No. 9 Nittany Lions looking to keep momentum going against No. 19 Illinois

 

[September 27, 2024]  By TRAVIS JOHNSON

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Reminders of Penn State’s last unbeaten season have been all over Happy Valley this week, serving as inspiration for Drew Allar and his teammates.

The 1994 team will be honored when the No. 9 Nittany Lions host No. 19 Illinois on Saturday,

“It’s super cool that the special season they had in ’94 still lives on to this day,” Allar said. “That’s something that we we talk about throughout the team. trying to replicate something like that.”

First, they’ll need to get by a rising Illinois squad. The Fighting Illini (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) travel to Beaver Stadium with confidence. They're undefeated in four games for the first time since 2011 and just the fourth time since 1936. They've knocked off a pair of ranked teams to get there.

“The part that our guys really relish in is, I think, we are always playing the underdog role,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “We always say we don't have one chip on our shoulder, we have two."

The Nittany Lions (3-0, 0-0) have won four of five in the series. The last Illinois win came in 2021 in a defensive marathon that required nine overtimes.

Both offenses have come a long way since then.

Led by quarterback Luke Altmyer, the Illini have posted a pair of comeback wins against previously ranked opponents. He helped rally his squad to a 10-point fourth quarter in a 23-17 win over Kansas in Week 2. Altmyer led a tying drive, then tossed the winning touchdown in overtime at Nebraska last week.

The Nittany Lions had their best offensive game in nearly 100 years a week ago, going for 718 yards against a banged up Kent State team.

“I thought we took some significant strides last week,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “It’s something for us to build on, but obviously as we all know, when you get into Big Ten play, it’s different.”

EMERGING HANDS

Franklin knows the wide receiver position was his team’s biggest question mark coming into the season, but he feels like that group has earned some praise so far.

Although tight end Tyler Warren leads the team with 16 catches, wideouts Tre Wallace, Omari Evans, Liam Clifford and Julian Fleming have all been involved more in the process.

Wallace has regularly gotten separation while Evans has developed into a speedy deep threat, averaging 25 yards per catch. Clifford and Fleming have impressed with their physicality as they work more into the rotation.

Penn State running back Cam Wallace (26) celebrates with quarterback Beau Pribula (9) after scoring a touchdown against Kent State during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

“They do a lot of the gritty work, the stuff that doesn’t get you onto SportsCenter or necessarily the stats that all the receivers obviously want,” Allar said. “But they go about their business the right way.”

ALTMYER’S PATH

Altmyer has improved after losing his starting spot late last season. All the signs were there in the summer when Altmyer discussed wanting to get better with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Barry Lunney Jr.

Lunney didn’t sugarcoat his assessment for Altmyer, who tossed 10 interceptions to just 13 touchdowns last year and lost the starting gig to John Paddock with three games to play.

“To be honest, the openness and the eagerness and the vulnerability that Luke showed to grow in this past offseason has just been paid back tenfold,” Bielema said. “Not just with our coaches, with our players.”

SHUFFLING PERSONNEL

Penn State linebacker Dom DeLuca and cornerback Cam Miller are questionable after both left last week’s game with unspecified injuries.

If they can’t go, Penn State will likely use freshmen DaKaari Nelson and Anthony Speca more on defense. Speca led the team in tackles with five last week.

MIC CHECK

The noise level at Beaver Stadium is always a concern for opposing teams, but the home team might be a little more worried this time around.

Penn State struggled with helmet communications on defense in its home opener against Bowling Green. It was simply too loud on the field for linebacker Kobe King to translate the call in his earpiece to the rest of his teammates, some of which were making their first starts in the massive stadium.

It went much smoother last week. Penn State could use old-fashioned sideline signals on Saturday, with the noise level expected to be much higher.

“If you’re not prepared for it, it creates some issues for you, too,” Franklin said.

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