Illinois football will look to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday at noon, in a game against one of the FBS' highest-scoring teams. The 2-1 Buckeyes are currently averaging 46 points per game against a schedule that included a road game against Texas on Sept. 12. 

Illinois' Bobby Hauck-coordinated defense will have its work cut out for it against the high-powered passing attack of Julian Sayin, Chris Henry, Jr., and Heisman candidate Jeremiah Smith along with rising sophomore running back Bo Jackson. 

The Fighting Illini are coming off of a 48-10 home win over Southern Illinois that included strong defensive performances from several players who were painstakingly ranked by Pro Football Focus afterward. 

Linebackers Cameron Thomas and James Kreutz led Hauck's defense against the Salukis this past Saturday with the highest grades on the unit. 

Thomas led the way, finishing with a Pro Football Focus Grade of 90.5 (out of 100), while Kreutz finished with a grade of 84.1. Neither player's stats were particularly noteworthy, but both played their positions to a tee in coach Hauck's system. Kreutz, a fifth-year graduate student from Bannockburn, Ill., finished with four tackles on the day while Thomas, a freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio, finished with two tackles. 

Illinois' linebackers struggled against Duke, leaving the middle of the field wide open for big plays, but looked much better against Southern Illinois giving hope for a better performance against Ohio State. 

Linebackers Robert Edmonson and Jack Paris were next among the Illini's most highly-graded players at the third and fourth spots, respectively. 

Edmonson finished with a grade of 83.4 while Paris was next at 80.8. Defensive back Tanner Heckel rounded out the top five with a grade of 79.9. 

Edmonson had one tackle while Paris had five and Heckel had four. 

The Illini defense held the Salukis to 257 total yards and got an interception from star defensive back Matthew Bailey, who finished sixth among the Week 3 rankings. 

Coach Hauck's unit played sound positional defense against the Salukis, trusting their defensive backs to cover talented receivers down the field. Illinois responded by holding SIU to 228 passing yards. 

Hauck's unit also made SIU one-dimensional as they rushed for just 29 yards on 26 carries. 

Did Hauck tip his cap as to a potential strategy against the Buckeyes, who are a pass-heavy team (382 yards last week)? That remains to be seen, but the Illini defensive coordinator and his players definitely gave OSU first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith plenty to game plan for in the film room this week.