Defense delivers as Penn State defeats Illinois, 30-13 in its Big Ten opener

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 7 Penn State owes its defense a huge debt of gratitude as it consistently bailed out a struggling offense that dealt with drops, missed reads, and spotty blocking all on a day quarterback Drew Allar found arguably his toughest as a starter. Still Penn State won, 30-13, over Illinois in its Big Ten opener on Saturday.

Allar completed 16 of 33 pass attempts for 208 yards while running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton each rushed for a touchdown. Defensively, Penn State (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) forced five turnovers.

“We didn’t take control, but we never lost control of the game and just kind of kept chipping away at it,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “That’s kind of how this season is gonna go.”

Allen, who led the Nittany Lions with 54 rushing yards, dragged two defenders into the end zone and celebrated with teammates after scoring Penn State’s first touchdown in four possessions, three of which were produced by turnovers on consecutive defensive drives.

Linebacker Dominic DeLuca forced his first career fumble before Abdul Carter and Daequan Hardy caught back-to-back interceptions off Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Alex Felkins nailed two field goals to cap off two ugly possessions provided by the fumble and Carter’s first career interception. He later completed a third to put Penn State up, 16-7, at the half.

“I thought he was a little rattled throughout the game,” Carter said of Altmyer. “So, he looked at his target and that’s where he’s going and the defense made a lot of plays on the ball.”

Hardy’s interception came just one quarter into his first game appearance of the season and set up Allen’s touchdown to give Penn State a 13-0 lead. Defensive linemen Coziah Izzard and Amin Vanover also made their season debuts.

Tight end Tyler Warren caught his second touchdown of the season off a trick play passing touchdown from running back Trey Potts. Singleton’s 16-yard rushing score made it 30-7 Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter.

Cornerbacks Johnny Dixon and Cam Miller also picked off Altmyer, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 163 yards before he was replaced by John Paddock in the fourth.

“Once one person gets one, it’s dangerous because we all start feeding off it,” Dixon said.

All-American defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton put on a clinic against the right side of Penn State’s offensive line. He tallied six tackles, two quarterback hurries, and a blocked field goal.

“Jer’Zhan is a really good player, All-American, projected first-round draft choice,” Franklin said. “We wanted to block him today. I thought that was important and thought that the film was going to be important for us to watch. We got a ton of respect for their front.”

For the Fighting Illini (1-2, 0-2), running back Reggie Love III and wide receiver Malik Elzy each scored touchdowns.

Penn State returns to Beaver Stadium for its first Big Ten test at home — and against a ranked opponent in a primetime matchup against No. 25 Iowa (7:30 p.m., CBS3).