Illinois @ Penn StateSaturday, September 27 - 8:00 (EST) ABC Sports
Happy Valley, Pennsylvania - Beaver Stadium
Penn State -14.5
Summary
Miami may have the oranges, but Illinois has The Juice...junior quarterback Juice Williams has led the Illini to the 17th best offense in football...Juice has thrown seven touchdowns and five interceptions...he has also accounted for two touchdown runs...once again, the knock on him is his inconsistency at throwing the ball...Juice has carried the ball as much as the team's top running back Daniel Dufrene (Juice 46-219 yards; Dufrene 45-300)...the team's dangerous wideout Arrelious Benn has only 15 receptions for 150 yards and zero TDs...the defense is ranked 75th, however, they have two stud linebackers in Brit Miller and Martez Wilson...Miller already has six sacks and Wilson with 4.5...Illinois has a good field goal kicker in Matt Eller who is 4 for 5 with a 51 yarder already this year...
The Penn State defense has not allowed a point in the first quarter this year...nationally, the Nittany Lions have the 7th best defense and the 6th best offense...the offense has averaged 538 yards per game and has scored 28 touchdowns led by Youngstown, Ohio native Daryll Clark at quarterback...Clark has thrown seven touchdowns and only one interception...he has also rushed for two touchdowns...like Illinois, Penn State has a solid place kicker in Kevin Kelly who is 4 for 5 this year including a 52-yard field goal...
Illinois Fighting Illini
Here are the Illinois game notes for the Penn State game...
Loren Tate of the Champaign News-Gazette writes about the Illini's rough road ahead... "The Big Ten emerged from the major portion of the nonconference football schedule with a 7-7 record against teams viewed here as "worthy" – it was a mistake to include Syracuse in that grouping – and a 24-1 record against the rest. Indiana's 42-20 loss to Ball State was the only conference loss to what is loosely described as a midmajor." ...
Terry Bannon of the Chicago Tribune writes about the Illinois defense... "It'll be a chance for Illinois' defensive line to show the nation its potential. It is a mixture of late bloomers, a position switcher and, more recently, highly sought after young players who have embellished Ron Zook's reputation as a recruiter." ...
Penn State Nittany Lions
Here are the Penn State game notes for the Illinois game...(photo of Youngstown, Ohio native and starting quarterback Daryll Clark)...
Vinny Pezzimenti of the State College Centre Times writes how Joe Paterno will determine when it is time to retire... "I don’t know what makes Joe Paterno tick. I’m not sure if any of us do. But wouldn’t you think this guy would coach in a full body cast if he had to?" ...
Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how Penn State must bottle up the Juice... "Williams is a great scrambler -- he already holds the school record for career rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,550 -- but still needs to improve his passing accuracy." ...
Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia News writes about the return of two suspended Penn State players... "Evans and Koroma have sat out the last three games since the Sept. 2 raid on their apartment. Police at that time responded to a call about loud noise at their apartment, and investigators said in court papers that a small amount of marijuana was found. The two players were charged Sept. 17 with marijuana possession. Penn State coach Joe Paterno said last week the fate of Evans and Koroma was "out of my hands" and ultimately would be determined by the university's Office of Judicial Affairs." ...
Below is a 1:10 clip taken by a fan after last year's Illinois victory over Penn State...
Even though he is no longer allowed, it is always nice to see Chief Illiniwek...
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