After some confusion about the Week 9 opponents for the Big Ten schools not playing in the Big Ten Championship, the conference has announced the schedule, and Penn State is facing a team in some turmoil.
Penn State will enter the game with the Illini on a three game winning streak, while the road team comes in with no head coach (at the time of publishing). In their last meeting, the Nittany Lions dominated Illinois in Champaign, winning 63-24 on a rare Friday night game, led by Miles Sanders’ 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Illinois is currently 2-5, with victories over Rutgers and Nebraska. Quarterback Brandon Peters has thrown for 429 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Sophomore Chase Brown leads the team in rushing with 502 yards, while Mike Epstein has four scores. Defensively, senior linebacker Jake Hansen leads the team in tackles (59) and tackles for loss (7.5), and is tied at the top in interceptions (2).
Penn State hopes to win their fourth straight game on Saturday in Beaver Stadium.
