Highs & Lows: Penn State bullies Illini in Big Ten battle

By Nate Bauer

Penn State and Illinois locked themselves into a bruising, traditional Big Ten battle on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. It was hardly the blueprint the Nittany Lions would have chosen, but they executed better than the Illini.

The result, a 21-7 win for Penn State, improved the hosts to 4-0 on the season with a 1-0 mark in conference play. These are the players and plays that defined the game.

Highs & Lows: Penn State bullies Illinois in Big Ten battle

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State might have liked to build a lead early with its passing attack. That wasn’t the personality of Saturday night’s bruising tilt, though. Instead, locking into a ball-control game in which the ground proved to be the Nittany Lions’ most effective path to a win, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen starred. Singleton finished with 16 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown while Allen put the finishing touches on the win with a 5-yard touchdown to cap his 102 yards on 18 carries.

PLAY OF THE GAME The play of the game wasn’t one that would make it onto the scoring chart or even a key defensive turnover. Rather, a Singleton chip in the backfield, an excellent reception, and grueling extra effort was the type of remarkable performance that changes outcomes. Facing a key third-and-7 from the Penn State 47-yard line, Singleton pulled in a Drew Allar jump-pass, then turned a gear into a virtual freight train, running over corner Miles Scott to secure a first down. The sequence unlocked nine subsequent offensive snaps for the Nittany Lions, with Singleton capping the drive with a 4-yard touchdown to give his side a 14-7 lead and a critical dose of momentum.

Offensive superlatives

BEST PASS Facing the worst of circumstances, his team trailing 21-7 with about a minute of football left to play, Altmyer escaped from the arms of Tony Rojas and flicked a pass 21 yards upfield to Hank Beatty — the nicest throw of the night from either quarterback. The completion picked up a first down and moved the Illini into Penn State’s side of the field.

BEST RUN Siezing on the flipped momentum of a missed Penn State field goal late in the first half, Illinois’ running back Kaden Feagin took advantage the next play. Waiting out his blocks on a straightforward first-down carry, Feagin burst through the right side of the Nittany Lion defense to pick up 34 yards and move into the other half of the field.

BEST CATCH Abdul Carter’s jump into the neutral zone on second-and-9 of Illinois’ first possession of the game yielded a free play for the visitors. Zakhari Franklin took advantage. Luke Altmyer’s bullet was pulled in despite tight coverage from corner Jalen Kimber.

WORST DROP Hardly the fault of Altmyer, a high snap with the Illini at the doorstep of the end zone in the final minutes of the first half proved influential. A mad scramble for the ball turned up in Illinois’ favor but sent it back to the 11 yard line. 

BEST HIT Usually, this category is reserved for the defensive side of the field. Saturday night, Singleton flipped that script. Unloading on a carry up the gut on the Nittany Lions’ first possession of the game, the junior forced Matthew Bailey to the sidelines with an apparent injury due to the hit. 

Defensive superlatives

BEST SACK Kobe King started the play in pass coverage. With Illinois in its own red zone facing a second-and-13, a prolonged play from Altmyer’s feet finished with a thud as the Nittany Lion linebacker leveled him. The 3-yard loss forced third-and-16 as the Penn State defense found its footing.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Zane Durant’s slip through the Illinois offensive line led to a straightforward sack on Altmyer. The play went for a 7-yard loss. Lastly, Carter’s sack-fumble in the final minute of action erased any doubt over the game’s outcome. 

BEST TACKLE Though still in the third quarter, Penn State’s decision to try to convert a fourth-and-3 at the Illinois’ 17 felt game-defining. With offensive possessions dwindling for the Illini as the fourth quarter crept closer, Allar’s pass to Julian Fleming in the flat might have gone for a first down were it not for Scott’s excellent open-field tackle. 

BEST EFFORT Facing a third-and-21 following an offsides jump early in the second quarter, Illinois made good on a little flip pass from Altmyer to running back Josh McCray out of the backfield. Following his blocking on the well-developed play, McCray picked up 30 yards and a first down for his side. 

BEST INTERCEPTION Altmyer was hailed for producing 10 touchdowns without an interception through his first four games of the 2024 season. Facing a critical fourth-and-6 in the fourth quarter, though, the Illinois’ quarterback made his biggest mistake of the year, telegraphing a pass straight into the hands of Penn State cornerback A.J. Harris. The interception return for a touchdown was undone by a block in the back, but virtually assured the Nittany Lions’ win.

Special teams superlatives

BEST KICK Punters on both sides delivered timely, effective attempts in the first half. Opting to punt instead of go from its own 42, Penn State’s Riley Thompson waited for his bullets to get upfield before hitting a 48-yarder to leave the Illini at their 10. Following the possession, Illinois’ Hugh Robertson returned the favor with a 49-yard blast to pin Penn State to its 8.

WORST KICK Sander Sahaydak was called upon to break a 7-7 tie late in the first half. Lining up from the left hash, the third-year placekicker couldn’t connect on a 40-yard attempt, missing wide left.

Passed over in the third quarter to give the Nittany Lions a two-possession advantage, Sahaydak landed his redemption opportunity midway through the fourth. It also ended in disappointment, pushing the attempt to the right.

Wrapping up

WORST DECISION The play won’t show up on the stat sheet, but Carter’s jump into the neutral zone on the Illini’s first possession of the evening furthered a point of obvious frustration for James Franklin to start the season. The infraction was Carter’s fifth in his fourth game since making the move from linebacker to defensive end. 

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Dani Dennis-Sutton made the same critical error, giving Illinois two shots at fourth down from midfield. 

Neither was worse than a critical mistake by Zion Tracy trailing Harris’ apparent game-sealing pick-six. Tracy unloaded a block in the back, with Harris on his way untouched to the end zone. His mistake left Penn State with a first-and-10 at the 41-yard line instead of kicking off holding a 14-point advantage.

MOST TELLING MOMENT With nothing to show for its relative first-half control over Illinois, the Nittany Lions found themselves staring at a 7-point deficit with the Illini owning possession at the 6-yard line with less than two minutes to play. Three consecutive fruitless plays for the Illini, aided by a frenzied Beaver Stadium crowd, forced the visitors into a 40-yard field goal try. By the time the attempt sailed wide left, the home crowd was buzzing.

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