{"id":16869,"date":"2023-09-16T21:33:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-17T02:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=16869"},"modified":"2023-09-16T21:33:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T02:33:35","slug":"highs-lows-penn-state-pushes-through-struggles-to-top-illinois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/highs-lows-penn-state-pushes-through-struggles-to-top-illinois\/","title":{"rendered":"Highs & Lows: Penn State pushes through struggles to top Illinois"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Nate Bauer<\/em><\/p>\n

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. \u2013 Penn State head coach James Franklin was expecting new challenges in his program\u2019s first road trip of the 2023 season. Facing Illinois on Saturday afternoon, he got them. <\/p>\n

Struggling to find consistent success through much of the first three quarters, the Nittany Lions finally transformed a close contest into a comfortable win. The 30-13 result improved Penn State to 3-0 on the season with a 1-0 mark against Big Ten competition.<\/p>\n

Here, we look at the highs and lows of the game:<\/p>\n

Penn State tops Illinois, 30-13<\/h2>\n

PLAYER OF THE GAME<\/strong> This spot goes to the entirety of Penn State\u2019s cornerbacks\u2019 room. Coming into the season with deserved hype, the Nittany Lions emerged from the first two games of the season without an interception among the position group. Saturday afternoon, that changed dramatically. In a game that saw the Nittany Lions finish with four interceptions, three were snagged by Johnny Dixon<\/a><\/strong>, Cam Miller<\/a><\/strong>, and Daequan Hardy<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

PLAY OF THE GAME<\/strong> Desperately needing to find some success offensively, a late-third-quarter drive finally clicked. Getting the ball to Nick Singleton<\/a><\/strong>, Theo Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, and Kaytron Allen<\/a><\/strong> for three key first downs, the capper went deep into the playbook. Facing a first-and-goal at the 2, Penn State tossed to running back Trey Potts<\/a><\/strong> in the shotgun, who found Tyler Warren<\/a><\/strong> tiptoeing the end zone sideline. The completion was good for a touchdown and a 23-7 lead for the Nittany Lions.<\/p>\n

BEST PASS<\/strong> Needing something to click offensively, a last-minute pass in the first half from Drew Allar<\/a><\/strong> to Liam Clifford<\/a><\/strong> proved picture-perfect. Finding the redshirt freshman receiver up the Illinois sideline, the completion went for 33 yards and set Penn State up for a final shot at the end zone before heading to the locker room.<\/p>\n

Top standouts<\/h2>\n

WORST PASS Luke Altmyer<\/a><\/strong> had some nice passes early. He had some misfires early. None were more consequential than his third-and-7 attempt to Isaiah Williams<\/a><\/strong> late in the first quarter. Underthrown and behind Williams, the pass was promptly picked off by Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0On the day, he threw four. <\/p>\n

BEST RUN<\/strong> Reggie Love<\/a><\/strong> ran angrily for Illinois late in the first half. No carry was tougher than his 5-yard touchdown, forcing two Penn State defenders with him, into the orange-painted end zone. The score put Illini on the board for the first time in the afternoon, cutting their deficit to 13-7 with 2:08 to play.<\/p>\n

BEST CATCH<\/strong> One of the most spectacular catches of the afternoon appeared on the defensive side of the ball. Daequan Hardy<\/a><\/strong>, returning from a two-game absence to start the season, ran step for step with Williams in front of Penn State\u2019s bench as Altmyer lofted a deep pass down the field. It wasn\u2019t enough. Instead, Hardy kept a lock on the ball and came down with the Nittany Lions\u2019 third takeaway of the first quarter.<\/p>\n

WORST DROP<\/strong> Malik McClain<\/a><\/strong> earned his first start as a Nittany Lion on Saturday but quickly showed his nerves. On Penn State\u2019s second play from scrimmage, the transfer receiver let a bullet from Drew Allar bounce off his chest and to the Memorial Stadium turf. The drop led to a punt just two plays later. To open the second half, in virtually identical circumstances, McClain suffered another ball straight through his hands.<\/p>\n

Penn State defensive standouts<\/h2>\n

BEST SACK<\/strong> Adisa Isaac was great against Illinois on Saturday and came through when it counted late in the third quarter. Against a reeling Illini offense, Isaac collapsed on Altmyer for a 9-yard loss. The very next play, faced with a third-and-19, Altmyer threw his fourth interception of the afternoon, this time to Penn State corner Cam Miller.<\/p>\n

BEST HIT<\/strong> Dom DeLuca entered the game on Penn State\u2019s second defensive set of the afternoon. On his third rep, he very much maximized the opportunity. Bashing Josh McCray at the Illinois 43, DeLuca forced the ball onto the turf and into the hands of a waiting Kobe King. The turnover gave Penn State excellent field position and sparked the Nittany Lions\u2019 first points soon thereafter.<\/p>\n

BEST EFFORT<\/strong> The start wasn\u2019t as Penn State would have wanted defensively, but the Nittany Lions turned it around in a hurry. Three times before the end of the first quarter, they created turnovers. And, after allowing 168 yards and seven points to the Illini in the first half, Penn State swarmed out of the break. The result was an Illinois offense that resembled hopelessness, eventually switching quarterbacks late in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Wrapping up<\/h2>\n

BEST RETURN<\/strong> Taking the kickoff after Illinois\u2019 late first-half touchdown from his 4-yard line, Nick Singleton weaved his way to outstanding field position for the Nittany Lions\u2019 ensuing drive. Moving left, then cutting back to the middle of the field, the return was good for 31 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BEST KICK<\/strong> Lining up for his first attempt of any real distance, Alex Felkins booted a 45-yard attempt confidently through the uprights. The late-first-quarter field goal gave the Nittany Lions a 6-0 lead. Felkins knocked through his third field goal of the afternoon as time expired on the first half.<\/p>\n

WORST KICK<\/strong> For as nice as his 45-yarder was earlier in the half, Felkins\u2019 49-yard try midway through the second quarter never had a chance. Blasting the attempt straight into the outstretched arms of Illinois\u2019 defensive lineman Jer\u2019Zhan Newton. The block gave the Illini field position at their 32 with 6:09 to play in the first half.<\/p>\n

WORST DECISION<\/strong> After already suffering an interception, their second in as many possessions on their side of the field, the Illini compounded the issue by committing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Scrapping with Penn State\u2019s defenders after Abdul Carter\u2019s interception, Josh Kreutz was flagged for a 15-yard penalty, giving the Nittany Lions possession at the 22.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MOST TELLING MOMENT<\/strong> As Singleton walked into the end zone, scoring a 16-yard touchdown with 14:24 left in the game, most of Illinois\u2019 student section walked out of the stadium. The TD, giving Penn State a 30-7 advantage, ended any remaining mystery to a game that wasn\u2019t decided until it.<\/p>\n

The post Highs & Lows: Penn State pushes through struggles to top Illinois<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Nate Bauer CHAMPAIGN, Ill. \u2013 Penn State head coach James Franklin was expecting new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16869\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}