The 9th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will open their 2024 Big Ten schedule with a matchup with the 19th ranked Illinois Fightin Illini. Penn State is currently 3-0 while Illinois is coming into this game at 4-0. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm from Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, PA.
Last time out
Penn State is coming off a dominating victory over Kent State 56-0 to finish off their non-conference schedule. In their week 4 victory, Drew Allar threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. While the Penn State defense held Kent State to 18 passing yards and 48 rushing yards.
Previewing the opponent
Illinois is off to a surprising 4-0 start and a 1-0 start in Big Ten play. Last week they won in OT on the road against Nebraska. Their win against Nebraska is their 2nd top 25 win of the year as they knocked off Kansas as well. Illinois is off to their best start since 2011 and only their 4th 4-0 start since 1936.
QB Luke Altmyer has been key for Illinois' early success. He has 10 touchdowns and over 800 yards to begin the season.
Penn State has dominated this matchup with Illinois over the years. They have won 4 out of 5 will Illinois' last victory coming in 2021 in a 9 OT thriller.
Notes for the game
Penn State may be missing LB Dom Deluca and CB Cam Miller on Saturday. Both are questionable with injuries and coach James Franklin has yet to make a decision on either player.
Penn State has been calling for their fans to come with a "white out atmosphere." Even though this game is not the official White Out Game, they want Beaver Stadium loud. Many players on defense complained that the loud environment from the Bowling Green game made the helmet communications extremely hard to function. With a crowd expecting to be even louder than that, this is a major concern for Penn State.
Keys to the game
Illinois will not be afraid of this environment. They have already gone on the road once in a hostile environment and beat a top 25 team. This is no walk in the park and will be a very high intense physical game. Penn State needs to continue to spread the ball around with their offense. With offensive weapons all over the field, Drew Allar needs to be able to find the open guy. This is going to be his first real test of the season.
Defensively, they need to make sure the helmet communication is fully operational, and they are prepared for the loud noises. The Penn State crowd cannot be a weakness for the Penn State team. One of the reasons Bowling Green was able to pick a part the Penn State defense in the 1st half was due to the helmet communication issues. These issues need to be fixed now, or this will spiral out of control all season long.
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