Inside the Box Score: The key stats from Penn State’s loss to Illinois
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Penn State entered Week 8 as a big favorite in front of a homecoming crowd with Bret Bielema and his Illinois program arriving in Happy Valley, but the Illini hung tough and handed Penn State a monumental loss in the James Franklin era. In a game that set the new FBS record for most overtimes played, Penn State came up on the wrong end of history, and that makes for a box score you may want to just ignore as the Nittany Lions look to regroup.
But let’s take a look at some of the key stats from both sides of the football as Illinois powered their way on the ground and Penn State’s offense lacked any ability to fight back once being punched in the mouth.
Penn State Offense
Quarterbacks:
Sean Clifford – 19/34 165 yards and a touchdown
As mentioned, Clifford struggled for a good amount of this game. Despite him being healthy and dealing with a torso injury throughout the game, he still got the passing game to be a bit productive today. Despite the struggles, there are certainly lots to build off of from today.
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) passes the ball as Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman Roderick Perry II (96) pressures during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs:
Noah Cain – 11 carries for 43 yards
The running backs just couldn’t get it going today. They have struggled all season to really do anything.
We have seen Keyvone Lee get involved a ton in the run game this season, with flashes here and there, but that wasn’t the case today. It has been a Cain/Lee backfield for the majority of the year. However, the struggles continue Penn State’s run game.
Wide Receivers:
Jahan Dotson – 6 catches for 69 yards
The passing game was pretty productive today. We saw two impressive catches from Dotson. One was a nice one-handed catch on a deep ball throw by Clifford. The other was an impressive bobbled catch on a slant route.
Dotson continues to put himself on the map in college football.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith – 3 catches, 49 yards and a touchdown
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) runs with the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) defends during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Joshua McCray (0) runs with the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions safety Ji’Ayir Brown (16) during the second half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Artur Sitkowski (9) runs with the ball past Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Sydney Brown (30) sends Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) airborne on a run during the second half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Lambert-Smith had a decent game today. The stat line could have been better, but he still created some momentum for the Penn State offense. After a fumble recovery touchdown by the Penn State defense that was taken back, Lambert-Smith did get the passing game moving after scoring the first six points for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State Defense
The defense showed out in crucial moments throughout the game today, but it wasn’t enough to lead them toward a victory. Despite the early struggles in the run game, they made some big plays in pivotal points today.
After a few 2-point conversion scares, Penn State’s defense just couldn’t execute towards the end, resulting in an Illinois upset in Happy Valley.
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) runs with the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) defends during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Illinois Offense
Quarterbacks:
Art Sitkowski – 8/19, 38 yards and one interception
Sitkowksi saw plenty of struggles coming into today. Despite his stat line, he still kept Illinois in this football game for all for all four quarters. We saw a lot more of the run game from the Fighting Illini today than we did from the passing game. However, there was still a little bit of production from that area of the Illinois offense.
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Artur Sitkowski (9) runs with the ball past Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs:
Chase Brown – 33 carries, 223 yards and a touchdown
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) runs with the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) defends during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Joshua McCray – 24 carries, 142 yards
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Joshua McCray (0) runs with the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions safety Ji’Ayir Brown (16) during the second half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Penn State’s defense made Chase Brown look immaculate today. He was eating that left side alive from that Penn State defense. The Illinois run game wasted no time and got it going early in this game.
We also saw plenty of production from McCray throughout today’s game. Penn State’s defense gave up 357 total yards this afternoon. Losing defensive PJ Mustipher for the season really hurt the Nittany Lions, and a Brown/McCray combo really exposed that part of the Penn State defense.
Wide Receivers:
Donny Navarro III – 2 receptions for 12 yards
There wasn’t a ton of production today from the passing game. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Illinois running backs Chase Brown and Joshua McCray really found their rhythm today in the run game, so why switch things up? There were a few key plays from the passing game, and Navarro was their other key player outside of the Illinois running backs.
Illinois Defense
Illinois Defense did see their struggles, but they showed out when it mattered today. The Illinois run defense really came out on top and prevented anything from happening from Penn State’s run game, which has struggled for a good amount of the season thus far.
Penn State’s defense had some big stops today. However, Illinois was is the better team when it came down to the wire. Illinois was without their starting quarterback Brandon Peters until Sitkowski went down with an injury during the overtime shootout. However, that didn’t stop the Fighting Illini from finishing this game off.
Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) runs with the ball avoiding Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Owen Carney Jr. (99) during the first half at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
1
1
