Penn State vs. Illinois Postgame Show: Nittany Lions survive
The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday night in a gritty, grimy game. Penn State used Illinois tactics against them, running the football repeatedly in the third and fourth quarters to grind out a closer-than-expected victory. Join the BWI Live postgame show to discuss the win and your thoughts about how the team performed.
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Penn State offense grinds out win
The high-flying offense we became accustomed to through the first month of the season didn’t show up for the Nittany Lions. Penn State didn’t complete a pass over 20 yards in the game. Once again, quarterback Drew Allar didn’t make many mistakes to put the ball in harm’s way but was off-target in the first half, missing several passes that would have converted third and fourth down.
In the third quarter, Penn State ran the ball 16 times. However, kicker Sander Sahaydak missed two field goals and kept the game close throughout the contest. Overall, the Penn State offense had four drives of eight plays or more. They also accumulated multiple chunk runs without breaking off a big run for a touchdown in the game. Still, Penn State running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen rushed for 94 and 102 yards in the game to power Penn State’s victory.
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Defense dominates in the second half
The Penn State defense gave up just 32 total yards in the second half before AJ Harris stepped in front of a fourth down pass from Altmyer. Harris took the ball back for a touchdown, but a block in the back penalty on slot corner Zion Tracy eliminated the defenisve score.
Still, the defense dominated the line of scrimmage all night and prevented Illinois from getting into a rhythm offensively. Illinois averaged 1.8 yards rushing on the night.
