BY: TODD PORTER (CantonRep.com) —
COLUMBUS Before the Ohio State football team returned from beating Northwestern, the Buckeyes’ season changed.

The buses carrying Buckeyes still were rolling toward campus Saturday when Iowa kicked a field goal to beat Penn State, giving Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State all one loss in the Big Ten.

Head Coach Jim Tressel has said the same thing every season: November is when it counts most.

He was right — again.

“Typically, if you go through history, the team that takes care of business in November usually ends up feeling good about the result,” Tressel said. “Do I see a pique in interest? … When the Iowa kicker kicked it through, you could see that piqued interest because all of a sudden your back with a shot.”

That shot only lasts as long as Ohio State does this month. The 10th-ranked Buckeyes (8-2, 5-1) face perhaps the most deceiving team in the conference this week in Illinois (5-5, 3-3). The Fighting Illini beat OSU last year in Columbus.

Illini Head Coach Ron Zook opened a few eyes Tuesday during a conference call with reporters. He said this team is better than the one that beat Ohio State a year ago, and a better team now than the one that started the season.

“It’s a mental thing,” Zook said. “Why do we feel the way we feel? Because we haven’t done the things the expectations said we should do.”

The biggest difference between Zook’s team this year and last year is the absence of playmakers on defense. Linebacker J Leman, who graduated, was a team leader and had Ohio State’s number.

“When J talked, everybody listened,” Zook said. “He was a guy who dedicated himself to this team. I’m not saying guys now haven’t dedicated themselves, but it’s a learning process. We’re playing 13 or 14 true freshmen, and those guys haven’t had the opportunity to learn that.”

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor looked much better against Northwestern coming out of a bye week. Pryor had his worst game of the season in a prime-time loss at home against Penn State. The Buckeyes’ chances to win the conference seemed dead then.

Now, the Buckeyes still could get a BCS bowl berth by beating Illinois and Michigan on Nov. 22 at the Horseshoe. The worst they could do is share the conference championship with Penn State or Michigan State. The Nittany Lions and Spartans play Nov. 22 as well.

Pryor has his confidence back. More than that, his footwork is improved.

“If your feet are with you, it doesn’t matter what sport it is … you have a chance to do the best you can do,” Tressel said. “When you have good protection, it’s a lot easier to have good feet.”

Tressel recalled a play against Northwestern in which center Michael Brewster came off one block and blocked another defender making his way for Pryor. Instead of getting nervous feet when the defender landed near Pryor, the true freshman quarterback stood tall in the pocket and delivered a strike to Brian Hartline.

“Terrelle’s feet were still good, which I thought was a great sign because some people, when bodies are flying, all of a sudden their feet start getting nervous,” Tressel said.

Collectively, Ohio State’s feet aren’t nervous. The Buckeyes are about placing one in front of the other each week.

Tressel wouldn’t bite on skipping a step. Asked if he’s given much thought to the BCS picture, he shrugged.

“The only thought I have on that is, you can’t be 10-2 until you’re 9-2,” he said. “Being 9-2 is going to be a challenge. If we would become 10-2, we will get as our works deserve, and it might be that.”

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