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

3. Jer’Zhan Newton is incredible

There was so much craziness in the Penn State game. Illinois’ offense was doing great for the Nittany Lions offense. We were putting them in great field positioning all game long.

The fact that Illini didn’t lose the game by 50 points is nothing short of a miracle. The miracle that happened to keep this game relatively respectable goes by Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton.

Newton had a slow start to the 2023 season. He struggled against Toledo and then started to wake up against Kansas. On Saturday, Newton had one of those special games that not only put him at the top of the defensive linemen in all of college football, but it cemented him as a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2024.

The box score doesn’t do Newton justice either. He finished the Penn State game with six tackles and one tackle for loss. But what the box score doesn’t show you is the impact he had on the Illinois defense.

Newton was in the Penn State backfield all game long. He was putting pressure on quarterback Drew Allar and didn’t let him go wild. That pressure forced Allar to throw the ball early on multiple occasions.

When Newton wasn’t getting to the quarterback, he was getting doubled-teamed. This double team freed up his teammates to wreak havoc. This helped the Illinois defense hold Penn State to 30 points, despite the four interceptions thrown by the Illinois offense.

Newton is a special talent. He is someone that doesn’t come around often. Let’s enjoy watching him in his final season in Champaign.