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Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Penn State

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini greets fans before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini greets fans before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – SEPTEMBER 21: Juwan Johnson #84 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball after a catch as Cameron Watkins #31 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reaches for the tackle at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – SEPTEMBER 21: Juwan Johnson #84 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball after a catch as Cameron Watkins #31 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reaches for the tackle at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The Illinois football team went into the game on Friday night and did some impressive things for the first three quarters.

Illinois was tied with Penn State after the first quarter. They were playing well on offense, caused a turnover on defense and the Nittany Lions were on their heels. This was a great game plan to come out of the gate.

The second quarter was solid as well. Penn State managed to get out to a 21-7 lead, but Illinois didn’t back down. They were able to get it to 21-17 at halftime. The resilience of this Orange and Blue program was quite impressive at this time.

In the third quarter, Illinois actually took the lead at one time. This was a great momentum for the fan base and everyone involved. The Illini were showing some tough football play and were really playing well. But, then the fourth quarter came.

Illinois ended the fourth quarter down just 28-24. Things were looking up. But, then some mistakes happened. Dropped passes, turnovers and bonehead plays led to Penn State extending their lead. They ended up scoring 35 points in the second half. Illinois lost the game 63-24.

I saw some good things from the Illini and some really bad things. Here are five observations from the Illini loss to Penn State.

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