Penn State survived its first road test of the season with a strong showing by the defense. Penn State’s defense made just about all of the big plays in a 30-13 victory on the road against Illinois in the Big Ten opener for both teams. It was needed as the Penn State offense seemed a bit out of rhythm all game long.
Credit should be given to the Illinois defense for stepping up and playing the way it did. The first two weeks were unkind to the Illini defense, but they played their best game of the year against the visiting Nittany Lions. It just wasn’t enough as Penn State remained calm in the face of some adversity and pressure on its way to a 3-0 start to the season.
Here is how the postgame grades look for the Nittany Lions.