Watch James Franklin's postgame press conference following win over Illinois
Penn State went on the road to start Big Ten play Saturday, knocking off Illinois in Champaign, 30-13. The Nittany Lions had the lead the entire game, as Alex Felkins converted two field goals in the first quarter before quarterback Drew Allar led a 12-play, 57-yard drive early in the second that was capped off by a Kaytron Allen touchdown.
The Illini got on the board before halftime with a Reggie Love touchdown with just over two minutes to play, but Penn State’s defense wouldn’t allow another score until late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
Allar finished his first road start completing 48 percent of his passes for 208 yards. He was held off the score sheet but also didn’t turn the ball over. When add in the four interceptions and one fumble that Penn State’s defense was able to force, the Nittany Lions were able to win comfortably.
Highs & Lows: Nittany Lions push through struggles, tops Illinois
“That was a pretty Big 10 win on the road,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said to open up his postgame press conference. “You’ve gotta appreciate winning. It’s hard to do. You watch college football, each week there’s games that 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.
Key Takeaways: Penn State’s offense struggles to find rhythm, defense turns up the takeaway machine
“[There were] a couple things that kind of stood out to me. You talk about holding them to 62 yards rushing, getting five turnovers. And everybody’s gonna talk about the five turnovers, and deservedly so, we should be, but then the other thing is our offense not turning the ball over as well. You do those things, you’re going to win a lot of games.”
Penn State is now 1-0 in Big Ten play and 3-0 on the season. They’ll turn their attention to Iowa next week, as the Hawkeyes travel to Beaver Stadium on Saturday for the White Out. The game will air on CBS and broadcast at 7:30 p.m. eastern time.
