No. 9/8 Penn State vs. No. 19/21 Illinois
UNIVERSITY PARK- No. 9/8 Penn State welcomes No. 19/21 Illinois for its Big Ten opener on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
NBC SATURDAY NIGHT: The Nittany Lions are set to make their first appearance on NBC this season after playing twice on the network in 2023. Penn State is 9-3 all-time in games broadcast on NBC.
SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets Illinois for the 28th time in program history. Penn State holds a 21-6 advantage in the series and has won four of the last five matchups. In 2023, the Nittany Lions earned a 30-13 victory in Champaign. Penn State forced five takeaways, including four interceptions and a fumble. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton each scored on rushing touchdowns, while Trey Potts threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Warren.
BIG TEN OPENER: The Nittany Lions are 16-15 all-time in Big Ten openers. Penn State has won its last three Big Ten openers and six of the last seven. The Nittany Lions will start Big Ten play at home for the first time since 2015 and just the second time since 2010. Illinois is tied with Wisconsin as PSU’s most frequent Big Ten opener opponent with five matchups each.
EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE: Penn State (282.7 passing; 255.0 rushing) joins Tennessee (275.8 passing; 290.0 rushing) as the only FBS teams averaging 250+ passing yards and 250+ rushing yards this season. Penn State holds seventh in the nation averaging 537.7 total yards and ranks second in the nation in big play percentage (22.73) after posting 718 yards and 40 first downs, both school records, against Kent State.
SHUTOUT: Against Kent State, the Nittany Lions posted their 12th shutout since 2015, tied with Alabama for the most shutouts in the FBS. PSU also has the nation’s most shutouts against conference opponents (8) since 2015. The Nittany Lions have notched 20 games without allowing a touchdown since 2014. Penn State joins Tennessee and Fresno State as the only FBS teams with a shutout in each of the last four seasons.
THE OPPOSITION: No. 19/21 Illinois is 4-0 this season after earning a 31-24 win in overtime at No. 22/22 Nebraska last weekend. Luke Altmyer threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with Pat Bryant on two scores. In overtime, Altmyer hit Bryant for a 4-yard touchdown in overtime.
BY THE NUMBERS
2015 – Penn State is set to play its first Big Ten opener at home since 2015.
718 – The Nittany Lions set a program record with 718 total yards against Kent State.
+652 – Penn State had a 652-yard differential against Kent State, gaining 718 yards and allowing 66, the highest yard differential against an FBS team in 20 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
4th – The Nittany Lions recorded a shutout for the fourth-straight season.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI
Bret Bielema was named Illinois’ head coach in December 2020.
As head coach of the Fighting Illini, Bielema has a 22-19 record and led Illinois to an appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2022.
Bielema has 15 years of collegiate head coaching experience.
Illinois is 4-0 this season, including a 1-0 mark in Big Ten play.
The Fighting Illini own wins over Eastern Illinois (45-0), No. 19/20 Kansas (23-17), Central Michigan (30-9) and No. 22/22 Nebraska (31-24).
Last Friday, Illinois earned a 31-24 win over No. 22/22 Nebraska in overtime.
Luke Altmyer threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns.
Pat Bryant hauled in two touchdown receptions, including the game-winner in overtime.
Dylan Rosiek led the Illinois defense with nine tackles, including a sack, and a forced fumble.
Alec Bryant contributed two sacks, while Dennis Briggs Jr. and Gabe Jacas each had one.
Altmyer has completed 71 percent of his passes for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns, without throwing an interception.
RB Kaden Feagin leads the rushing attack with 242 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
WR Zakhari Franklin (21 rec, 243 yds) and WR Pat Bryant (20 rec, 309 yds, 6 TD) are Illinois’ leading receivers.
Rosiek and DB Matthew Bailey lead Illinois with 23 tackles.
Jacas owns four tackles for loss and two sacks.
DB Xavier Scott has a team-best three interceptions, while DB Miles Scott has two.
BIG TEN OPENERS
Penn State is 16-15 all-time in Big Ten openers and 4-5 in Big Ten openers at home.
PSU has won its last three Big Ten openers and six of the last seven.
The Nittany Lions will start Big Ten play at home for the first time since 2015 and just the second time since 2010.
Penn State opened Big Ten play last season with a 30-13 win at Illinois.
Illinois is tied with Wisconsin as Penn State’s most frequent Big Ten opener opponent with five matchups each.
SUCCESS ON HOMECOMING
The Nittany Lions own a 74-24-5 record in 103 games in front of the alumni crowd since their 14-7 victory over Dartmouth in the first Homecoming game on Oct. 9, 1920.
In 2023, Penn State won 63-0 against UMass.
Penn State has won nine out of its last 12 Homecoming tilts, defeating UMass (2023), Minnesota (2022), Purdue (2019), Rutgers (2017), Maryland (2016), Indiana (2015), Michigan (2013), Northwestern (2012) and Purdue (2011).
The Nittany Lions have claimed 15 of their last 18 contests in front of the alumni crowd.
GENERATIONS OF GREATNESS
Penn State is turning back the clock for its “Generations of Greatness” game, as the Nittany Lions will don uniforms with design elements from uniforms past.
Penn State is wearing its “Generations of Greatness” uniforms for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The threads debuted in 2017 against Indiana (W, 45-14) and Penn State donned them again against Purdue in 2019 (W, 35-7), Iowa in 2020 (L, 21-42), Illinois in 2021 (L, 18-20, 9OT), Minnesota in 2022 (W, 45-17) and UMass in 2023 (W, 63-0).
Uniform Elements
Numbers on Helmets – The Nittany Lions had the number on the side of their helmet from 1959-61 and then again from 1967-74. A No. 42 also appeared on the side of every Penn State helmet in the season finale against Wisconsin in 2012 to honor injured senior Michael Mauti.
Block Uniform Numbers – The block uniform numbers are similar to those uniform numbers that donned the Blue & White from mid-1950s-66.
White Stripe on Sleeve – Penn State’s uniform had a white stripe on the sleeve several times, including 1957-66, 1982-89 and 1992-2011.
Stripe on the Pants – The Nittany Lions had a blue stripe on their pants from 1952-68.
Gray Facemask – The gray facemask was donned by the Nittany Lions from 1959-86.
White Cleats – The white cleats were worn by the Nittany Lions in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
Gloves – The gloves will feature the Lion Shrine on the palm of the hands.
Lion Shrine – The image of Lion Shrine appears on the “home plate” of the front of the jersey. It is an original element of the “Generations of Greatness” uniform to pay homage to the Lion Shrine that was a gift from the Class of 1940.
Back Inside Collar – The back inside collar of the jersey reads “Penn State 1959” in recognition of the first Liberty Bowl game, played in Philadelphia. Penn State defeated Alabama, 7-0.
KENT STATE NOTES
Penn State posted 718 yards of total offense and allowed 66 total yards on defense, a difference of 652 yards. The difference is the most for a Penn State team since 1947 and according to ESPN Stats & Info, the highest yard differential in the FBS in the last 20 years.
Penn State had a school-record 718 yards of offense. The previous record was 711 yards vs. Susquehanna in 1926.
The Nittany Lions had a school-record 40 first downs. The previous record was 38 vs. West Virginia in 1962.
PSU had eight different players score a touchdown in a game for the first time since eight scored against Georgia State in 2017.
Penn State’s 409 passing yards are the fifth-highest in school history and the most since the Nittany Lions had 429 passing yards vs. Villanova in 2021.
Between the second and third quarters, Penn State scored four touchdowns in a 7:36 span, while covering 319 yards.
Penn State had three different players (QB Drew Allar, QB Beau Pribula, TE Tyler Warren) throw a passing touchdown in the same game since 2008 in a 55-13 win over Syracuse (QB Daryll Clark, QB Pat Devlin, QB Paul Cianciolo).
Warren threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton in the second quarter. It was Warren’s first career touchdown pass.
Warren is the first non-PSU quarterback with a passing and receiving touchdown in the same game since WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith against Michigan State in 2022.
Penn State held Kent State to 66 yards of offense (48 rushing, 18 passing), tied for the seventh-fewest since 1947. It is the fewest yards allowed by the Nittany Lions since holding Michigan State to 53 yards of total offense in 2023.
The Nittany Lions held Kent State to 20 total yards in the first quarter (0 pass, 20 rush) and 40 total yards in the first half (18 pass, 22 rush). Penn State held Kent State to 26 yards in the second half (0 pass, 26 rush).
The 18 passing yards allowed are the fewest allowed by Penn State under James Franklin.
Penn State only allowed six first downs, the fewest since allowing five at Michigan State in 2023.
The two passing completions allowed are the second-fewest allowed under Franklin and the lowest number of completions allowed since Army had one completion in 2015.
