Penn State Football 2018 Season Rewind: Nittany Lions win on road vs Illinois

Penn State football started big Ten play with a big road win

After starting the 2018 season with three non-conference wins, Penn State football — ranked No. 10 in the nation — headed to Illinois for the first Big Ten Conference game of the season. The Nittany Lions again stared slow, but used a giant fourth quarter to pull away from the Illini and secure a 63-24 win.

Running back Miles Sanders, who would go on to have a big night, started the scoring with a 14-yard run to give Penn State the early lead. However, Illinois scored a touchdown late in the first quarter to tie the game at seven after one.

The Nittany Lions appeared to be ready to run away with the game after scoring two quick touchdowns in the second quarter. Sanders added his second touchdown run of the game, followed by a Trace McSorley to tight end Pat Freiermuth touchdown pass.

Unfortunately, Penn State’s dominance didn’t last, as the Illini added a touchdown and a field goal before the half that cut the lead to just four points.

Illinois kept the momentum going by scoring a touchdown early in the third quarter to go up 24-21. Penn State was able to answer the Illinois score with Miles Sanders’ third touchdown of the game.

Starting the fourth quarter, the game as still very much in doubt for the Nittany Lions. Heading into the contest, it was said that the Illini could present a trap for Penn State, considering the unique Friday road game and the fact that Ohio State was looming the following week.

Fortunately, head coach James Franklin’s team totally destroyed any prospects of an upset. The Nittany Lions exploded for five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 61-yard touchdown run by true freshman running back Ricky Slade. He also added a one-yard score, and fellow backup running back Journey Brown also scored.

Overall, the Penn State offense racked up 591 yards. McSorley finished with 160 passing yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 92 yards on the ground. The Penn State rushing attack was led by Sanders, who put up 200 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, the Nittany Lions rushed for 387 yards.

The defense locked down in the fourth quarter, but struggled to stop the Illinois offense for much of the game. A concerning trend that came out of this was the fact that once again, the Nittany Lions were torched on the ground, as the Illini racked up 245 rushing yards.

Penn State improved to 4-0 with the win and prepared to host Ohio State the next week in the annual White Out Game.