The Illini defense held Penn State to three-second half points and intercepted Nittany Lions quarterback Anthony Morelli three times in Illinois’ 27-20 victory Saturday afternoon. It was the Illini’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2001.

The sell-out crowd at Memorial Stadium was the loudest since the day of the Kirt Kittner led the Illini teams of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Freshman receiver Arrelious Benn was the story of the afternoon for the Illini offense. He returned a first quarter kick-off for a touchdown and later scored on a slant pattern after battling off numerous Penn State would-be tacklers.