Nov. 1, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Penn State started fast and finished strong in the team's most complete performance of 2015 during Saturday's dominant 39-0 victory over Illinois in Beaver Stadium.
For eight weeks, the Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-1) showed flashes of excellent execution on both sides of the ball. On Saturday, the entire package clicked with a consistent effort from the offense and a stifling performance from the defense in the team's first shutout in Big Ten play since 2009.
"I thought we played well in all three phases," said head coach James Franklin. "I thought we took advantage of some opportunities early in the game. I thought our defense had a really good plan against their attack. We kept them one-dimensional. Overall, I thought we did some very good things."
The defensive effort was masterful on a day when Illinois did not advance further than Penn State's 40. The Illini managed just 167 yards of total offense on 70 plays (2.4 yards per play), converted 12 total first downs and punted 12 times. The Nittany Lions forced five three-and-outs and notched four sacks.
The final numbers illustrate Penn State's effectiveness on defense, but it doesn't do the performance justice. Illinois never threatened, largely because of the Lions' consistency from start to finish.
"That's a tribute to everybody who rotates through the game," linebacker Troy Reeder said. "We played a lot of guys today. And there was no let down, no matter who was in the game. That's a tribute to everybody and their preparation in a team win."
The Nittany Lions never allowed the Illini to find any rhythm in their running game. Illinois had 37 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Therefore, Illini quarterback Wes Lunt was the focal point of the Nittany Lion defense. Lunt completed 16-of-36 passes for 129 yards. Illinois did not have a passing play of more than 15 yards. Penn State had as many as six defensive backs on the field in a strong, consistent effort from the secondary until the clocked ticked to zero.
"I think everyone talks about how good our d-line is, and they made some really big plays today, but they passed almost the entire game and that secondary proved to be huge," said linebacker Jason Cabinda. "They covered guys all over the field. And I think today we proved how good our secondary can be, as well."
A big piece to Saturday's game proved to be Penn State's fast start on offense. The Nittany Lions covered 80 yards in eight plays during their second drive of the game before Christian Hackenberg found Chris Godwin for a 5-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
The Penn State defense also played a hand in the fast start. On the ensuing Illini possession, Reeder picked off Lunt for his first career interception and returned the pick 44 yards to Illinois 6. One play later, Hackenberg found Lewis for a touchdown play to give Penn State a 12-0 cushion after one quarter.
Hackenberg, who finished 21-for-29 for 266 yards and two touchdowns, started the game 10-of-11 in the first two quarters. The Nittany Lions never looked back from there.
"I thought it was really good for our team to get some points on the board, and it took the pressure off our defense," said Franklin. "We were able to play fast (from there)."
"The fast start was huge for us," Hackenberg said. "To be able to rip off a couple things early was big for the confidence. We executed as a team."
Leading 15-0 at the break, the Nittany Lions wasted little time adding to their lead in the third quarter. Koa Farmer returned the opening kick of the second half 57 yards to the Illinois 43. Hackenberg and DaeSean Hamilton combined for a pair of key third down conversions to set up the Lions with a first down at the Illinois 14.
One play later, Nittany Lion running back and special teams ace Nick Scoot took a pitch from Hackenberg and raced to his right towards edge of the field. Hackenberg curled to Scott's left on the backside of the play and found wide-open space at the Illinois 10. Scott stopped mid-stride and delivered a perfectly thrown ball to Hackenberg, who scampered into the north end zone for his first career receiving touchdown.
"I didn't know if he was going to throw it or not, but the safety kept running (away from me towards the ball)," said Hackenberg. "I knew he was going to throw it at that point. He put it up. And he put it right on me. I'm sitting there watching the ball and saying, 'just don't drop it, just don't drop it.' I didn't think that my stomach would drop like that, but it did (laughter). But everything worked out."
Scott is now 2-for-2 throwing the ball in 2015. He connected with Chris Godwin on a 32-yard trick play against San Diego State before his 14-yard touchdown toss against the Illini. Scott had no doubt in his mind that the play was going to work on Saturday.
"It worked because we practiced a couple weeks straight. I put it on a line to Hack because I saw the safety, and I was trying not to get him killed," Scott said. "But Hack is a tough guy, so he probably would have got in anyways."
The Lions added a second field goal from Tyler Davis, who went 2-for-2 on Saturday, and a pair of highlight-reel rushing touchdowns. The first came in the form of a Saquon Barkley leap over an Illinois defender. The second score featured a 20-yard jet from Mark Allen, who scored for the first time in his Nittany Lion career.
Collectively, the Nittany Lions were dominant, and they will take a great deal of momentum in to Saturday's noon kick at Northwestern (ESPNU).
"Wrapping it all up, I thought we played great," Hackenberg said. "We complemented each other well. We were able to put a lot of points on the board. Obviously, there are some things we need to go back and look at to clean up, but ultimately, we are pretty pleased with where we are at right now."