For the first time this season, the Illini suffered a loss against undefeated Penn State.

The Illini played a close game until midway through the third quarter, when the Nittany Lions scored their second touchdown en route to a 21-7 victory. The Illini fell to 4-1, while No. 9 Penn State remained undefeated at 5-0. Illinois bid for its first 5-0 start since 2011.

Despite the tough loss, Illinois had some impressive plays on both sides of the ball.

Sophomore Kaden Feagin had 64 yards rushing and 12 yards receiving. He has once again proven that he is a threat to defenses around the Big Ten. Feagin’s longest rush of the game was a gain of 34 yards.

Luke Altmyer was sacked six times, recovered a fumble and threw his first interception of the season.

Despite this, he still played a decent game. Altmyer was 16 of 25 for 185 yards.

Zakhari Franklin, the leading receiver, had 49 yards,

Tight end Carson Goda scored the only touchdown, his first as an Illini.

The Illini defense also played a great game despite the loss.

With a total of 71 tackles and two sacks, the defense was led by Matthew Bailey, who had nine total tackles tonight.

The Illini have a bye week ahead of them before moving to the Purdue Boilermakers at home on Oct. 12.

Ella Walker is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. She can be reached at [email protected].

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