Illini's Bret Bielema Talks Penn State

Ella Walker | 4 Hours Ago

Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Terrance Brooks (8) smiles after the Fighting Illini defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Illini are rolling through this season so far with a 4-0 start.

The team travels to Happy Valley to take on Penn State on Saturday.

Bret Bielema talked about the stakes of this highly anticipated match up as well as what the Illini are expecting to see out of the Nittany Lions.

On What's at Stake: 

“Tremendous opportunity this week to play top ten team on the road in an environment that is one of the best in college football. An offense that has a new coordinator ... a lot of familiarity with their offense coordinator coming from Kansas to where he is. ... Just a lot of really good growth. I think in preparation for this game, you see a lot of things, but he also carries a lot of the Penn State traditions. They’re using multiple quarterbacks. I think offensive line from tackle to tackle is probably the best group that we’ve played. Some are a little bit new to the game, inexperienced, but very, very talented players. By far, tackle to tackle, the best group we’ve faced."

On the Nittany Lions' Talent: 

“They have a group of tight ends, wide receivers and running backs that are above average to elite players in the Big 10 Conference. Defensively, I’ve loved (Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen) ever since I’ve been around him, and what he brings to the table and to bring over his experience. And obviously we’ve gone against Indiana last several years, you see a little bit of that, but also a little carryover from what they’ve done there. They’re extremely talented, especially on the edges defensively. On all three levels — up front, on the linebacker core and the secondary — very, very gifted. They have some wrinkles in the kicking game. They’ve got a couple lefties sprinkled in among their specialists. “It’ll be an environment that, hopefully one of the things you gain with experience is the ability to do better, and obviously we did a lot of good things Friday night in Lincoln, but this will be taking it to a whole other level.”

Ella Walker is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. She can be reached at ewalker1463@gmail.com.

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