No. 9 Penn State arguably faced a test in its Big Ten opener, hosting No. 19 Illinois on Saturday. The Fighting Illini came into the matchup off a big win over then-No. 22 Nebraska in Lincoln, improving to 4–0 and looking like a possible factor in the conference race.
If this was a test, the Nittany Lions passed it with a 21–7 win at State College. The night game at Beaver Stadium was not officially a “White Out” (that will be Nov. 9 versus Washington), though fans were dressed in white for the nationally televised prime-time clash.
However, coach James Franklin called for “White Out energy” on Saturday night and how Illinois responded in that environment might indicate how well the rest of its season could go. The results were not particularly impressive.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer followed up his four-touchdown performance versus Nebraska by passing for 185 yards, completing 16-of-25 passes with one score and one interception. That one turnover may have cost the Illini the game — or at the very least, an opportunity to tie.
