The 3-2-1: One last go round

COLUMBUS, Ohio - With Saturday's game against Illinois straight ahead, the thoughts of a potential playoff birth might start creeping into the mind's of the Ohio State football team as the regular season inches closer to an end. If Urban Meyer had it his way, those thoughts would never be at the forefront of his players' attention, but it's hard when there are so many signs pointing to Ohio State becoming the first two-loss team to make the College Football Playoff.

In reality, the only real threat posed by the Fighting Illini to the Buckeyes is the possibility of a late season catastrophe for Meyer's team. Fans went through one dud of a performance in the Iowa game after Ohio State was coming off an emotionally draining win, but the victory over Michigan State last week was vastly different from the Penn State win.

Meyer has been as stoic as ever leading up to Saturday, giving no suggestions the Buckeyes have taken too much stock in Illinois 2-8, 0-7 record to this point. Simply put, there's the same kind of focus for this game as there has been for any matchup.

Although there is more potentially in its playoff resume being tainted rather than helped against Lovie Smith and Illinois, the main focus for Ohio State remains — beat the next team in front of you. With little time before kickoff, here are a few more things left untouched during the week's planning.

1 - Zach Turnure's importance

Lovingly called "Meat Face" by his teammates, Ohio State linebacker Zach Turnure has went through an interesting journey to reach his spot somewhere in the middle of the Ohio State kickoff return coverage team. Although most fans might only remember the last name Turnure for his headbutt of an Army player after a kickoff and the 15-yard penalty that followed, Meyer spoke highly of the senior who played lacrosse at Ohio State before taking a shot at playing football.

"He’s one of our most productive players on the team," Meyer said. "Even when you see him not making a tackle, he’s usually creating enough chaos that someone else makes it. He’s a stud. I love that kid.”

Meyer also called Turnure "part of the solution" on kickoff coverage, an area of Ohio State's game that has seen improvement after weeks of miscues and poor play. Through it, Meyer said he thinks Turnure is one of the main reasons the group has gone from being hands down the worst individual unit for Ohio State to a solid, productive and motivated collection of players from all positions.

He will never be much of a defensive standout, but that has not stopped Turnue from being recognized for his hard work with a scholarship, awarded to him before the season began. It's best to keep an eye on No. 36 every kickoff, especially considering his huge special teams tackle of a Michigan State returner at his own 5-yard line last week.

And what player has a better nickname than "Meat Face," or one that is even close?

2 - Tracy Sprinkle's legacy

A career that almost never really began in Columbus, Tracy Sprinkle is no stranger to being tested. An arrest for the then-redshirt freshman led to an indefinite suspension that could've kept him on the sideline for an entire season.

Instead, after serving a one-game suspension, Sprinkle played in 13 games the following year before rupturing his Achilles tendon in his first start of his career. Although he has not always been a mainstay of the defensive line, regardless of the reason, Sprinkle has enjoyed his time with Ohio State and reflected on the first time he ran out of the tunnel as a Buckeye.

"I’d say it was a lot of jitters; going out there and playing in front of 100,000 was way different than being in Elyria, Ohio, playing in front of 500 maybe,” Sprinkle said. “I’m just looking forward to going out there for one more time in the ’Shoe and seeing how those great fans cheer us on.”

Regardless of how his career played out, it's hard to argue his growth as a player and person and how much respect he has gained from Meyer. On top of that, his dedication to finally get on the field and never take a day off was noticed by his position coach, Larry Johnson.

"He just kept saying, ‘Whatever it takes, coach. I want to get back,’ ” Johnson said in October. “He literally came back and went on the scout team. He worked his buns off every single day. Didn’t say a word, very unassuming, and that’s where the respect started to build."

Sprinkle might finally get a similar feeling of jitters Saturday, but not because he's nervous about the upcoming opponent.

3 - Illinois' defensive line

Few position groups are comparable between Ohio State and Illinois, but one is the Fighting Illini defensive line and the Buckeyes' offensive line. Even though Ohio State has enjoyed a high level of offensive line play to this point, Meyer noted the test in the trenches ahead.

"Their defensive line is really good. That's one area that ... and obviously today is Monday, we're right, knee deep watching them," Meyer saod. "I've not watched their offense yet like I normally ... just don't have any answers for you on offense. But defensive line catches your attention and they're penetrators and they're big dudes, 310 pounds and 290, the other guy. But the defensive line catches your eye as a strength."

While Illinois only averages 1.6 sacks per game, the defense allowed just 24 points to the Wisconsin offense a few weeks ago and is coming off a game against Indiana in which the Hoosiers were limited to just 3.3 yards per carry.

In a string of performances dating back to Oct. 21, Illinois has limited opposing offenses to an average of 25 points per game, but has not had enough success from the offensive side of the ball to make a real run in any of those contests. If the Fighting Illini are to have any hope of stopping the Ohio State offense, they must control the line of scrimmage.

1 - Who's the bell cow?

Mike Weber received half the number of carries J.K. Dobbins did last week, but picked 38 more yards and two touchdowns. Heading into the Illinois game, how many carries can he expect?

In a game that could potentially be put away before halftime, the Buckeyes might lean on Weber more down the stretch in an attempt to keep Dobbins fresh for the next week against Michigan and a bowl game. If that's the case, Weber could be flirting with his second 100+ yard game this season.

His pair of long touchdown rushes have been a long time coming after pushing through a torn hamstring in the offseason and losing his starting role to Dobbins in the process. While the two get playing time, Dobbins has been the clear-cut leader in carries.

After being criticized for being caught often on what were potential breakaway runs last season, Weber looked like an entirely different back breaking away from the Michigan State defense and dancing in the end zone. Even though his moves were just a small hip shimmy, Meyer took Weber aside and expressed his displeasure in his actions.

Still, even though Weber said he would be more careful next time, that doesn't mean he did not enjoy his little routine.

"I don't regret it," he said.

Depending on who is the primary back against Illinois, Weber might have the chance to keep Meyer happy or break it down again.

2 - Where does J.T. Barrett stand now?

The day some were calling for years ago has finally come — J.T. Barrett's last game in the Shoe.

With a mountain of records to his name and only a handful of games in his career left, Barrett leaves behind a rather interesting legacy. For a quarterback who has received an incredible amount of criticism over the span of his career, he will be leaving Columbus with more than enough accolades to hang his hat on.

There's no doubting how Meyer feels about his long-time quarterback.

"I love J.T,” Meyer said. “J.T. is a member of the Meyer family and the Buckeye family for the rest of his life."

Maybe if he stayed healthy and the stars still aligned for Ohio State in 2014, the legacy of Barrett might be be a little different. He does not feel any less about his part of the team title that season since the circumstances he was in kept him from starting potentially the biggest games of his career.

"It would have been different like if I would have gotten in trouble at the time and I put myself in a position where I wasn't able to play those games," Barrett said. "But I was literally on a scooter, ankle broken, in a cast, so it was out of my control at that point. I still claim every bit of that ring."

The season is not over and the final committee decisions have not been made, so the argument is there for Barrett to possibly get another crack at starting an entire season and leading a team to a national championship bid. But, the insight given by Barrett into how he feels he should be remembered when his time in college is over show what he feels about any outside noise over his legacy.

It's annoying, because he was still there, even though sometimes forgotten.

Regardless of any personal views of Barrett, his recognition Saturday for the last time should be taken with a few little caveats in mind — who else could put up the same numbers as Joe Thomas Barrett IV and how many times has Meyer leaned on his quarterback to win?

If the stats do not paint the picture well enough of how badly Ohio State should pick apart Illinois, the motivation of sending off a legendary recruiting class should tell any fan Saturday will be over before it starts.

There's simply too much at stake for the Buckeyes to put forth anything but a top performance, even against a lesser opponent. Every snap counts towards trying to impress the playoff committee and all players know it.

A meltdown like the Iowa game is always a possibility, but Ohio State has not lost to Illinois in eight-straight seasons. Even the last time the two met, a relatively pedestrian performance by the Buckeyes resulted in a 28-3 win.

The Rushmen, the unit that exemplifies cohesiveness and technical skill the best for Ohio State, playing in their last game together at home is bound to result in an absurd number of sacks. Inspired offense play lead by the ever consistent connection of Billy Price snapping to Barrett will put the game away on offense.

The last time to see this Buckeye team together in Columbus is Saturday, but it will not be a long performance, given the starters will probably be off the field early. With not much intrigue here other than how many points can Meyer put up before he calls off the dogs, make sure there are other plans on the calendar Saturday.