Penn State Football: 3 Bold Predictions against Illinois

1. Illinois will not score a touchdown

Without two of their best receivers in Mike Dudek and Edwin Carter, Illinois will struggle to move the ball throughout Friday’s game. Penn State will play the run and force Illinois to try and pass the ball.

Illinois has only scored eight touchdowns all season, and only two of those were receiving touchdowns. Both of those receiving touchdowns were from Carter, who is out for the season with a knee injury.

Illinois does have an impressive rushing attack with Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein, who are both on track for 1,000 rushing yards if they reach a bowl game. They are both having statistically similar seasons to Miles Sanders.

Still, Penn State has a very good front seven, which includes a defensive line that has been playing very well in their opening games. Their game plan will be to load the box and force Illinois to pass, which will make things very difficult for Illinois.

Penn State should win this game easily, even if they fall behind early. The Nittany Lions are a much better team at nearly every position, especially with some key injuries for Illinois. Penn State and Ohio State will be a matchup of two of the best undefeated teams in the country in Week 5.