STATE UNIVERSITY | Penn State improved to 4-0 this season with a tough 21-7 win over Illinois under the lights Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Here are the key takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ second win over a ranked team this season.

Offensive line, running backs dominate

Penn State’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, resulting in a big day on the ground. Kaytron Allen rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Nicholas Singleton rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Together, the duo averaged 5.8 yards per carry.

“I don’t know if there’s a better combination of running backs in the country,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “There were physical runs today, so I couldn’t be more proud of this group and their effort.”

In addition to Penn State’s two-headed monster at running back, gadget quarterback Beau Pribula added 17 yards and all-around tight end Tyler Warren had 13 yards and a touchdown. In total, the Nittany Lions totaled 239 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, providing a consistent boost to a solid Illinois defensive line.

Franklin said given Penn State’s good performance against Illinois, it would have been “stupid to get away.”

Pass rush goes to town

The Nittany Lions had four sacks and 15 tackles for loss in their first three games. Against Illinois, they had seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Penn State managed five of those sacks in a strong second half.

Defensive end Abdul Carter led the way with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble to seal the game. His partner at the end, Dani Dennis-Sutton, had a bag of his own. Zane Durant, Jaylen Reed and Kobe King each had a sack and Smith Vilbert took half a sack.

“Everyone has a game plan for him (Carter), but he does a great job and still finds ways to make plays for the team when we need him to,” Reed said.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was under constant pressure and managed to avoid sacks on several plays early on. But when the Fighting Illini needed completions at a crucial time, Penn State’s pass rush proved too much.

Penn State is struggling to knock off Illinois

Despite outscoring Illinois 181-59 total yards in the second half, Penn State simply couldn’t beat the Fighting Illini. On their second drive of the half, the Nittany Lions marched 43 yards in nine plays. But faced with a 4th-and-3 from the Illinois 17-yard line, Franklin kept his offense on the field instead of giving kicker Sander Sahaydak a chance from 34 yards. On fourth down, Julian Fleming made the catch, but came up short of the first down.

On the following possession, Penn State pushed down again. On a 3rd-and-7, Penn State ran the ball three yards (tight end Tyler Warren handed off to Kaytron Allen) to set up the 4th-and-4. This time Sahaydak was sent to try from 40 meters, but he hit the ball wide of the right goal.

The goal could have been to set up and then go for a 4th-and-short, but Franklin apparently liked his chances on Sahaydak more than his chances of converting on a 4th-and-4. At the end of the day, these were two prime chances to knock out Illinois. With the way Penn State’s defense played, a two-point lead would have been a nice cushion, but Penn State wasn’t able to score the knockout blow until late.

Late in the fourth, cornerback AJ Harris could have had a pick-6 to seal the deal, but a block in the back by Zion Tracy negated the touchdown. Penn State finally scored in the fourth period to make it 21-7, but this game remained close for far too long.

Against elite teams, Penn State can’t get away with playing with its spoils.

Sahaydak fights

Sahaydak missed two 40-yard field goals on Sunday and questions are once again emerging about Penn State’s kicking situation. The junior is now 2 of 5 this season. He missed a 47-yarder against West Virginia before making field goals of 43 and 28 yards against Bowling Green.

After Sahaydak’s second miss against Illinois, he was replaced by redshirt freshman Ryan Barker, who hit an extra point on his first career kick. It appears Barker would be the next man up if Penn State makes a move. Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer, who made 17 of 20 kicks with the Golden Hurricane, could also be in the mix.

“Ultimately we’re going to have a competition and all of those things are going to factor into some decisions we have to make going forward, but I want Sander to celebrate this win like everyone else because he put a lot into it,” Franklin said.

More Penn State football

The Penn State Report Card: Illinois Edition

Penn State vs. Illinois Breakdown: The Nittany Lions defense takes control

Penn State’s 1994 team returns home: ‘They’re legends here’

Sam Woloson has covered Penn State athletics for three years and is currently managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson