By: Tyler Millen - GoPSUsports.com student writer
Head coach James Franklin called for “White Out energy” against Illinois following Penn State’s 59-0 win over Kent State on Sept. 21 and set the stage for the Nittany Lions first Big Ten home opener since 2015.
Penn State and Illinois enter the contest as a pair of top-20 teams in the AP Poll with the former placed at No. 9 and the latter at No. 19. Saturday will mark the 28th matchup between the Big Ten foes and the first ranked contest between the two teams since 2008.
It’s been a historic start for the Fighting Illini who are 4-0 for the first time since 2011 and just the second time since 1951. Illinois is coming off its second top-25 win of the season after a resilient 31-24 victory over Nebraska on the road on Sept. 20. They’ll play their third ranked team in the last four weeks against Penn State.
Head coach Brett Bielema will lead his Illinois squad into its first top-20 contest since 2000 and has one of the top producing quarterbacks in the country at his disposal with junior Luke Altmyer. The Starkville, Mississippi, product is the only quarterback in the country with 10 or more touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I think the biggest difference is the quarterback [Luke Altmyer],” Franklin said. “He's got 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. I think he's one of the more improved players right now in college football.”
Penn State has featured a highly explosive offense through its opening three games highlighted by eight different players who recorded a touchdown in the Week 4 win over Kent State. The Nittany Lions are one of two FBS teams to average 250 or more passing yards and over 250 rushing yards per game this season.
Penn State’s offense is seventh in the nation with an average of 537.7 total yards and second nationally in big play percentage at 22.73%. Junior quarterback Drew Allar is off to a strong start in his third season in Happy Valley with a 218.3 passing efficiency which places him second in the FBS ranks.
Junior wideout Omari Evans and junior running back Nick Singleton have been catalysts in Penn State’s offensive attack. Evans has recorded over 25 yards per reception and Singleton has 104.7 rushing yards per game.
Penn State will look to take advantage of Illinois third down defense which is 106th in the country. The Fighting Illini have been able to command control of the clock and the ball with the third best turnover margin nationally at +7.
The Nittany Lions will look to resemble last season's 30-13 win over Illinois when their defense generated five takeaways. Redshirt junior linebacker Kobe King was one of the players who came away with a turnover with a fumble recovery and recognized Penn State’s approach defensively for Saturday’s matchup.
“They’re a great team; a physical team that likes to run the ball,” King said. “They like to target other main guys through the air but we just got to stop them at what they do best with the way they like to run the ball. They like to bring it up front, challenge the big guys up front. Their big guys versus our big guys. That’s what they want to see and we’re going to make it happen.”