Penn State Football: Nittany Lions open Big Ten play at Illinois

After getting through the non-conference schedule undefeated, Penn State football heads on the road this week to open Big Ten Conference play. 

Penn State football has started the 2018 season with a 4-0 record. While the record was expected, the Nittany Lions struggled a bit more than expected, particularly in the season opener against Appalachian State. Still, Penn State is undefeated and ranked No. 10 in the nation heading into Big Ten play.

To get things started in the conference, the Nittany Lions face a unique situation. The Big Ten conference added a new wrinkle to its scheduling practice last season by adding Friday evening games. Penn State didn’t play one last year, but will get its chance this week.

Due to the travel and the adjustments to the practice week that must be made to account for a Friday night game, the contest at Illinois represents a possible trap game for the Nittany Lions. Aside from just the travel and the odd time, Penn State could easily get caught looking ahead to its huge upcoming game with Ohio State.

While it’s certainly a different situation to be faced with, Penn State’s talent level is much higher than Illinois, and the Nittany Lions should have plenty of firepower to put away the Illini.

The Nittany Lions have started to put things together in the last two games after the slow start to the season. The defense has improved each week, and senior quarterback Trace McSorley has done an excellent job leading the potent Penn State offense.

On the Illinois side, the Illini will be hosting their fourth-straight home game. They won their first two games of the year, against Kent State and Western Illinois, but lost last week to South Florida. Illinois has been led by a strong ground game so far, ranking No. 23 in the nation with an average of 243 rushing yards per game.

Penn State will need to focus on stopping the rushing duo of Mike Epstein and Reggie Corbin.

While the Nittany Lions are big favorites, they still need to be careful. Road games are always tough, and they lost during their last trip to Champaign in 2014. Fortunately, Penn State is one of the best teams in the Big Ten and shouldn’t have too much trouble going home with a victory.

Kickoff between the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Illini is set for 9:00 p.m ET. The game will air on FOX Spots 1.