Big Ten play is officially here this weekend for Penn State and Illinois. The Illini will be looking to score a sizable upset against the Nittany Lions, who look to continue playing well and taking care of business in the first month of the season. Penn State’s first road test of the season will be showcased on Fox as the Big Noon Kickoff game, although the Fox pregame show will be broadcasting from another venue this weekend.
Penn State owns the all-time series lead on Illinois although the Illini came away victorious in the most recent meeting between these two schools with a dramatic nine-overtime game in 2021.
Here is how to catch this weekend’s Big Ten matchup between the Nittany Lions and Illini.
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 16
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: Fox
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
Week 3⃣'s coming up. ⏳
Here's the full @bigten 🏈 slate. pic.twitter.com/JREuDpVBxP
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 14, 2023
Penn State vs. Illinois injury report
Penn State’s injury report will feature a long list of players as questionable for this weekend’s matchup, including wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag], and defensive end [autotag]Coziah Izzard[/autotag]. Penn State does not typically get too detailed with injury situations but the Big Ten has likely forced the issue a bit with the mandated player availability reports. Hardy and Izzard have already missed playing time this season and Lambert-Smith was banged up a little bit last week against Delaware. We’ll pay close attention to this week’s player availability report prior to kickoff.
Illinois is seemingly in better shape as far as player availability this week. Only backup cornerback Tyson Rooks has been noted as questionable for this weekend minus the small handful of players already ruled out for the season.
Players to Watch
Penn State
Nick Singleton, Running Back – This could be the big game we have been waiting for for Nick Singleton. Although he scored three times last week, Singleton could be in for some big gains this week against an Illini defense that ranks at the bottom of the Big Ten through two weeks against the run (224 rushing yards allowed per game).
2023 stats: 25 carries, 117 yards, 4 TDs, 2 kickoff returns, 45 kickoff return yards
Illinois
Isaiah Williams, Wide Receiver – The big playmaker for the Illini is Isaiah Williams, and Penn State head coach James Franklin knows he will be the player the Illini want to get the football in every way possible. Williams has yet to score this season, but that drought isn’t likely to carry on much longer.
2023 stats: 11 receptions, 150 yards, 0 touchdowns
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