The Penn State Nittany Lions return home against Illinois on Saturday for Homecoming. The Nittany Lions are coming off of a much-needed bye week after several key players were injured in the loss to Iowa two weeks ago. It is still unknown if starting quarterback, Sean Clifford, will suit up on Saturday afternoon. However, the Penn State defense is very rested coming into this one against a 2-5 Illinois team. So, let’s take a look at what to expect when Penn State returns home against Illinois.
Penn State Returns Home Against Illinois
The Nittany Lions will kick off at 12:00 ET during Homecoming weekend and will face the Fighting Illini. Illinois comes into the game 2-5 on the season with wins against Nebraska to start the season and then Charlotte to start October. Penn State is sitting at 5-1 with its only loss coming from Iowa two weeks ago. The Nittany Lions didn’t only lose the game at Iowa, they lost a few key players as well. Senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher is out for the remainder of the season. Mustipher tallied three tackles for loss and one sack through the first five games this season. This is a big blow to the Penn State defensive front, but the Nittany Lions play with a “next man up” mentality, so look for Dvon Ellies and Coziah Izzard to continue to fill his role. Both filled in against Iowa.
Players to Watch for the Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lion defense will be well-rested entering the Homecoming game against Illinois. This bodes well for a team whose offense is currently unknown. Clifford was seen at practice this week, but that does not mean the senior starter will suit up or play on Saturday. If he doesn’t play it will come down to Ta’Quan Roberson or Christian Veilleux to take his place.
Roberson entered the game against Iowa for the injured Clifford and struggled to move the offense down the field. You can’t blame Roberson for that. He hasn’t played any meaningful snaps during his time at Penn State until two weeks ago. If he gets the nod this week it will be interesting to see what he can do with two weeks of preparation. However, Head Coach James Franklin stated in his press conference this week that the battle between Roberson and Veilleux is closer than people think.
If Veilleux gets the nod at all during the game it will be his first action Blue and White. Regardless, Penn State needs to get the run game going against an Illinois defense that is averaging 163.7 rushing yards allowed through seven games this season. Further, the Fighting Illini allowed Wisconsin to rush for 391 yards two weeks ago. So, watch the Penn State running backs this week as they try to help whoever is in at quarterback.
Players to Watch for the Fighting Illini
The quarterback turned wide receiver Isaiah Williams is the main guy to watch for Illinois on Saturday. A season ago Williams was slinging passes against Penn State in a Nittany Lion 56-21 win. Now he is playing wide receiver for the Fighting Illini and has turned into their receptions leader. So far this season Williams has 32 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown. Last season at quarterback against Penn State he was also productive in the run game, rushing for 102 yards. The Nittany Lion defense will need to not only factor him in at wide receiver but at the wildcat position as well.
A player to watch for on the defensive side of the ball is linebacker Owen Carney Jr. The senior is leading the team in sacks with four and tackles for loss with four-and-a-half. He moved positions this year after playing four years at defensive end for Illinois. Despite the position change, he is on pace with last year’s totals through seven games. He is definitely someone the Penn State offensive line needs to be aware of on Saturday.
