Hunger, passion, and tenacity are what the Penn State Nittany Lions are bringing into this 2023 campaign. Penn State football demolished West Virginia 38-15 in Week 1. They demolished Delaware 63-7 in Week 2.
This is a Penn State football team that looks like they can go far this season. Can they continue the dominance against their rival Illinois?
Here are three reasons why Penn State will beat Illinois:
1) Penn State’s Tenacious Defense
Most teams in the Big Ten have a great defensive team. Penn State’s defense is legit. If you saw how they kept pressuring and pounding West Virginia and Delaware’s offense, then you know they are a force to be reckoned with. Penn State’s interior defensive line gave up 146 rushing yards against West Virginia and just 140 total yards against Delaware.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has three interceptions so far this season. For Illinois to have a chance against Penn State’s defense, you can’t afford your quarterback to make mistakes.
Alymyer is a solid quarterback. He transferred from Ole Miss which is a good program. In his last season with Ole Miss, Altmyer went eight for 17 on his passing attempts for 125 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Ole Miss is well-coached by Lane Kiffin. With that being said, I don’t like Luke’s chances against this Lions defense. Lions could give Illinois offensive linemen a lot of trouble.
2) Drew Allar-Keandre Lambert Smith: QB-WR Connection
Quarterback Drew Allar has been on a mission throughout the first two games so far. He’s thrown for over 500 yards and has completed 78% of his passes. He hasn’t thrown any interceptions.
Wide receiver Keandre Lambert Smith is close to reaching 200 yards this season. He had a big game against West Virginia and an okay performance against Delaware. He didn’t score a touchdown, but he added 74 yards, and he’s still a good receiver for Penn State football.
If Allar can throw the ball more to Smith especially early in the game, then it would be a recipe for success on offense. I expect Allar to throw at least three touchdowns (two of them to Smith). When you play against Penn State’s offense, the defense can’t miss a beat. You have to pick up every inch against the Lions.
Illinois could’ve given Penn State problems last year, but this year’s Illinois team is different and feels different. Illinois coaching staff might expect to rely so much on their quarterback, which should raise some concerns. Illinois was better constructed last season than this season.
3) Penn State’s Coaching Staff will Make Adjustments
Give credit to the Penn State football coaching staff for getting their players involved and maintaining focus.
Penn State has a great tempo and poise so far this season. Head coach James Franklin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz are very pleased with what they are seeing from their players.
Coach Franklin made some good adjustments during the second half of the game against West Virginia by putting in safeties King Mack, Mehki Flowers, and cornerback Elliot Washington II. They all collected tackles. Many of the defensive players got a piece of the pie when it came to picking up tackles.
Penn State is expected to have a big game against Illinois. It wouldn’t be shocking if Illinois could pull off an upset but Penn State is a very good team. They’re not soft. The coaching staff have shown that they can tweak things to make the game go their way. In terms of the Nittany Lions’ running game, I think they’re due for a huge breakout game. The running game should be better in this game compared to Weeks 1 and 2.
I expect Penn State to dominate, but they shouldn’t underestimate Illinois. You can’t take any teams lightly. Anyone can be beaten on any given Saturday.
Penn State is projected to win at least 15 points against Illinois. I don’t disagree with this prediction based on what I’m seeing this season so far. I have Penn State winning this game 37-20 against Illinois. Penn State and Illinois will face off on Saturday, September 16th at noon EST.