The nation’s top-ranked team looked every bit the part on Saturday. Julian Sayin threw two touchdown passes, C.J. Donaldson ran for two more, and the Ohio State defense dominated again as the No. 1 Buckeyes rolled past No. 17 Illinois at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, 34-16 to stay perfect on the season.

Sayin was efficient, completing 19 of 27 passes for 166 yards, while Donaldson powered his way to 44 yards and two short scores. Freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith added five catches for 42 yards and a touchdown as Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) took control early and never looked back.

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The Buckeyes forced three turnovers — including Luke Altmyer’s first interception of the season — and turned each into points.

“They’re competitive. They’re edgy. They like these types of environments,” head coach Ryan Day said. “They want to be great and expect to be great. They expect to win all the time.”

Defensive back Davison Igbinosun made his presence felt with four pass breakups. When told of his stat line, he laughed: “I did? Well, then stop throwing at me.”

Illinois (5-2, 2-2) struggled to recover after a brutal first half that saw Ohio State jump out to a 20-3 lead.

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“That first half was about as bad as bad can get,” Illini coach Bret Bielema admitted. “Before you win, you’ve got to stop losing, and we lost that one.”

Altmyer threw for 248 yards and a touchdown but was picked off once and sacked twice. A botched punt and two fumbles also led to 10 Buckeye points.

Ohio State has now beaten Illinois 10 straight times since that stunning 2007 upset in Columbus. The Buckeyes remain undefeated — and unbothered — heading into a tough road test at Wisconsin on Oct. 18.