The Penn State Nittany Lions dominated the line of scrimmage but still struggled to put away the Illini.
Penn State improved to 4-0 on the season with a gritty 21-7 win against Illinois under the lights Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Here are the top takeaways from the Nittany Lions' sescond win over a ranked team this season.Penn State’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, leading to a big day on the ground. Kaytron Allen tallied 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Nicholas Singleton had 94 yards and a score on 16 carries. Combined, the duo averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
Franklin said with how well Penn State was running the football against Illinois, it would’ve been “stupid to get away from it.”The Nittany Lions had four sacks and 15 tackles for loss in their first three games. Against Illinois, they had seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Penn State made five of those sacks in an assertive second half.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was under constant duress and did a good job of avoiding sacks on several plays early. But when the Fighting Illini needed completions in crunch time, the Penn State pass rush proved too much.Despite outgaining Illinois 181-59 in total yards in the second half, Penn State just couldn’t put the Fighting Illini away. On their second drive of the half, the Nittany Lions marched 43 yards in nine plays.
Late in the fourth, cornerback A.J. Harris could have had a pick-6 to seal the deal, but a block in the back on Zion Tracy negated the touchdown. Penn State eventually scored late in the fourth to make it 21-7, but this game was close for way too long.Sahaydak missed two 40-yard field goals on Sunday, and questions are resurfacing again about Penn State’s kicker situation. The junior is now 2-of-5 on the season.
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