Illinois-PSU Gameday Binoculars: Live Blogging, Play-by-Play & Analysis

Here is Writing Illini’s play by play of Illinois’ thrilling 33-13 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Enjoy it folks.

1^st Quarter

Anthony Fera kicks off to start the game to the Illinois 8. Jack Ramsey returns to the 20. Ramsey fumbles the ball but Illinois recovers.

Illinois ball on its own 20 with 14:49 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Mikel Leshoure rushes to the 23.

2^nd and 7 Illinois from its own 23: Nathan Scheelhaase pass complete to AJ Jenkins at the Illinois 27.

3^rd and 3 Illinois from its own 27: Leshoure rushes to the 29.

4^th and 1 Illinois from its own 29: Leshoure rushes to the 31.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 31: Penalty on Illinois. Illegal procedure on the offense. Loss of 5 yards, repeat 1^st down.

1^st and 15 Illinois from its own 26: Scheelhaase scrambles for no gain at the 26.

2^nd and 15 Illinois from its own 26: Scheelhaase pass complete to Jenkins at the Illinois 44.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 44: Leshoure rushes to the 45.

2^nd and 9 Illinois from its own 45: Jason Ford rushes to the 47.

3^rd and 7 Illinois from its own 47: Scheelhaase pass complete to Jarred Fayson at the Penn State 48.

4^th and 2 Illinois from the Penn State 48: Anthony Santella punts into the endzone for a touchback.

Penn State ball on its own 20 with 9:08 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 20: Evan Royster rushes to the 28.

2^nd and 2 Penn State from its own 28: Robert Bolden pass incomplete to Derek Moye.

3^rd and 2 Penn State from its own 28: Royster rushes to the 29.

4^th and 1 Penn State from its own 29: Fera punts to the Illinois 24. Ramsey fumbles the return. Penn State recovers at the Illinois 23.

1^st and 10 Penn State from the Illinois 23: Royster rushes to the 20.

2^nd and 7 Penn State from the Illinois 20: Royster rushes to the 15.

3^rd and 2 Penn State from the Illinois 15: Royster rushes to the 13.

1^st and 10 Penn State from the Illinois 13: Bolden pass complete to Silas Redd at the Illinois 5.

2^nd and 2 Penn State from the Illinois 5: Redd rushes for no gain.

3^rd and 2 Penn State from the Illinois 5: Bolden pass incomplete. Penalty on Penn State. Illegal Shift on the offensive line. Penalty declined for a 4^th down.

4^th and 2 Penn State from the Illinois 5: Penalty on Penn State. False start on the offense. Loss of 5 yards, repeat 4^th down.

4^th and 7 Penn State from the Illinois 10: Collin Wagner makes 28 yard field goal.

Penn State 3, Illinois 0

Fera kicks off into the endzone for a touchback.

Illinois ball on its own 20 with 4:39 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Leshoure rushes to the 23.

2^nd and 7 Illinois from its own 23: Scheelhaase pass complete to Jenkins at the Illinois 33.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 33: Walter Aikens tackled in the backfield at the 30.

2^nd and 13 Illinois from its own 30: Scheelhaase scrambles to the Penn State 42.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 42: Leshoure rushes to the 34.

2^nd and 2 Illinois from the Penn State 34: Leshoure rushes to the 32. Illinois calls a time out.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 32: Scheelhaase pass complete to Jenkins at the Penn State 26.

2^nd and 4 Illinois from the Penn State 26: Leshoure rushes to the 25.

3^rd and 3 Illinois from the Penn State 25: Leshoure rushes to the 20.

Thoughts after first quarter:

Illinois has played well in this first quarter for the most part, and it should thank its defense that this game is as close as it is. Their red zone stop was a huge confidence booster. Ramsey really needs to do a better job protecting the ball, as he has fumbled both times the ball was kicked to him. Scheelhaase has been very impressive, completing all of his passes to go 5-5 for 43 yards while rushing for another 28. He is getting some great protection from the line so far. The Illini are on the cusp of the redzone, if they can finish out the drive and get a touchdown it should keep the momentum on Illinois side.

2^nd Quarter

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 20: Leshoure rushes to the 18.

2^nd and 8 Illinois from the Penn State 18: Scheelhaase pass complete to Jenkins for a touchdown.

Illinois 6, Penn State 3

Derek Dimke makes PAT.

Illinois 7, Penn State 3

Dimke kicks off to the Penn State 1 yard line. Chaz Powell returns to the Penn State 26.

Penn State Ball on its own 26 with 14:17 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 26: Devon Smith rushes to the 32.

2^nd and 4 Penn State from its own 32: Bolden pass complete to Moye at the Penn State 49.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 49: Stephfon Green rushes to the Illinois 45.

2^nd and 4 Penn State from the Illinois 45: Bolden throws pass away.

3^rd and 4 Penn State from the Illinois 45: Bolden pass complete to Smith at the Illinois 42.

4^th and 1 Penn State from the Illinois 42: Green rushes for no gain. Illinois takes over on downs at its own 42.

Illinois ball on its own 42 with 11:44 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 42: Ford tackled in the backfield for a loss of 1.

2^nd and 11 Illinois from its own 41: Scheelhaase pass incomplete to Jenkins.

3^rd and 11 Illinois from its own 41: Scheelhaase pass incomplete to Fayson.

4^th and 11 Illinois from its own 41: Santella punts to the Penn State 20. Justin Brown returns to the Penn State 26. Penalty on Penn State. Smith charged with holding. Loss of 10 yards.

Penn State ball on its own 16 with 10:51 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 16: Royster rushes to the 18.

2^nd and 8 Penn State from its own 18: Royster rushes to the 21.

3^rd and 5 Penn State from its own 21: Bolden screen pass tiped and intercepted by Nate Bussey. Bussey returns interception for a touchdown.

Illinois 13, Penn State 3

Dimke makes PAT.

Illinois 14, Penn State 3

Dimke kicks off. Kick sails into the endzone for a touchback.

Penn State ball on its own 20 with 9:39 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 20: Bolden pass complete to Moye who takes it 80 yards for a touchdown.

Illinois 14, Penn State 9

Wagner makes PAT.

Illinois 14, Penn State 10

Fera kicks off. Kick sails into the endzone for a touchback.

Illinois ball on its own 20 with 9:28 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Scheelhaase sacked for a loss of 2 yards.

2^nd and 10 Illinois from its own 18: Leshoure rushes to the 36.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 36: Ford rushes to the 48.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 48: Scheelhaase scrambles to the Penn State 47, laterals to Leshoure who rushes to the 41.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 41: Leshoure rushes to the 38.

2^nd and 7 Illinois from the Penn State 38: Scheelhaase pass complete to Evan Wilson at the Penn State 34.

3^rd and 3 Illinois from the Penn State 34: Ford Rush for no gain.

4^th and 3 Illinois from the Penn State 34: Dimke makes a 50 yard field goal.

Illinois 17, Penn State 10

Dimke kicks off to the Penn State 3 yard line. Powell returns kick to the 34.

Penn State ball on its own 34 with 5:19 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 34: Bolden pass incomplete to Powell.

2^nd and 10 Penn State from its own 34: Bolden pass incomplete to  Brown.

3^rd and 10 Penn State from its own 34: Bolden pass complete to Brett Brackett at the Penn State 38.

4^th and 6 Penn State from its own 38: Fera punts to the Illinois 9. Ramsey fumbles the retuen. Penn State recovers at the Illinois 9.

1^st and Goal Penn State from the Illinois 9: Royster rushes to the 5.

2^nd and Goal Penn State from the Illinois 5: Royster rushes to the 4.

3^rd and Goal Penn State from the Illinois 4: Bolden pass thrown away.

4^th and Goal Penn State from the Illinois 4: Wagner makes a 22 yard field goal.

Illinois 17, Penn State 13

Fera kicks off into the endzone. Troy Pollard returns kick to the Illinois 24.

Illinois ball on its own 24 with 2:49 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 24: Leshoure rushes to the 32.

2^nd and 2 Illinois from its own 32: Leshoure rushes to the 47.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 47: Scheelhaase pass complete to Ford at the Penn State 49.

2^nd and 6 Illinois from the Penn State 49: Scheelhaase pass complete to Fayson at the 37.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 37: Scheelhaase pass complete to Fayson at the 30.

2^nd and 3 Illinois from the Penn State 30: Leshoure rushes to the 23. Illinois timeout with 1:11 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 23: Scheelhaase pass incomplete.

2^nd and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 23: Leshoure rush to the Penn State 22.

3^rd and 9 Illinois from the Penn State 22: Scheelhaase pass complete to Fayson at the 14. Illinois calls a timeout with 0:05 remaining.

4^th and 1 Illinois from the Penn State 14: Dimke makes 31 yard field goal.

Illinois 20, Penn State 13

Thoughts at the half:

Illinois defense has played exceptionally well thus far. They have been placed in terrible positions by Jack Ramsey who has Lost the ball on 2 returns in Illinois’ red zone. The defense has stepped up big time and held Penn State to field goals on both visits. Aside from the one big play that they gave up, the defense has suffocated Bolden and the Penn State offense. Nate Bussey’s pick six was particularly fun to watch, and should defiantly make a SportsCenter highlight tomorrow. Illinois’ offense has been excellent as well. Scheelhaase continues to execute well behind excellent protection and Leshoure has had several big first down runs. Dimke’s 50 yarder was very impressive. The key for Illinois will be to see if it can come out of the half strong. Illinois has been up by at least a touchdown in 4 of its 5 games this season, but its lack of offense in the 3^rd quarter has allowed other teams to crawl back into it. Penn State is by no means out of this one, but Illinois carries the momentum going into the half and if it can keep this homecoming crowd out of the game and keep pressuring the freshman quarterback into more mistakes then it could pull off this upset.

3^rd Quarter

Dimke kicks off the start the second half. Kick goes into the endzone. Powell returns the kick to the Penn State 26.

Penn State ball on its own 26 with 14:50 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 26: Royster rushes to the 29.

2^nd and 7 Penn State from its own 29: Smith rushes to the 30.

3^rd and 6 Penn State from its own 30: Bolden pass complete to Brackett at the Penn State 34.

4^th and 2 Penn State form its own 34: Fera punts out of bounds at the Illinois 32.

Illinois ball on its own 32 with 12:48 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 32: Leshoure rushes to the 37.

2^nd and 5 Illinois from its own 37: Pollard rushes to the Penn State 43.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 43: Pollard rushes to the 41.

2^nd and 8 Illinois from the Penn State 41: Scheelhaase scrambles to the 25.

1^st and 10 Illinois form the Penn State 25: Leshoure rushes to the 23.

2^nd and 8 Illinois from the Penn State 23: Scheelhaase pass complete to Jenkins at the Penn State 9.

1^st and Goal Illinois from the Penn State 9: Leshoure rushes for no gain.

2^nd and Goal Illinois form the Penn State 9: Scheelhaase scrambles to the 4.

3^rd and Goal Illinois from the Penn State 4: Scheelhaase laterals to Ford. Ford drops back and passes to Wilson for a touchdown.

Illinois 26, Penn State 13

Dimke makes PAT

Illinois 27, Penn State 13

Dimke kicks off into the endzone. Green returns kick to the Penn State 25.

Penn State ball on its own 25 with 8:30 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 25: Bolden pass incomplete to Kevin Haplea.

2^nd and 10 Penn State from its own 25: Bolden pass complete to Moye at the Penn State 34.

3^rd and 1 Penn State from its own 34: Bolden scrambles to the 39.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 39: Royster ushes to the 41.

2^nd and 8 Penn State from its own 41: Boldin pass thrown away.

3^rd and 8 Penn State from its own 41: Bolden pass incomplete to Graham Zug.

4^th and 8 Penn State from its own 41: Fera punts to the Illinois 20. Fayson calls for a fair catch.

Illinois ball on its own 20 with 6:22 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Leshoure rushes to the 28.

2^nd and 2 Illinois from its own 28: Leshoure rushes for no gain.

3^rd and 2 Illinois from its own 28: Scheelhaase scrambles to the Illinois 36.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Leshoure rushes to the 42.

2^nd and 4 Illinois from its own 42: Scheelhaase passes to Jenkins at the Illinois 47.

1st and 10 Illinois from it own 47: Ford rushes to the Penn State 44.

2^nd and 1 Illinois from the Penn State 44: Ford rushes to the 32.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 32: Leshoure rushes to the 24.

2^nd and 2 Illinois from the Penn State 24: Leshoure rushes to the 23.

3^rd and 1 Illinois from the Penn State 23: Leshoure tackled in the backfield for a 1 yard loss.

4^th and 2 Illinois from the Penn State 24: Dimke makes 41 yard field goal.

Illinois 30, Penn State 13

Dimke kicks off. Kick sails into the endzone for a touchback.

Penn State ball on its own 20 with 1:07 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 20: Royster rushes to the 23.

2^nd and 7 Penn State from its own 23: Bolden pass to Brackett at the Penn State 40.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 40: Bolden pass incomplete to Brown.

Thoughts after the third quarter:

Illinois shattered its image of not being able to produce in the 3^rd quarter. Illinois scored 10 points in the third while keeping the Nittany Lions from scoring. The team kept all of its momentum that it built up and has the Penn State fans totally out of the game. Illinois is playing well on both sides of the ball and with Fayson returning in place of Ramsey, the special teams has righted its problems. All Illinois needs to do now is run the ball and run down the clock and it can escape with its first ever win in Beaver Stadium.

4^th Quarter

2^nd and 10 Penn State from its own 40:  Bolden pass to Brackett broken up.

3^rd and 10 Penn State from its own 40: Bolden sacked by Liuget for a loss of 6 yards.

4th and 16 Penn State from its own 34: Fera punts to the Illinois 25, Fayson returns 2 yards to the Illinois 27.

Illinois ball on its own 27 with 14:09 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 27: Pollard rushes to the 35.

2^nd and 2 Illinois from its own 35: Pollard rushes for a first down, taken down at the Illinois 47.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 47: Leshoure rushes to the 49.

2^nd and 8 Illinois from its own 49: Scheelhaase passes to McGee at the Penn State 48.

3^rd and 5 Illinois from the Penn State 48: Scheelhaase screen pass to Leshoure. Leshoure runs to the Penn State 16 for a first down.

1^st and 10 Illinois from the Penn State 16: Pollard rushed to the 14.

2^nd and 8 Illinois from the Penn State 14: Penalty on Illinois. Offensive lineman Thornton called for holding. Loss of 10 yards, repeat 2^nd down.

2^nd and 18 Illinois from the Penn State 24: Scheelhaase scrambles to the 23.

3^rd and 17 Illinois from the Penn State 23: Pollard rushes to the Penn State 20.

4^th and 14 Illinois from the Penn State 20:  Dimke makes a 37 yard field goal.

Illinois 33, Penn State 13

Dimke kicks off. Kick sails into the endzone for a touchback.

Penn State ball on its own 20 with 8:55 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 20: Bolden pass incomplete to Brown.

2^nd and 10 Penn State from its own 20: Green rushes to the 23.

3^rd and 7 Penn State from its own 23: Bolden sacked by Foster for a loss of 10 yards.

4^th and 17 Penn State from its own 13: Fera punts to the Illinois 37, Fayson calls for a fair catch.

Illinois ball on its own 37 with 7:41 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 37: Leshoure rushes to the 39.

2^nd and 8 Illinois from its own 39: Penalty on Illinois. Offensive lineman Pocic called for holding. Loss of 10 yards, repeat 2^nd down.

2^nd and 18 Illinois from its own 29: Pollard rushes to the 32.

3^rd and 15 Illinois from its own 32: Scheelhaase pass incomplete to James.

4^th and 15 Illinois from its own 32: Santella punts to the Penn State 20, Smith returns 12 yards to the Penn State 32.

Penn State ball on its own 32 with 5:40 remaining.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 32: Newsome is in at quarterback to replace Bolden. Newsome scrambles to the 36.

2^nd and 6 Penn State from its own 36: Newsome pass complete to Brackett at the Penn State 46.

1^st and 10 Penn State from its own 46: Redd rushes to the Illinois 46.

2^nd and 2 Penn State from the Illinois 46: Penalty on Penn State. False start on the offense. Loss of 5 yards, repeat 2^nd down.

2^nd and 7 Penn State from its own 49: Newsome scrambles to the Illinois 47.

3^rd and 3 Penn State from the Illinois 47: Penalty on Penn State. Illegal formation on the offense. Loss of 5 yards, repeat 3^rd down.

3^rd and 8 Penn State from its own 48: Newsome pass incomplete to Smith.

4^th and 8 Penn State from its own 48: Newsome pass complete to Zug at the Illinois 35.

1^st and 10 Penn State from the Illinois 35: Newsome scrambles to the 31.

2^nd and 6 Penn State from the Illinois 31: Redd rushes to the 28.

3^rd and 3 Penn State from the Illinois 28: Newsome pass incomplete out of bounds.

4^th and 3 Penn State from the Illinois 28: Newsome pass incomplete to Zug. Illinois takes over on downs at its own 28.

Illinois ball on its own 28 with 2:18 remaining.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 28: Ford rushes to the 32.

2^nd and 6 Illinois from its own 32: Ford rushes to the 36. Penn State timeout with 1:21 remaining on the clock.

3^rd and 2 Illinois from its own 36: Ford rushes to the 41.

1^st and 10 Illinois from its own 41: Pollard rushes to the 47.

End of Game.

Final Score: Illinois 33, Penn State 13.

Congratulations to Illinois for getting its first ever win at State College and doing it in style. Be sure to check back Monday for Writing Illini’s full recap of the game, and tomorrow for Chris Maynard’s Sunday Morning Basketball Recap.

Until then, we hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.