Illinois vs. Ohio State Recap: Jeremiah Smith's Four-TD Day

Ohio State beat Illinois 42-19, and Jeremiah Smith was the story. He caught four touchdown passes from Julian Sayin, including a 72-yarder in the first quarter, and finished with 12 catches for 217 yards. The score hides how much Illinois moved the ball: 462 total yards, 199 of them on the ground. Illinois was within 35-19 with 6:02 left before Ja'Kobi Jackson's 2-yard run with 2:36 left made it 23. Three DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, all posted before kickoff, and two of them were called by Darius.

What cashed

ALT: Jeremiah Smith 70+ receiving yards (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: Smith was averaging 7 catches and 133 yards a game, with 400 yards through three games, and Sayin was starting and throwing for 280 a game. The only risk we saw was a blowout that sat the starters early.
• What happened: 12 catches for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns, clearing 69.5 by 147.5. His first two scores, from 7 and 72 yards, gave him at least 79 yards in the first quarter alone, and he was still scoring on a 26-yard catch in the fourth.
• Worth watching: The blowout risk never showed up, and he caught 12 of Sayin's 27 completions. With that kind of workload, his yardage props are worth a look every week.

ALT: Ohio State -17.5 (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: The main line was -27. Ohio State allowed 10 points a game and beat Ball State and Kent State by a combined 109-6, and Illinois lost WR Jayshon Platt for this game. The alt took 9.5 points off the main number.
• What happened: Ohio State won by 23 and covered by 5.5. It was closer than that for a while: at 35-19 the alt was losing, until Jackson's late touchdown. Sayin completed 27 of 36 passes for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Ohio State finished with 518 total yards and no turnovers. The main -27 would have come up 4 points short.
• Worth watching: The defensive part of our read didn't hold, with Illinois at 462 yards. The offense carried it, and the cushion is the reason this cashed. Big home favorites with an offense this strong are worth a look on an alt spread rather than the full number.

ALT: Collin Dixon 5+ receptions (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: Dixon was averaging 8.3 catches and 122 yards with 7 touchdowns, and with Platt out, even more volume figured to go his way. We expected Illinois to be throwing from behind.
• What happened: Exactly 5 catches for 63 yards, with a long of 21, clearing 4.5 by 0.5. Katin Houser threw 37 times, but Hudson Clement also caught 5 passes, for 87 yards, and Illinois ran well enough that it didn't have to throw every down.
• Worth watching: It landed right on the number, well under his average. The low alt is why it cashed, so we'd stay at or below this line rather than chase a higher one.

How the game played out

Houser completed 21 of 37 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Aidan Laughery ran 11 times for 113 yards. Illinois didn't turn it over, but two drives ended on downs, including a 13-play, 74-yard drive in the third quarter that took 7:50 off the clock. Ethan Moczulski kicked field goals from 43 and 44 yards.

Trends to watch

• Smith was still playing and scoring in the fourth quarter of a game Ohio State won by 23. His receiving lines can hold up even in lopsided scripts.
• Illinois moved the ball on Ohio State, and the big spread only covered after a late score. Cushion on big home favorites is worth more than the full number.
• With Platt out, Illinois spread its targets between Dixon and Clement. Dixon's catch lines look best at or below 5.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these terms? Read up on the alt line, the point spread and the player prop, or head back to the college football hub.