Penn State Football 2018: Three Nittany Lions to Watch Against Illinois

Penn State football invades Illinois to open Big Ten Conference play.  Who are the Nittany Lions to watch in the Friday night tilt?

Penn State spent the last two games getting back to doing what they were supposed to do all along in their non-conference portion of their schedule – win, and win convincingly!

The Nittany Lions dispatched Pittsburgh and Kent State by a combined score of 114-16.  All three phases of the game have been getting better each week.  The offense has been clicking at a prolific rate.

Heisman Trophy contender, Trace McSorley, has the fifth-most passing yards per game in the Big Ten (201.0 yds per game) this season, and he is the conference’s top-ranked rushing quarterback.

The defense, which hasn’t allowed a second half point since the 28-point fourth quarter barrage by Appalachian State, has been rounding into form, and the special teams play has been solid.

Piling up numbers and winning your non-conference slate is important, but every team will tell you that you that you find out the most about your team when you get into conference play.  Penn State opens Big Ten play when they travel to Champaign, Illinois to square off against the illinois Fighting Illini.

Penn State and Illinois have had a few memorable clashes, including the Nittany Lions’ dramatic fourth-quarter comeback in 1994 which sent them to the Rose Bowl.  And, who could forget the October 2011 fourth-quarter comeback to give Joe Paterno his 409th and last win in his illustrious career.

The Illini program has fallen on hard times the past few years.  In fact, Illinois has not won a conference game since November 5, 2016 (defeated Michigan State 31-27).  Going deeper, Illinois has not had a winning season since 2011, Ron Zook’s final season.  Illinois Head Coach Lovie Smith was brought in to provide stability to a program that has been badly searching for stability and direction for well over a decade.

To date, Smith, hasn’t provided the answers Illini fans have been longing for.  In slightly more than two years at the helm of Illinois, his record is an underwhelming 7-20.  No matter Illinois’ record, they still pose a unique challenge for Penn State.

In what some have dubbed a “trap game” because Penn State may be looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Ohio State, the Nittany Lions must focus their attention on all that Illinois will give them.  Undoubtedly Penn State Head Coach James Franklin has been preaching “Illinois, Illinois, Illinois” all week, and hopefully his players have bought into the idea.

So, who are the Nittany Lion players you should be watching on Friday night?