Terrell Pryor threw two first-half touchdown passes and the Ohio State defense shut down Illinois in the second half as the visiting Buckeyes escaped with a 24-13 win in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

It was the 34th win in 46 trips to Champaign for the second-ranked Buckeyes (5-0).

Pryor completed 8 of 15 passes for 77 yards, including touchdown passes of eight yards to Brandon Saine and 11 yards to Dane Sanzenbacher in the first half as the Buckeyes took a 14-10 halftime lead. Pryor also rushed for a team-high 103 yards on 11 carries.

Pryor left the game briefly due to a quadriceps injury, but returned to help his team put the game away in the second half.

Daniel Herron, who finished with 91 rushing yards, scored on a seven-yard run with 2:26 left to seal the Buckeyes' win.

Illinois (2-2), which used a three-yard run by quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and a 27-yard field by Derek Dimke in the first half to take leads of 7-0 and 10-7, managed only 116 yards in the second half. Running back Mikel LeShoure led the Illini with 77 yards on 19 carries.

After a scoreless third quarter, Ohio State stretched its lead to 17-10 with a 58-yard drive that ended with Devin Barclay’s 32-yard field goal with 9:02 remaining. Illinois drove 67 yards to the Ohio State 16 on its next possession, but the drive stalled and the Illini had to settle for a 30-yard Dimke field goal, leaving the score 17-13 with 4:36 left.

Ohio State then drove 53 yards for Herron's touchdown after a failed Illinois onside kick attempt.

Ohio State plays at Indiana next Saturday. Illinois plays at Penn State.