Game 4: The Nittany Lions take on the Illinois Illini

This week, the Nittany Lions take on the Illinois Illini (try saying that three times fast!), and from looking at the final score of Penn State 63 – Illinois 24, you would think that it’s a blowout the entire game.  I’m here to tell you that it certainly is not.

We definitely play really well in the second half (as always), and that’s why we win the game.  Don’t get me wrong: I’m thrilled that PSU is winning, and that we are winning by a lot.  But if we keep making simple mistakes like the ones we make in the first half of the Illinois game, when we play really good teams (no offense to App State, Kent State, Pitt, and Illinois), it will not work out to our favor.

Fig. 1. Kirk, Jason. “Penn State Trailed Illinois in the 3rd … and Won by *How Much*?” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 22 Sept. 2018, www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/9/22/17889776/penn-state-illinois-final-score-2018-results.

(Juwan Johnson making another first down for PSU)

Some things that go really well for the Nittany Lions against the Illini:

Wide receiver Juwan Johnson plays exceptionally well in this game.  He gets numerous first downs, good yardages in general, and a touchdown pass.  I am so happy that his confidence is back and very excited to watch him play this coming Saturday against Ohio State.  He is finally looking like the player that a lot of people expected him to be this year, and if he keeps playing like this, Juwan will be one of the most dominant receivers in the BIG 10 Conference.

Freshman tight end Pat Freiermuth is really impressive.  In my opinion, this guy should be starting.  I first noticed his talent with his great catch against Kent State, and then this week he scores a touchdown!  Though he is a true freshman, Pat is 6’5 and 260 lbs, and is already showing that he is physically, mentally, and athletically capable to take the starting position.  He turns 20 the day before the Ohio State game, so let’s hope we have a great win against the Buckeyes for him to celebrate as part of his birthday.

Fig. 2. Flounders, Bob. “Penn State Hits the Reset Button: The Players, Coaches to Watch Coming out of the Bye Week.” PennLive.com, PennLive.com, 6 Oct. 2018, www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2018/10/penn_state_hits_the_reset_butt.html.

Some things for the Lions to work on for next week:

Jonathan Holland, the other tight end, cannot have the costly turnovers that we have in this game. I think it’s part of the reason why the game gets a little too close in the first half.

Another problem that Penn State needs to fix before next week is consistency and toughness in the defense. Yes, the Nittany Lion defense gets it together during the second half and is able to stop the ball (like they always do).  But if we don’t play tough and smart from the start, we will not have a chance to stop the Ohio State offense from scoring.  Playing catch up in a big game against a strong opponent is never easy, but Ohio State’s offense will make that impossible if the defense doesn’t play up to its potential right from the start.

The tackling by Penn State in general this week is pretty weak, to be honest.  The entire defensive front line is out of position on a lot of the plays.  Defensive ends are playing a little too far up the field and linebackers are stretched out a little too wide, which leaves the middle completely open for the Fighting Illini.  And that’s exactly what Illinois does for the first half, until Penn State makes the adjustments to close down the Illini passing lanes and rushing holes.

Fig. 3. Flounders, Bob. “Penn State Report Card for Illinois: Near-Flawless Offense Trumps Spotty Defense in Champaign.” PennLive.com, PennLive.com, 23 Sept. 2018, www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2018/09/penn_state_report_card_of_illi.html.

(Even with the Fighting Illini defense in his face, Trace stays focused on making a great throw – what a guy…)

Lastly, with Mark Allen out for the rest of the season, our running backs will have to step up.  Mark has so much talent and provided so many great plays for Penn State in past seasons, and it’s sad to see him hurt.  But we have a lot of other talent in the back field who can hopefully step up and take the opportunity for playing time to a new level.

All in all, Penn State does a lot of things really well against Illinois.  But, there are some things that the team will definitely need to work on before we take on our big rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Hopefully, our Nittany Lions will continue to get stronger and smarter this week, physically and mentally preparaing for the biggest game to date:  the Ohio State White Out game. WE ARE!

Fig. 4. PennLive, Penn State on. “Penn State Football: The White Out Experience.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QCjZZfJBAc.

To see some of Johnson’s highlights from this game, click here!