Game Preview: Penn State vs. Illinois
The Penn State Nittany Lions (6-4, 2-4 B1G) will travel to Champaign, IL on Saturday to take on the Fighting Illini (4-6, 1-5 B1G). Last weekend, the Nittany Lions earned their sixth win of the season by defeating Temple 30-13. The win solidified their bowl-eligibility, and put them in a position to see their 45th bowl game in program history.
However, Head Coach James Franklin and the Penn State squad aren’t concerned with postseason play at the moment.
“We talked about those things a little bit once the game ended, but we’re focused on playing Illinois this week,” said head coach James Franklin. “At the end of the year, if people tell us that we have an opportunity to go somewhere, we’ll be excited about going there.”
Franklin continues his philosophy of playing a season on a week-by-week basis. This week, Penn State will make their last road trip of the season, and visit an Illinois team that hasn’t produced a win since October. In the last two weeks, the Fighting Illini have dropped two games to Big Ten foes in Ohio State and Iowa.
After losing an overtime game against Penn State last season, Tim Beckman’s club is eager to host Penn State. In the matchup, Bill Belton rushed for a stunning 201 yards.
On Saturday, Belton and the rest of the Penn State offense will look to put up the same kind of numbers. With Akeel Lynch added to the rushing arsenal, that goal could be very possible.
The Illinois offense is lead by quarterback Wes Lunt, who has passed for 1,671 yards, and 14 touchdowns in just six games. Lunt will look to targets Mike Dudek and Geronimo Allison. The two receivers have each caught five touchdowns on the season. Dudek, a true freshman, leads the team with 78.7 yards per game. In the backfield, the Fighting Illini are lead by Josh Ferguson, who is averaging 58.1 rushing yards per game and 38.1 receiving yards per game.
Illinois allows an average of 36 points per game. While their defense isn’t the strongest, they are lead by their playmaking middle linebacker, Mason Monheim. Monheim has 98 stops and 6.5 tackles for a loss on the year. He ranks second in the Big Ten in tackles behind his counterpart and Penn State senior Mike Hull, who has 111 tackles on the season.
As it has been most of the season, the defense will be the key factor in the game. With an Illinois defense that’s struggling to find an identity, and a powerful Penn State defense that ranks fourth in the FBS in points allowed, Penn State has a good chance of putting up points while keeping the Fighting Illini off the board.
“Our guys are playing confident right now. They’re playing aggressive, they’re having fun, they’re playing an exciting style of defense, which I think the fans enjoy, I think the recruits enjoy, and I know our guys enjoy playing it,” said Coach Franklin.
There’s no doubt that the defense has been a force to be reckoned with this year. So far, the defense has wracked up 72 tackles for a loss, 27 sacks, and 15 interceptions. With the season coming to a close and the vision of a bowl in the back of every player’s mind, the Nittany Lion defense has all the confidence in the world.
You can catch Penn State take on Illinois on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ComRadio’s coverage begins at 10 a.m. with the Tailgate Show.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/PennLive.com, Joe Hermitt )
Alex Bobbyn is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email aeb5671@psu.edu.
