No. 9 Penn State arguably faced a test in its Big Ten opener, hosting No. 19 Illinois on Saturday. The Fighting Illini came into the matchup off a big win over then-No. 22 Nebraska in Lincoln, improving to 4–0 and looking like a possible factor in the conference race.
If this was a test, the Nittany Lions passed it with a 21–7 win at State College. The night game at Beaver Stadium was not officially a “White Out” (that will be Nov. 9 versus Washington), though fans were dressed in white for the nationally televised prime-time clash.
However, coach James Franklin called for “White Out energy” on Saturday night and how Illinois responded in that environment might indicate how well the rest of its season could go. The results were not particularly impressive.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer followed up his four-touchdown performance versus Nebraska by passing for 185 yards, completing 16-of-25 passes with one score and one interception. That one turnover may have cost the Illini the game — or at the very least, an opportunity to tie.
Down 14–7 with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Illinois faced a fourth-and-6 from their own 48-yard line. But Altmyer was picked off by Penn State’s A.J. Harris, who ran the ball back 51 yards for an apparent touchdown. Yet the score was wiped off the board on an illegal blocking penalty by Zion Tracy.
The Nittany Lions did eventually score though, finishing an eight-play, 41-yard drive with a Kaytron Allen five-yard TD run. Allen rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries, while Nicholas Singleton added 94 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries to lead a rushing attack that accumulated 239 yards.
With so many yards on the ground, Penn State QB Drew Allar didn’t need to post big numbers. He threw for 135 yards on 15-of-21 passing. Harrison Wallace III and Tyler Warren each had four receptions, combining for 84 yards.
