Penn State followed Illinois to 3rd … and won by * how much *?

Lowly (awesome word) Illinois had the number 10 Penn State on alert at Champaign for most of Friday night. The Illini were close throughout the first half and took a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter with this deception at Ricky Smalling:

So what ……………..

…… Penn State scored hits on his next six drives.

Meanwhile, the Illini were eliminated four times, made a choice, missed a very long field goal that would have reduced it to two scores, a midfield gap and another choice.

The Nittany Lions easily covered the gap of four touchdowns, even if they were looking for a moment to lose.

It's been sort of the Penn State thing for a while now. Watching the Nittany Lions, it's a bit like watching Chip Kelly's Oregon.

Remember how these Ducks seem to be on the ropes at half-time each week, then zoom in on a respectable score?

Using S & P +, here is how much the 2016 Nittany Lions improved during their middle game, going from a totally mediocre team on both sides of the ball in the first quarter to an almost unstoppable fourth:

Bill Connelly

In 2017, the PSUs played an excellent first-half offensive, placing in the top 10 in the four-quarter S & P + offensive season, but lost after a tense first quarter defense.

The black shoe journals can not help but note the resemblance with 2016:

Penn State has returned to its habits of 2016 – that is to say, be a team in the second half. Miles Sanders ran for 48 yards to give the Nittany Lions the advantage, and from there it was the dominance of James Franklin's crew. Trace McSorley found Juwan Johnson on a decisive third to go in 35-24, and then after an interception of Jan Johnson, No. 9 found KJ Hamler to put the game offside at 42-24.

Of course, it was not the Nittany Lions. Ricky Slade scored twice during the race – one on a 61-yard run and the other on a one-meter run. Meanwhile, Journey Brown also joined the game, scoring on a 6-yard run to give us our final on 63-24.

Nevertheless, despite the blast, it's probably fair to still have concerns about the game as a whole, considering Penn State's game over the first 36 minutes or so, especially on the defensive side.

Watching the highlights is very fun, unless you are a fan of Illini.

Drama … drama … drama …….. OK, the drama is gone.