(Photo: Alton Telegraph)

Campus Clash 

(19) Illinois Fighting Illini at (9) Penn State Nittany Lions

Illinois: What a story they’ve been this year. In a conference with the defending champion Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, and all the other teams that have come to the Big Ten, it’s understandable why they don’t get enough recognition. That’s not always a bad thing because to get that respect, sometimes, you just have to go out, prove yourself, and earn it. In week two, they had to grind a game out against the Kansas Jayhawks and just last Friday night, they escaped with an overtime victory against a much improved Nebraska Cornhuskers team. Lincoln is a tough place to play, but they survived. The Fighting Illini are the only team in the nation with multiple wins over top 25 opponents. Kansas was ranked 19th when they faced each other and Nebraska was 22nd. I like the mindset of this team under Bret Bielema. They aren’t the flashiest football team when you watch them. After watching them on Friday night, I came to the realization this is a very complete football team with very few holes. They dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football and this year, their secondary is much improved. I’m unsure about you all, but I’m buying stock in this Illinois team. Luke Altmeyer is also a solid Quarterback who was on his a-game this past Friday. He completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 215 yards passing and four touchdown passes in a hostile environment. This weekend, they will face their biggest test of the college football season. A prime-time game in Happy Valley against James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Penn State: Do you all remember the days when the labels on Jim Harbaugh during his days in Ann Arbor? “He can’t win big games”. “He can’t beat the upper echelon in the Big Ten” and my personal favorite, “he can’t win under the lights”. Before leaving to return to the NFL, Jim shed all of those labels and left a champion. All those labels now are placed upon one man and that’s James Franklin. He’s been coaching this program for a while, but they just appear to be very average at best. To be one of the best, you have to beat the best and I’ve seen them struggle against the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. James hasn’t defeated Ohio State since 2016 when they upset a then-second-ranked Buckeye team in October of that season en route to the Big Ten East division title and conference championship. Sometimes when I watch the Penn State offense as I have over the years, there’s no innovation or threat to scare a defense. I love the fact they run the ball and they have one of the best tandems in the country in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, but seeing more from the passing game will make people take them more seriously. This year, I’ve noticed a more aggressive attack from them on the offensive side of things. Drew Allar is pushing the football down the field more and they improved at Wide Receiver. Tyler Warren has also been arguably the best Tight End in the country. On Saturday night, they will welcome a hungry Illinois team to their neck of the woods.

Illinois X-Factor: Xavier Scott– This is one of the key pieces of the much-improved Illini secondary. By now, you should my rule! You better have game if you have two first names! Three members of this secondary last season all left for the NFL which meant Xavier was going to have a bigger role in the back end. I love how he’s always finding himself around the football. Xavier is a ballhawk in pass coverage but will hover around the line of scrimmage against the run to make a tackle. He’s quick enough to burst through lanes and will pursue the ball. He’s become a leader as a Sophomore and is a key piece of this defense.

Penn State X-Factor: Abdul Carter– Penn State always has a standout defensive player. Years ago, it was a guy named Micah. Micah Parsons to be exact and he’s panned out quite nicely. Meet Abdul Carter. He’s that tweener that I always find myself describing. That’s a guy who doesn’t have a true position. He can play Linebacker and Defensive End, but no matter where he is, he brings that same energy. Abdul is always playing downhill and has no problem running through blockers. He’s quick, active, physical and has excellent pursuit of the ball.

Final Thoughts: This should be a fun one! Illinois is on the rise while Penn State on the other hand is looking to assert itself as one of the best teams, not just in the Big Ten, but in the country. I see this being a physical, old-school, and blue-collar football game. The Illini offense will be the best that Penn State will have faced up to this point this year. They are such a balanced unit and are consistent in both the running and passing phases of the game. Running the ball on Saturday night may be difficult however because Penn State is still one of the best in the country at defending the run. Illinois must stay on schedule and avoid those third and long situations against this defense. Penn State is smaller in the defensive front which they use to their full advantage. They will use that quickness to get into the Illini backfield which makes the Illinois Offensive Line and Penn State defensive front the matchup to watch in this game. While I see Illinois playing tough and will be fired up on Saturday, Penn State will survive and win this game.

Prediction: Penn State 24, Illinois 17