilograms to earn a spot as an alternate on the 1996 Olympic team. Mendoza, married and the father of two young children, also excelled as a Marine. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. A scholarship fund has been set up in his name to provide financial help to student-athletes in Mendoza’s hometown of Blairstown, N.J.

Associated Press