The Penn State Nittany Lions got the win against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Penn State win puts them at 3-0, but it was not the prettiest game for the offense. As for the defense, the Nittany Lions truly showed up. Just as it seems to always be, this was the first Big Ten opponent for Penn State, as well as their first away game of the season. It is a trend that the first conference opponent for this team is always away. The final score of the game was 30-13. Here is a look at the Penn State win and where they will need to improve.
Poor Nittany Lions Offense
Yes, the Penn State offense put up 30 points, but it should have been more. There were numerous dropped passes that could have easily been big gains. Quarterback Drew Allar did miss a couple of wide-open receivers, which also could have resulted in a touchdown. The run game did struggle in the beginning but improved as the game went on. There were numerous self-inflicting wounds that kept this Penn State win closer than it needed to be.
Allar definitely struggled to get comfortable in the pocket against Illinois. It was the young quarterback’s first away game as a starter with the Nittany Lions, and Illinois brought on the pressure. According to ESPN, Allar ended the game with 16 competitions out of 33 attempts for 208 yards. It was not a bad game for Allar, but it definitely was not great. There were some overthrown passes, but there were also a decent number of drops that could have been big plays. One takeaway is that Allar did not throw any interceptions, a highlight of this young quarterback. He will definitely need to bounce back next weekend.
Penn State QB Drew Allar (15) – Barry Reeger/AP Photo
In the Penn State win, running the ball was not the easiest thing for them. At least to start, it wasn’t easy; as the game went on, there were much better plays running the ball. Illinois did well defending, and credit definitely needs to go to them as well. The Nittany Lions ended up with 164 rushing yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN. The two running backs to score were Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.
One play that should also be highlighted is a touchdown pass not from either of the two quarterbacks but from running back Trey Potts. Potts made a pass to tight end Tyler Warren. This was a great play, and hopefully, this is something we see more of from the offense in 2023. While the game ended with a Penn State win, there is still a lot this offense will need to improve on.
Penn State Discipline
This game could have been much different if Penn State had not given up dumb penalties. It would either push the Nittany Lions back, forcing them to punt, or lead Illinois to a great position to score. This is a game that the Nittany Lions should have dominated, but some penalties against them truly shifted the momentum at times. It was debated on social media whether it was weak or not, but the penalty by KeAndre Lambert-Smith is an example of a penalty causing the team to lose momentum. By the end of the game, seven penalties were called on Penn State, totaling 70 yards.
Penn State LB Abdul Carter (11) DE Chop Robinson (44) and DT Hakeem Beamon (51) – Joe Hermitt/jhermitt@pennlive.com
The Dominant Defense
The Nittany Lions still have to work on their defense when it comes to stopping the run down the middle. They may not have the biggest defenders, but they still need to improve. What did go well for this team was the interceptions. This Penn State win involved four interceptions for the defense. This is the first time they had four in one game ever since 2014 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Each interception was from a different player. They came from Johnny Dixon, Abdul Carter, Daequan Hardy, and Cam Miller. The interceptions were not it, though. The team also had a forced fumble, which the Nittany Lions recovered.
These turnovers were a big factor in the Penn State win. The defense also had three sacks, seven tackles for loss, and three pass deflections, according to ESPN. While there may be elements of the game the team needs to clean up still, this was a big showing by the Nittany Lions defense.
Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton (10) – Joe Hermitt/PennLive
Penn State Win: What’s Next
After this Penn State win, the Nittany Lions are 3-0. Next up is the infamous Penn State White Out. The Nittany Lions will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at home. Both of these Big Ten teams are undefeated, and the energy will be high. This is one of the most famous events in sports, a game on pretty much every sports fan’s bucket list. Being back at home will be a big help, but the offense will need to clean up their game and create more explosive plays.
