"More sh** officiating": Illinois fans blast referees for no call in a controversial play during Ohio State vs Illinois

The Illinois Fighting Illini bounced back from a heavy loss to the Indiana Hoosiers with two consecutive wins against the USC Trojans and Purdue Boilermakers. The Fighting Illini were 5-1 going into the pivotal Big Ten clash against the reigning national champions, the unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes.

With the Buckeyes leading 10-0, there was a controversial moment when a Buckeyes safety interfered with a Fighting Illini's attempt to receive the ball, causing him to miss the pass. The referees did not call pass interference on the play and the decision was allowed to stand even after a review.

Illinois fans on X had mixed reactions to the no-call by the referees on the play.

"B1G Enterprises has decided Ohio State staying #1 is best for their stock growth & private equity investments," one fan tweeted. "Pulled Jersey. Obvious PI," another fan tweeted. "Wow, that must have been frustrating to watch. Hope the next game goes better for you!" One fan tweeted.

Some fans criticized the official's handling of the Ohio State player's pass interference.

"More sh*t officiating. Surprise!" One fan tweeted. "Obvious PI except to the ref," another fan tweeted. "should’ve been pass interference ngl," one fan tweeted.

Illinois coach reveals key to stopping Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini as 14.5-point favorites and during a punishing first half, they pulled a 20-3 lead on their hosts to create a comfortable buffer.

During his weekly news conference, Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema revealed how his defense would attempt to slow down the explosive Buckeyes offense.

“I think, to keep the ball in front of us, we’ve got to tackle efficiently," Bielema said. "I think, to stay on track, [we need to] be early-down successful. But they take these moments, these little specific times where they try to make an explosive play by a special alignment shift, motion, trade, and we’ve got to be aware of those moments when they happen. “They obviously have really explosive players on the perimeter, a good run game, a very accurate quarterback who delivers the ball [and] a good O-line."

The No. 17 Fighting Illini suffered a heavy 63-10 loss to the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers in Week 4 of college football action and Illinois fans will be wary of the reigning national champions running up the score during the second half of their Big Ten clash.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo