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Instant Analysis: Penn State gets sloppy win in Big Ten opener

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•09/16/23•

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Nick Singleton Penn State Football On3
Sep 16, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Mehdi Flowers (right) runs the ball against Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Miles Scott (10) during the first half at Memorial Stadium. (Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)

Penn State football “eeked” out a 23-point victory behind a suffocating defense in its win over Illinois on Saturday afternoon. What did the game look and feel like to the Blue White Illustrated reporters who were live on location? Hear Nate Bauer and Greg Pickel’s thoughts on the Instant Analysis video. They provide their immediate reactions to each game this season.

Ugly or not, Penn State head coach James Franklin appreicates the victory.

“That was a pretty Big Ten win on the road. You gotta appreciate winning. It’s hard to do. You watch college football, each week there’s games that there are upsets and things you gotta grind it out. That was a big time win for us on the road. It was beautiful to me, especially when you kind of take all the factors that we look at into it,” Franklin said after the game.

Allar isn’t great, but also isn’t the story to Nate Bauer

Quarterback Drew Allar completed 48% of his passes after being over 75% the last two games. The offense generated 383 yards during the win, but 85 of those yards came in the fourth quarter when the Penn State backups entered the game. While it wasn’t a perfect win, the Nittany Lion’s defense deserves credit for shutting the door on a potential upset.

“That first half, just in general, I thought was a case of shooting themselves in the foot. To get three turnovers and get only six points was a little bit problematic. But they managed to grind out a win. We’re just coming from the post-game press conference and that was the theme,” Bauer said.

But offense dominates the conversation. Allar wasn’t good, but his receiver also struggled, with first-time Penn State starter Malik McClain dropping two easy passes in the game. Despite that, the leading receiver was Bauer’s biggest takeaway.

“The bigger takeaway was KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s lack of presence. He just wasn’t as big of a role as you might have anticipated for him. It felt like waves, almost, of receivers.”

The Penn State defense managed five turnovers, with several other dropped interceptions in garbage time. The run defense, which had some early issues, self-corrected and ended the game with only 62 yards allowed on the ground and 2.1 yards per carry.

Penn State is 3-0 despite the sloppiness and heads home for the biggest game in September. The team hosts Iowa for the 2023 White Out Game at 7:30 on Saturday night. Follow Blue White Illustrated all week long for coverage of the upcoming showdown with the Big Ten West rival.

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