Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from roller-coaster win over Illinois

Illinois and Penn State football faced off in the conference opener for both teams. Here are three takeaways from the game.

Penn State traveled to Illinois for a rare Friday night game under the lights. It was the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Illini were looking to snap a 12-game conference losing streak.

Illinois played well for a half and their first drive of the second half, but could not stop Penn State’s offense. The Lions ran away with it in the last 30 minutes, crushing the Illini 63-24. The Lions have now scored 63 points in back to back weeks.

Penn State moves to 4-0 and notches their first conference win of the year. Illinois drops to 2-2, still looking for their first conference win since November 2016. Here are three takeaways from the game.

3. Penn State defense gave up a ton

Penn State’s offense can score against any defense in the country. Their defense is still a work in progress.

The Illini had great success against the Lion defense, especially on the ground in the first half. Running backs Mike Epstein and Reggie Corbin were running all over the field and Penn State could do little to stop them. Epstein and Corbin ended their nights with a combined 150 yards and a touchdown.

Illinois was down 21-17 at the break but took the second half kickoff and ran right down the field to take a surprising 24-21 lead over the 10th-ranked team in the country. After that point, it was all Lions on offense and their defense tightened up.

We have seen this play out for Penn State this season. They give up a lot in the first half and make the adjustments in the second half to start putting the hammer down.

They were a second half team during their Big Ten Championship team in 2016 and it seems like they will play like that again this season. However, the defense is suspect and will struggle against the better teams on their schedule.