Penn State's Defense Finds a Second-Half Groove Against Illinois

The Nittany Lions hold the Illini scoreless in a dominant second-half performance to remain unbeaten.

Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) reacts during the Nittany Lions' game against Illinois at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

During its 4-0 start to the season, Illinois averaged 157 rushing yards per game. Against Penn State on Saturday, the Fighting Illini mustered just 34. Averaging 1.1 yards per rushing attempt, Illinois was forced to be one-dimensional as it looked to rally in the second half. That played right into the hands of the Penn State defense.  

“They rushed for 34 yards,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after his team’s 21-7 victory at Beaver Stadium. “And it's not just 34 yards. That is a team that is committed to running the football, … and when you're able to take somebody and force them out of the style of play that they want to play, then usually good things happen.”

With quarterback Luke Altmyer forced to throw it, Penn State’s pass rush went to town. The Nittany Lions racked up five of their seven sacks as part of a second-half shutout. Penn State held Illinois to just 59 total yards and four first downs in the second half, and the Illini ran only five offensive plays in the third quarter. Altmyer also threw his first interception of the season and lost a fumble, forced by Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter as the game's exclamation point. 

“When we play at that level, we’re a top-two defense,” Penn State safety Jaylen Reed said. “There was great pride in me being a leader in that defense and us going out and playing like that.” 

A key turning point in the game was a second-quarter, 1st-and-goal situation for Illinois from the 2-yard line. On first down, a high snap led to a loss of 9 yards. On the next play, Altmyer lost 3 yards on a quarterback keeper. On third down, Altmyer was called for intentional grounding, and there was a false start on the next play. 

By fourth down, Illinois had a field-goal try from the 27-yard line, which kicker David Olano hooked wide. The play kept the game tied 7-7 and was the Fighting Illini’s last great scoring opportunity.  From that 1st-and-goal play, Illinois produced 39 yards of total offense the remainder of the game.

“On the goal line definitely is like a chip on our shoulder,” linebacker Kobe King said. “We don’t want anybody to run the ball, but if we’re on the goal line backed up, they can get in the end zone, so that’s how we carry and how we approach it every time.”

The last time Illinois came to Beaver Stadium, the result was much different. The Fighting Illini ran for 357 yards and upset Penn State in nine overtimes. King said the 2021 game stuck in the back of the Nittany Lions’ minds, and they wanted to make sure the same rushing dominance wouldn’t happen again. 

“The key was doing our job and upholding the standard as a defense,” King said. “We know what they did to us my freshman year in 2021, how many yards they ran on us. We didn’t want that to happen again.” 

That’s not to say things were perfect for Penn State’s defense. Penalties continued to be an issue, the team allowed its second opening-drive touchdown of the season and Illinois converted a 3rd-and-21. Franklin said the team would work on those issues, but overall he was very pleased with Saturday night’s victory. 

“I’m very proud of our defense and proud of Tom Allen and the defensive staff,” Franklin said. “When you hold people to seven points and 34 rushing yards against a Big Ten opponent, you give yourself a chance to win a lot of games.”

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson