The Illini (4-1, 1-1) could not pull off the upset against the Nittany Lions. Last Saturday, the Illini fell 21-7 to the now No. 7 ranked Nittany Lions. With that, the Illini lost their No. 19 rank and now sit at No. 24 in the AP Poll.
Despite a disappointing loss, Illinois’ efforts managed to keep them among the best of the best. In his second season with the program, junior quarterback Luke Altmyer is 45th in the NCAA for passing yards (1,047). Altmyer has been part of more national conversations because of his completion rates and weekly improvements.
Illinois’ defense also has a more solidified identity this season. The backfield has made numerous game-changing stops in the past few weeks. On top of that, the defense hasn’t allowed many points, only surrendering 14.2 points per game.
However, it’s necessary to evaluate the many aspects of the Illini that got them to this point. The offense certainly struggled against the Nittany Lions, and that’s no surprise when they’re just bigger, faster and stronger than the Illini.
Penn State dominated the rushing game. Without taking sacks into account, Illinois rushed for 77 yards and Penn State rushed for 244.
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With that in mind, the offensive line must come into the conversation, since they failed to protect Altmyer against the ferocious opponents. Penn State’s defense sacked Altmyer seven times for a loss of 43 yards in total.
If Altmyer is consistently going to get pressured, he can’t find his receivers and get close to the end zone. Not only that, but if the offensive line continues to make penalties that push the team back, the Illini will have to fall on the support of their kickers rather than receivers to get points on the board.
Errors like a bad snap to Altmyer, impact the outcome of games for Illinois. What could have been an easy two-yard rush into the end zone turned into consecutive losses-of-yardage for Illinois. When moments like that happen, a drop in the rankings is justified.
Illinois proved itself worthy against teams like Nebraska and Kansas, but they must continue to play clean if they want to stay on people’s radars. Illinois deserves to be at the No. 24 spot because of its overall ability to respond in games. There was no solid response to any of Penn State’s scores, and it cost Illinois.
One upsetting game is not the end-all-be-all for the Illini. They have a talented roster, and they’re still learning about themselves and how they all mesh together.
The AP top 25 list only means so much in terms of the actual skill level of the teams. If you compare the other teams around Illinois, the ranking checks out. However, Illinois gets some rest this weekend, so there’s no guarantee this ranking will remain.
Penn State is a program that brings in many four-star and five-star athletes, but Illinois is not. Illinois must demonstrate its ability to exceed despite all odds against them to remain favorable in the public eye. For now, the team has a bye week coming up and gets back into action at home with a must-win game on Oct. 12 against Purdue.
@tess_eken
