Penn State takeaways: What we learned from the Lions' decisive win at Illinois (2024)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 7 Penn State looked as though it was sleepwalking through much of the first half and yet the game was not in question by the time the fourth quarter started. Good teams have a tendency to do that.

Penn State beat Illinois 30-13 in Drew Allar’s first career road start. Below are some takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ third win of the season. Read more about Penn State-Illinois here.

• In the summer, coach James Franklin said the Lions needed a ball-hawking safety to step up. They didn’t need one against Illinois thanks in large part to Luke Altmyer’s erratic outing. The Penn State defense came up with three takeaways in the first quarter and five total in the game. Dom DeLuca’s forced fumble was recovered by Kobe King. Abdul Carter, Daequan Hardy, Johnny Dixon and Cam Miller each picked off Altmyer. Penn State’s defense is littered with playmakers, and it showed. After failing to create any takeaways in the season opener against West Virginia, Penn State now has at least two takeaways in each of the last two games.

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• For the first time this season the Nittany Lions had to respond to some momentum swings. It felt as though Penn State was going to run away with a win midway through the second quarter but that all changed after a personal foul on KeAndre Lambert-Smith and a subsequent blocked 52-yard field goal attempt from kicker Alex Felkins. It appeared that Lambert-Smith pushed a player late. Illinois responded to the blocked field goal with a touchdown to trim the lead to 13-7. Suddenly the home crowd was back in it.

The Lions led at the half 16-7, and it was notable how they responded in the third quarter. Good teams find ways to win games when it gets ugly, and that’s exactly what Penn State did. The defense came away with the Dixon interception, and Miller’s pick late in the third quarter effectively ended it. The offense, needing a boost in the worst possible way, was able to string together a seven-play, 68-yard drive late in the third quarter that was capped off by some trickery when third-string running back Trey Potts found a wide-open Tyler Warren for a 4-yard touchdown pass. There are plenty of playmakers on this roster beyond the stars.

• What was wrong with the offense for much of the game? Wide receiver Harrison Wallace III was listed as questionable and did not play. Malik McClain started in his place and had a drop on the opening drive. Yes, missing a starting receiver is significant, but this was not a sharp outing from Allar or the offensive line. Allar completed 16-of-33 passes for 208 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown but also remained turnover-free.

Allar has a lot to learn from this. He had Lambert-Smith wide open on the first play of the second quarter and didn’t see him. Had they connected, it would’ve at least been an explosive play and potentially a touchdown. There were several other moments like that in which Allar was just off. He put a ball behind Kaden Saunders and another behind Dante Cephas. Allar was nearly intercepted in the third quarter, too. Still, backup Beau Pribula was able to enter the game for mop-up duty with 13:13 left in the fourth quarter.

• Penn State scored 20 points off turnovers. Altmyer threw four picks — and almost a few more. This is a reminder that the transfer portal doesn’t solve every team’s problems.

• The Penn State offensive line — after being praised for making such progress the first two weeks — had some struggles against a very solid defensive front. JB Nelson started at left guard but was spelled by Vega Ioane. Ioane moved to right guard at the start of the second half, replacing Sal Wormley. Wormley did return. Drew Shelton spelled right tackle Caedan Wallace. Penn State rolled through its rotation, but Allar was pressured, and Jer’Zhan Newton, one of the best defensive linemen in college football, batted down at least one pass.

• This game was a bit chippy, especially considering these teams don’t play each other often. There’s no way Franklin will be thrilled with the seven penalties his team racked up. In addition to the Lambert-Smith penalty, there was a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on defensive tackle Dvon Ellies in the first quarter. Those penalties are the ones that irk the head coach. Penn State has to get those cleaned up.

• Does Penn State have a solid run defense? The Lions gave up 51 yards on the opening drive — 29 yards rushing, 22 yards passing — yet Illinois had nothing to show for it after a missed 47-yard field goal attempt. Some of the tackling issues that popped up in Week 1 re-emerged on that drive. Altmyer marched the Illini down the field, but the drive stalled when Kevin Winston Jr. came up big in coverage on third down. It was a nice stop for the sophom*ore who was in tight coverage.

It’s those erratic series that make you wonder whether or not this is a group that can consistently play at a high level against a high-powered rushing offense like Michigan, but in the end, it turned out to be an impressive performance from Manny Diaz’s group. After all, Penn State’s defense gave up only 62 yards rushing yards in the game.

• Penn State should feel a little better about the kicking situation now. Felkins went 3-for-4 with field goals of 20, 45 and 28 yards. The fact that Franklin was even willing to attempt a 52-yarder — which was blocked — speaks volumes. Penn State did travel both Felkins and backup Sander Sahaydak.

• The nine-overtime game hasn’t been forgotten around here. On the drive to the stadium, there was a traffic sign hanging over the highway that encouraged fans to swing by a nearby rest stop — just in case a nine-overtime game happens again. In the Memorial Stadium press box, there’s a framed photo hanging from the decisive score in the ninth overtime.

(Photo of Drew Allar: Ron Johnson / USA Today)