Penn State Football vs. Illinois 3 bold predictions: Keyvone Lee goes for over 250?
Penn State Football will wrap up the regular season and take on the Illinois Fighting Illini this Saturday at beaver Stadium, set for a 5:30 pm kick on FS1.
“Champions Week” in the Big Ten is here, and Penn State Football will host crossover opponent Illinois this Saturday in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions seek to put together their fourth straight victory after defeating Michigan State in Week 8 39-24.
The Fighting Illini have lost two straight, and after dropping last week’s contest to Northwestern 28-10 decided to relieve head coach Lovie Smith of his duties after his fifth season in Champaign.
Smith is not the only one who won’t make the trip to State College, as top wide receiving target Josh Imatorbhebhe opted out of the remainder of the season this week and declared for the NFL draft.
Barring any unforeseen issues, Penn State Football will join Rutgers as the only other Big Ten school to play all nine games this season, not having any games canceled due to Covid-19. Before the season started, thinking any teams would play all nine games with a hitch would have been a bold prediction.
So, that got us thinking about some bold predictions for Penn State football’s matchup with the Illini Saturday:
Keyvone Lee will rush for 250+ yards
Freshman running back Keyvone Lee has seemingly taken over as the lead guy in the backfield for Penn State football, leading the team in carries during their three game winning streak.
The Florida native has rushed for 86 yards per game in this three game span, but could be in for his biggest performance yet facing a beleaguered Illinois defense. The Illini gave up 411 yards on the ground in last week’s loss, allowing an astounding 7.1 yards per carry.
Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca seems to have simplified the offense and since finding his lead back in Lee, has put a major emphasis on the ground game. The Nittany Lions are runnng the ball an average of 49 times a game during the win streak, and it has been hard to argue with the results.
Lee has rushed for 353 yards and three touchdowns this season, averaging five yards per carry.
In what will be a cold December night in an empty Beaver Stadium, look for Penn State Football to stick the ball in the gut of Lee time and time again. Combine that with the fact it would be fair to question the motivation Illinois has coming into this game, and it could be a big day for the freshhman back.
Keyvone Lee rushes for 250 plus yards in a blowout victory.