Illinois Football: Illini fan expectations for the Penn State game

The goal of every game for the Illinois football team is to win and move on to the next week.

This is the goal for every athlete in every sport on every level. Athletes go into competition wanting and thinking they can win no matter who they are going up against. That should be the case on Friday night when the Illini go up against the No. 10 team in the nation, Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are a good program with solid players at just about every position. This is a team who has maintained a level of success for decades that has been matched by few. Now Illinois has to take on this team as the Orange and Blue continues their rebuild into a program that is competitive once again. So, as a fan, what is the realistic expectation going into this game against Penn State?

Much like the players who are going to be out there on the field on Friday night, I want to win this game. I want to show the world this Illini team has arrived and Lovie Smith is the right coach for the job. But, I also have to realize where this team was just 365 days ago. We were 2-10 last season and lost the last 10 games of the 2017 campaign.

But, the Illinois team we have seen on the field this season has been different. The first two games should have been wins, but the third game against South Florida really showed me that this Illini team has taken a step forward in 2018. I have to pull back my expectations a little bit, though.

If Illinois played this Penn State team in 2017, I would say the Illini would probably lose by 40+ points. They enter this game in 2018 as 28-point underdogs. That is four touchdowns for those people keeping track at home. I do have higher expectations than that.

The players who are on suspension would make a huge difference in this game if they could come back and play for the team. I haven’t heard whether or not they are back, but it would be nice to see them on the field. I think they make up at least a touchdown difference for this defense.

Let’s go worst case scenario, the suspended players remain suspended. Penn State’s main player on offense is quarterback, Trace McSorley. He isn’t terribly accurate, which is good, but he has the playmaking ability with his legs. Penn State also has a great running back in Miles Sanders. Their defense is stout as usually as well.

My expectation for this Illini team is to see the defensive give up less than 40 points. Penn State is averaging 53 points per game, and I think giving up less than 40 points to this good offense would be a solid accomplishment. I want to see at least one turnover as well for the Illini defense. This is what will help turn momentum.

On the offensive side of the ball, I need to see a dedication to the running game. The Illinois offense line has improved, so use them to move the ball. I want to see Mike Epstein and Reggie Corbin both have around 80 yards on the ground against the Nittany Lions.

As far as the quarterback position is concerned, let’s not make mistakes. Giving the ball up to Penn State will lead to them scoring more. They need to take deep shots once in a while, but keep the passing game to 5-10 yard routes. The quarterback just needs to focus on not giving the ball up.

The things I mentioned about are what I want to see out of both sides of the ball. But, overall as a team, I want to see competitiveness. I want Illinois to be in the game through most of the night. I want it to be a deficit of 10 points or less at halftime. If Illinois does lose, I want the final deficit to be less than 14 points. Let’s see a team who can keep up with one of the big boys in the Big Ten. Those are my expectations for the Penn State game.