COLUMBUS, Ohio -- J.T. Barrett had to go find his knee brace and his helmet. Jamarco Jones and Billy Price were without the secure tape on their ankles and wrists. And Urban Meyer was calling on them to go back into the game.

Meyer wasn't taking any chances, even with Ohio State beating Illinois 38-7 in the third quarter.

He had pulled the starters in the first half, probably as early as he's ever done that during his time in Columbus. There was 5:46 on the second quarter clock, and Ohio State was winning 38-0. Cruise control.

That was until backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins fumbled a ball in the rain that was returned 53 yards for a touchdown. Ohio State 38, Illinois 7. Time to put the starters, who weren't ready, back into the game.

"I was pissed," Meyer said. "I just didn't want it to turn into a clown show, which it looked like it for a minute. And I gotta give Dwayne a lot of credit, he bounced back like that."

He did, but not before the unprepared starters played two series and scored a touchdown to make Meyer more comfortable having the backups in there.

The starters went three-and-out, starting with two J.K. Dobbins runs for a combined seven yards behind an offensive line playing without tape.

"Once you get out there you don't think about it too much," Jones said. "But it was a weird feeling as a lineman because you're so used to being taped up. Once you get out there you're playing football, so you're not thinking about it too much."

He and Price had cut their tape off at halftime. Presumably so did the rest of the offensive line. So they were at third-and-three when Barrett threw an incomplete pass to Marcus Baugh. On the ensuing punt, Illinois fumbled. Ohio State recovered and scored five plays later on a connection between Barrett and Baugh.

Mission accomplished.

"We were scrambling, but they called us to go back in and we had to go out there and score again," Jones said. "We did."

In a very weird, roundabout way.

"Did y'all see Coach on the sideline? Y'all saw him? Yeah. He was very upset," Barrett said. "I saw him, and then it was like, well he's definitely known for saying the starters are going back in. So let me go find my knee brace, go find my helmet, because I didn't have any of those things. I wasn't shocked by any of those things. I knew when my man Ross (Haskins) fumbled the ball, I was like 'this is not about to be good.'"

It made sense, with the game in hand, a game against Michigan and the Big Ten Championship looming that Meyer would maybe want to give the starters some extra rest. It also didn't feel at all like Illinois was going to come back in the game.

So maybe Meyer was a little quick to jump the gun.

It made for an interesting Senior Day moment for some of Ohio State's starters.

"What was it, 38-0 at that point?" Price said. "I said, 'Well I think I'm done.' Coaches got the OK, and you gotta do what you gotta do. Coach is boss."