Big Ten football is back. Illinois begins its 2023 conference slate with a nationally televised meeting against #7 Penn State at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT on FOX.
The last time these two sides met, they made history. In front of a crowd of over 105,000 people, the Fighting Illini marched into Happy Valley on Oct. 23, 2021, and came away with a 20-18 victory over the #7 Nittany Lions in nine overtimes, the longest game in college football history.
The Illini's road triumph is their last victory over a top-10 opponent, while the Orange and Blue are looking for their first home win over a top-10 team since 2019, when Illinois took down #6 Wisconsin on a last-second field goal on Homecoming.
Coming off a tough road defeat last week, the Illini are eager to get back on track and prove themselves as Big Ten contenders against one of the top teams not only in the conference, but in college football.
"I'm obviously excited to get back out on a playing field. I think any time you have a game like we did last Friday, to get back out there is what everybody wants: players, coaches, and fans," said head coach Bret Bielema. "Excited for the Penn State game. I know we have an anticipated crowd probably as big as we've had here since I've been here, so I'm excited for that and Orange Out and all that goes into it."
As the countdown to kickoff continues to approach, here are a few storylines to follow ahead of the Orange Out game on Saturday.
Offense: Illinois' running backs looking for breakout play
All they need is one big play.
That's what Bielema thinks regarding the team's top running-back tandem of Reggie Love III and Josh McCray, who are both looking to establish themselves as reliable options for the Illini offense this season. With quarterback Luke Altmyer currently leading the team in rushing while also boasting the Illini's longest run of the season, Bielema believes Love III and McCray are one big play away from dominance.
"I think Reggie and Josh both have been really good in practice," Bielema said. "In both games, there were a couple snaps you felt like if they could just pull their legs through one more tackle, it would be a big play. I think those things are going to come. I do think we need to keep working and keep grinding and understand that those plays are going to come. They're going to pop. You have to earn them. No one's going to give them to you."
Both players – along with the rest of the Illini running-back room – are capable of providing a spark, and all they need is one big play to generate confidence and momentum moving forward.
The offensive line also is a huge factor to this success, and the unit took a step up against Kansas. The group is looking to continue to move in the right direction against Penn State this weekend against one of the best defensive lines in the country.
"From an offensive game-planning standpoint, we have to figure out what we do well and be able to stick to it, be able to practice it, be able to execute it, not only during the course of the week but on game day," Bielema said. "Second thing is we probably need to have one of those plays just happen. Confidence is a big part of this game. Especially in the run game, we haven't had one of those big plays happen yet. When that does, it can be very contagious."
Defense: Bailey, Holmes Return
For the first time this season, Matthew Bailey and Ezekiel Holmes, two important pieces of the defense, will suit up for the Orange and Blue. Bielema says both players are expected to be available for kickoff.
Bailey played in all 13 games as a true freshman last season, recording three interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown while also making 10 tackles and two pass breakups.
"Matt is a tremendous player, but as a person, he's very coachable," Bielema said. "He's kind of a coach on the field. He does a really good job of taking players under his wing. He's got a calm personality to him, so when things get big, he has a tendency to calm it down. It's just a good emphasis for us as coaches to have him in the game.
"It'll be nice to get him back in the rotation, not just from a pure skill standpoint, but he embodies everything in the back end. He brings a lot of substance back there."
Holmes made one start and played in the first three games of Illinois' 2022 campaign, but he suffered a season-ending injury against Virginia that kept him out of spring ball and the first two weeks of the 2023 slate. His return will be big for an Illini defensive front that is looking to rebound against one of the top rushing teams in the country.
Opponent: Penn State brings Big Ten's leading run game to Champaign
It's no secret that the Nittany Lions rely on the run game. With two dynamic running backs, Penn State currently leads the Big Ten in both rushing yards per game (230.5) and scoring offense (50.5 points per game).
Behind Big Ten preseason watch-list honoree OL Olumuyiwa Fashanu, RBs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton have both registered over 100 yards on the ground thus far this season. Singleton is tied atop the conference leaderboard with four rushing touchdowns, while Allen has a team-high 29 carries for 154 yards, with both marks ranking in the top-10 among Big Ten rushers.
"You literally need to defend from sideline to sideline. They do a lot of things to get the ball on the perimeter. They also hit you up inside," Bielema said. "We have to get a pulse on what they're trying to do with the personnel that's out there, and then we have to react accordingly."
Penn State also features quarterback Drew Allar and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the latter of whom leads the conference in receiving with 197 yards through two games. The Nittany Lions have eight players who have notched at least two catches this year, while Allar has averaged over 260 yards through the air over the first two starts of his collegiate career.
"Penn State is obviously a very good football team, complete football team. Offensively, they're very explosive, very productive. They have a lot of different weapons at all skill positions, a good offensive line," Bielema said. "Even though we played them just two years ago, it's a completely different script for us in game-planning."
