#9 Penn State 21, #19 Illinois 7
After the Illini scored on their opening drive, the Penn State defense, coupled with errors, omissions, and penalties, shut out the visitors for the rest of the game. Neither team has a kicker who is worth a shit. Illinois missed an easy field goal, while Penn State missed two. The spread closed at PSU – 19.5. Obviously, another non-cover by Franklin’s boys.
Erase one of those missed field goals and pretend that they didn’t incur some stupid penalties, and they would have easily covered the spread. The over/under closed at 48.5, which suggests a final score of 34-14. Mistake-free play by both teams would have realized that outcome. However, the game wasn’t the prettiest for either.
The quarterbacks performed well. Although Luke Altmyer threw his first pick of the year, he also had one touchdown pass. He was 16-25 for 185 yards passing, and was throwing with pinpoint accuracy. Drew Allar was 15-21 for only 135 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. His passes were off the mark on several occasions. But it was the Penn State running game that won the game for them.
Kaytron Allen ran the ball eighteen times for 102 yards, while his partner, Nick Singleton, had sixteen carries for 94 yards. The offensive line opened large holes for Allen and Singleton, and in general, they played a competent game, allowing only two sacks for five yards.
Meanwhile, the Penn State defense sacked Altmyer seven times for forty-three yards, and allowed only thirty-four yards rushing. Illinois was forced to play the aerial game, and the Nittany Lions were up to the task of defending against it, when Illinois wasn’t shooting itself in the foot.
This slow start bullshit must now cease. The Nittany Lions slept through much of the first half, and they damn near put me to sleep, too. Fortunately, I also had the Georgia-Alabama game to hold my interest
It is clear that the 2024 edition of the Penn State Nittany Lions has significant potential. However, they must shitcan that slow start stuff. After UCLA next week, PSU faces USC, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Washington. They must come out of that phase of the schedule with no fewer than one loss to remain seriously in contention for that playoff spot the Sanguinarians think is a gimme.
The first big test of the year having been passed, I hope Penn State can clean up its act and work on those weak points. The next few weeks should tell us more about whether that might happen.
I’ll be back mid-week with a look at the upcoming UCLA game.
