Penn State Football: Blitz Stickers from Nittany Lions’ win over Illinois

Penn State football opened Big Ten play with a 63-24 victory over Illinois. Which players earned Blitz Stickers for their performance?

Penn State went on the road for a rare Friday night game to open up their conference slate. They came away with a 63-24 win over Illinois.

The final score does not indicate how close this game was for a long stretch. Illinois was down 21-17 at the halftime break but took a three-point lead with a touchdown on their first possession of the second half. Penn State took back the lead on the next drive, but the game was 28-24 at the end of the third quarter. The Lions dominated the fourth quarter and turned the game into a rout with 42 unanswered points.

The Penn State defense struggled mightily, especially in the first half. They could not contain Illinois with Lion linebackers being pushed aside, the secondary being caught out of position, and poorly timed penalties.

As it has been all season, the defense was bailed out by a great performance by the offense. Because of the poor play of the defense, the best players were on the offensive side of the ball. Here are five players who earned Blitz Stickers for their performance.