Ohio State @ Illinois

Ohio State defeated Illinois 24-9 at the University of Illinois in Champaign on January 10, 2025. The Buckeyes’ margin was built around one decisive bonus-point result that Illinois could not match, leaving the Fighting Illini short of a comeback in the Big Ten dual.

The turning point came at 141 pounds when Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez pinned Illinois’ Danny Pucino for a fall, a six-team-point swing that provided a clear momentum shift. Mendez’s fall was the lone listed bonus-point victory and accounted for a quarter of Ohio State’s final team total, turning a close sequence of bouts into a gap Illinois struggled to close.

Beyond that pin, Ohio State closed out the dual by protecting the lead and collecting the remaining points needed to reach 24, while Illinois finished with nine team points. The 15-point final margin underscored how a single fall can change the complexion of a dual, and Mendez’s finish proved to be the decisive moment in Champaign.