TEAM
- Penn State is now 22-6 all-time against Illinois.
- Penn State is 17-15 all-time in Big Ten openers, including wins in its last four and seven of the last eight.
- Penn State is 75-24-5 in Homecoming games and 5-2 when wearing its Generations of Greatness uniforms.
- The win over No. 19 Illinois marks the first win over ranked opponent since a 31-0 win over Iowa in 2024.
- LB DaKaari Nelson made his first career start. He is the 10th Nittany Lion to make their first collegiate start this season.
STREAKS
Defense
- Penn State has held three-straight Big Ten opponents to less than 100 rushing yards and has held Big Ten opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in 14 of the last 15 conference contests.
Special Teams
- Penn State has not allowed a special teams touchdown in 63-straight games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
OFFENSE
Team
- Nick Singleton (2,221 yards) and Kaytron Allen (2,058 yards) are the second set of Penn State teammates to each have 2,000 career rushing yards, joining Lydell Mitchell (1969-71; 2,934 yds.) and Franco Harris (1969-71; 2,002 yds.)
- Penn State had one pass play of 20 yards, giving PSU 20 plays of 20+ yards this season (14 passes, 6 rushes)
- With 239 yards rushing, Penn State has recorded 200 rushing yards on 47 occasions since 2014. Penn State is 42-5 in those games.
- QB Drew Allar completed 15-of-21 passes for 135 yards.
- Allar’s 135 passing yards on the night give him 3,839 career passing yards, moving him into 13th place in Penn State history, leaping Kevin Thompson (3,710; 1996-99).
- The junior’s 135 passing yards and 15 rushing yards give him 4,189 career yards of total offense (3,839 pass; 350 rush), moving him into 14th place in Penn State history, surpassing Wally Richardson (4,182; 1992, 94-96).
- Allar now has 14 completions of 20+ yards this season.
- RB Kaytron Allen had 102 yards rushing on 18 carries, his sixth career 100-yard rushing game.
- On a rush in the second quarter, Allen surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards, becoming the 21st Penn State player to hit that mark. He now has 2,058 career rushing yards, ranking 19th all-time at Penn State.
- Allen’s fourth quarter rushing touchdown, a 5-yard score, was his 17th career rushing touchdown.
Nicholas Singleton
- RB Nicholas Singleton rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per rush.
- He added two receptions for 25 yards, including 23 yards after the catch.
- Singleton also had a 20-yard kick return to total 139 all-purpose yards.
- Singleton scored on a 4-yard run on the third quarter. It was his 23rd career rushing touchdown.
- Singleton’s 23 career rushing touchdown ties him for 16th at Penn State with Lenny Moore (23; 1953-55).
- TE Tyler Warren scored on a 3-yard run on Penn State’s opening drive. It was his third career rushing touchdown.
- Warren has caught a pass in 20-straight games and has at least one 14-yard reception in each of his last 10 games.
- Warren’s four receptions give him 69 career receptions, which is ninth among Penn State tight ends. On the night, Warren moved past Mickey Shuler (66; 1975-77) and Dan Natale (67; 1972-74).
- Warren’s 34 receiving yards give him 866 career receiving yards, good for 10th among PSU tight ends. On Saturday, Warren jumped Tony Stewart (861; 1997-2000).
- WR Harrison Wallace III had a 20-yard reception on Penn State’s opening drive.
DEFENSE
Team
- From the 1:41 mark of the second quarter (when Illinois had the ball at the Penn State 2-yard line) until the end of the game, the Nittany Lions held Illinois to 39 total yards.
- On a missed field goal in the second quarter, Penn State recorded a red-zone stop, its second of the season.
- The missed field goal in the red zone by the Illini in the second quarter snapped a streak of 36-straight red zone scores, which was the longest in the country.
- The Nittany Lions forced two takeaways (one fumble, one interception), giving them seven takeaways this season (three fumbles, four interceptions).
- CB J. Harris intercepted a pass and a strip-sack by DE Abdul Carter was recovered by DE Smith Vilbert. Both takeaways came in the fourth quarter.
- Penn State is 16-0 since 2022 when forcing multiple takeaways in a game.
- The Nittany Lions have recorded multiple takeaways in a game 58 times since 2014.
- Penn State had one fourth-down stop tonight, giving them three fourth-down stops this season.
- Penn State had a season-high 13 tackles for loss on Saturday, the most since recording 14 in 2023 vs. UMass, and most in a Big Ten game since 2022 at Rutgers (15).
- The 13 tackles for loss marks the 34th time since 2014 that the Nittany Lions have recorded 10 or more TFL in a game.
- The Nittany Lions recorded a season-high seven sacks, which are the most since notching seven in 2023 at Michigan State.
- The seven sacks mark the 19th time since 2014 that Penn State has recorded six or more sacks.
- Penn State held Illinois to 34 yards rushing, the fewest since holding Michigan State to (-35) yards rushing in 2023.
- Since the start of the 2022 season, Penn State has held 22 opponents under 100 rushing yards, the most in the FBS.
- It is also the 61st time holding an opponent under 100 rushing yards since 2014 and the 24th time holding an opponent under 50 rushing yards since 2014.
- Since the start of the 2022 season, the Nittany Lions have forced 57 turnovers (30 interceptions, 27 fumbles)
- After holding Illinois to seven points, Penn State has held opponents to 7 points or less 32 times since 2014. Twenty-three of those 32 games are against Big Ten opponents.
- The Nittany Lions held Illinois to 219 total yards, the 62nd time holding an opponent under 300 yards of total offense since 2014.
- Penn State held Illinois to 185 yards passing, the 75th time allowing under 200 passing yards since 2014.
- LB Abdul Carter had two tackles for loss in the first half to reach the 20 career tackles for loss mark. Carter finished the game with a career-high four tackles for loss and now has 22.5 TFL for his career.
- Carter is the first Nittany Lion with four tackles for loss in a game since Yetur Gross-Matos against Iowa in 2018.
- The junior recorded two sacks, marking his third career game with multiple sacks and his first since notching 2.5 sacks vs. UMass in 2023.
- Carter also forced a fumble on a sack late in the fourth quarter, his fourth career forced fumble.
Dani Dennis-Sutton
- DE Dani Dennis-Sutton was credited with a solo sack on an intentional grounding call in the second quarter. He has 11.5 career tackles for loss and 8.5 career sacks.
- DT Zane Durant had a solo tackle for loss in the second quarter.
- Durant added a solo sack in the fourth quarter. He has 10 career tackles for loss and five career sacks.
A.J. Harris
- CB A.J. Harris grabbed his first career interception in the fourth quarter.
- Harris also had one pass breakup, tying a career high.
- Harris collected three tackles in the first half and finished the game with four stops, tying a career high. He had four tackles on two previous occasions, last against Bowling Green earlier this season.
- DE Smith Vilbert recorded his first career fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter.
- DT Hakeem Beamon notched a solo tackle for loss in the second quarter. He owns 10.5 career tackles for loss.
- LB Kobe King recorded a solo sack in the second quarter and added a half-tackle for loss later in the quarter.
- King has 11.5 career tackles for loss and 2.5 career sacks.
- LB Tony Rojas tied a career high with 1.5 tackles for loss, the last time being vs. West Virgina earlier this season.
- S Jaylen Reed had a team-high nine tackles, including six solo.
- Reed collected a solo sack in the fourth quarter. He has 8.5 career tackles for loss and two career sacks.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- K Sander Sahaydak is 17-for-17 on extra-point attempts this season.
- P Riley Thompson hit a 48-yard punt to the Illinois 10 in the second quarter. It was his 47th career punt inside the 20 and 15th inside the 10.