Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini
The seventh-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are on the road on Saturday afternoon as they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Nittany Lions are 2-0 (0-0) and are coming off a massive 63-7 home win on Saturday against the Delaware Blue Hens. The Fighting Illini are 1-1 (0-0) so far and are coming off a 34-23 road loss on Friday against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Penn State vs. Illinois Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | -14.5 (-110) | O 48.5 (-110) | -625 |
| Illinois Fighting Illini | +14.5 (-110) | U 48.5 (-110) | +455 |
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Game Details
Fixture: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Date & Time: Saturday, September 16 12:00 PM
Venue: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Key Stats
Penn State Nittany Lions
The offense for the Penn State Nittany Lions have been incredible as they are scoring 50.5 points on 509.5 total yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar has been crushing it as he is 43-of-55 (78.2 completion percentage) for 529 yards with four touchdowns through the air while running nine times for 28 yards with a rushing touchdown. This offense is extremely balanced as they are averaging close to the same amount of yards on the ground and in the air. The Nittany Lions are 11-of-23 on third down this season and making sure the offense stays on the field.
The defense has been incredibly dominant as they are giving up 11 points on 224 total yards per game. They are crushing it but not really recording eye-popping numbers as a team. Through two games the Nittany Lions have seven sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three pass deflections and an interception (returned for a touchdown). Instead of having one player dominate, it has been a team effort and just suffocating the opposing offense and getting off the field by forcing punts. If they can continue to do as well as they have been to open the season, this program can find its way into the College Football Playoff when the season wraps up.
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illinois Fighting Illini have been a good offense as they are averaging 26.5 points on 357.5 total yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Luke Altmyer has been struggling a bit this season as he is 37-of-54 (68.5 completion percentage) for 408 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing as he has 22 rushes for 139 yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns. They have struggled to keep the quarterback upright as the Fighting Illini have allowed eight sacks on the year as well. They need to be crisper if they want to win games consistently going forward.
The defense of the Fighting Illini has been doing a decent job as they have allowed 25.5 points on 477.5 total yards per game. They rarely are getting to the opposing quarterback as they have posted three sacks, two interceptions (one returned for a TD), three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Junior defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton has a pair of sacks and eight solo tackles on the year. They will have to really dominate in this game if they want to win here.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends
- Penn State is 2-0 ATS this season
- Illinois is 0-2 ATS this season
- Penn State has hit the over in each of the five road games
- Illinois has hit the under in eight of their previous 13 games
