Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini Football Recap

Illinois 33, Penn State 13

Suddenly yet undeniably, the world of Penn State football looks and feels a lot like 2004 once again.

Yes, before Penn State returned to prominence and overcame the most trying period of Coach Joe Paterno’s legendary career, the Nittany Lions suffered through the first five seasons of the 21st century. From 2000 through 2004, Penn State’s teams tumbled to the lower tier of the Big Ten and looked utterly incapable of achieving anything of consequence on the gridiron. It’s true that PSU emerged from those dark days in 2005, as the Lions – led by Paterno, their lion in winter – marched to the Big Ten championship and an Orange Bowl victory over Florida State, but in 2004, Penn State football was marked by mediocrity and an unshakable awareness that the Blue and White just weren’t very good.

That’s where the Nittany Nation stands in 2010. At least for one year, PSU – following a string of highly productive seasons that delivered many triumphs, including the 2008 Big Ten title – is back to square one. Penn State thrived due to the veteran leadership of quarterback Darryl Clark, but now, a younger team with a less-proven field general is limping through each and every Saturday on its schedule.

If there was any doubt about Penn State’s significantly diminished state, the Illinois Fighting Illini obliterated such uncertainty this past Saturday. Playing at a higher level and at a much faster tempo than PSU, Illinois raced past the Nittany Lions and embarrassed the home team in front of a massively disappointed six-figure crowd at Beaver Stadium. Over 100,000 Penn State diehards looked on in dejection, along with Paterno himself, as Coach Ron Zook’s crew from Champaign uncorked a 20-point beatdown on the Lions. Nobody on the Penn State coaching staff – not offensive coordinator Galen Hall and not defensive coordinator Tom Bradley – could do much of anything to solve Illinois on either side of the ball. From start to finish, the Illini outclassed Penn State and gave the Big Ten an important eye-opening development.

The nature of Illinois’s dominance was comprehensive. The Illini scored 20 points in the second quarter – including a pick-six against Penn State quarterback Robert Bolden – to forge a 20-13 halftime lead. Then after halftime, the visitors shut out the Nittany Lions’ offense while draining clock with the artfully evasive running of quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who ran for 61 yards on the afternoon while throwing for 151. Illinois ran for 282 yards against PSU thanks to Scheelhaase and running back Mikel Leshoure, who romped for 119 yards and benefited from the sleight-of-hand Scheelhaase used to throw PSU’s defense off balance. The Nittany Lions often failed to gauge where the ball was being handed off in the Illinois backfield. Scheelhaase’s ballhandling, combined with shrewd playcalling from Illinois offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, enabled the Illini to keep PSU guessing. The stats showed as much.

Illinois finished this game with 23 first downs compared to just seven for Penn State. Illinois also controlled the ball for 38 minutes and 12 seconds, a good 16:24 more than the Nittany Lions, who floundered on yet another day when Bolden, a freshman signal caller, couldn’t measure up to Clark, PSU’s accomplished quarterback of the previous few years. Bolden threw the pick-six to Illinois’s Nate Bussey, but he also hit just eight of his 21 passes for a meager 142 yards. Moreover, without any sustained passing game to speak of, Bolden watched as his team’s running game was held to just 65 yards by the front seven of the Illini. When Illinois shut down the run, Bolden was then forced into predictable passing situations on third down. It’s little wonder that PSU went 2-of-14 on third downs, which led to the substantial disparity in time of possession.

Nothing went right for PSU in this game, but that was entirely attributable to Illinois’ elevated level of quality. Tougher in the trenches and far more athletic at the skill positions, Zook’s players dominated Paterno’s young pups in every imaginable way.

Now, the Illini will want to party like it’s 2004… and Penn State needs to gain the experiences that will enable next year to be a darn sight better than this one.

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