STATE COLLEGE — Penn State failed to cover a nearly three-touchdown spread against Illinois on Saturday. But it was still an upbeat Homecoming game in front of 109,911 fans at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions pulled away late from Illinois en route to a 21-7 win, marking their fourth win of 2024. Nicholas Singleton And Kaytron Allen secured the victory as each found the end zone, with the latter breaking the 100-yard mark.

“I mean, they ran hard,” quarterback Drew Allar said. There were a lot of guys they ran over today. I think this sets the tone for us as an insult. Seeing that they are super physical runners, we obviously know that they can both smash longer runs. If they run people over, just put them on the ground and gain three or four extra meters.

“That’s a big help for our offense. We can be more aggressive and we are ahead of the sticks. They both did great tonight. It was great to see them get to the end zone and really seal the deal for us.”

Here’s what’s being said about the team locally and nationally after the win.

Penn State passes its first test

That’s the opinion of Yahoo Sports writer Ian Casselberry. Penn State met its first-place opponent on Saturday, outscoring him 374-219 and allowing just 34 rushing yards.

“If this was a test, the Nittany Lions passed with a 21-7 victory over State College,” Casselberry wrote. “The night game at Beaver Stadium was not officially a ‘White Out’ (that will be Nov. 9 against Washington), although fans were dressed in white for the nationally televised primetime game.

“However, Coach James Franklin called for ‘White Out energy’ on Saturday night and how Illinois responded in that environment could indicate how well the rest of the season could go. The results were not particularly impressive.”

Read the full story here.

Penn State dominated the line of scrimmage

That’s the opinion of PennLive’s Bob Flounders. The Nittany Lions tore up Illinois on offense, rushing for 239 yards and allowing just two sacks. And the defensive line created seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

“The Lions (4-0, 1-0) were too physical at the line of scrimmage on both sides,” Flounders wrote. “Penn State’s offensive line got the job done while addressing injuries at the guard positions. Sal Wormley left the game after the Lions’ first possession and JB Nelson, Wormley’s replacement, was unable to finish the game. PSU teamed up with Vega Ioane and true freshman Cooper Cousins ​​at the guard spots in the fourth quarter.

“Altmyer was held to 185 passing yards on 16 completions. But he wasn’t the problem for Illinois. The Penn State run game, with an assist from the Lions defense, was the problem.”

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Warren is beaming again

Tyler Warren continues to make a case for winning the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. He was both a runner and receiver on the night and also shined in the blocking game.

“Penn State made three more plays against tight end Tyler Warren Wildcat, with Warren scoring Penn State’s first touchdown of the game,” writes Mark Wogenrich for SI. “He dove into the end zone from three yards out for his first rushing touchdown of the season. Warren now has receiving, passing and rushing touchdowns through four games.

“However, Penn State may have tapped the hole one too many times, finding itself in the Wildcat on a 3rd-and-7 play in the fourth quarter. Warren, who had no threat to throw in that situation, passed the ball to Allen, who gained three yards. Sahaydak missed the subsequent field goal.”

Read the full story here.

Penn State’s ground game rises to the occasion

We end with BWI reporter Nate Bauer’s look at the Lions’ ground game. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen ran past Illinois defenders all game long to lead their team to victory.

“Collaborating with Singleton, Kaytron Allen produced a similar, painful playing style,” Bauer writes. “The century mark on the ground eclipsed Allen’s 102 yards and a game-cementing touchdown on 18 carries.

“A pivot that Penn State deemed necessary when Illinois quickly abandoned its heavy-man coverage defensive approach, the mimic blueprint of a ground-and-pound offense became a weapon.”

Read the full story here.