The No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) open Big Ten play by hosting the No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini (4-0), who are off to a surprising undefeated start this season. The Illini and No. 5 Tennessee are the only teams with two wins over ranked teams entering Week 5. Illinois upset Kansas in Week 2, then upset Nebraska last weekend in an overtime affair on the road. The last time Illinois came to Penn State, these teams played to 9 overtimes with the Illini getting the upset over a top-ten Penn State team. Read on for key storylines and how to watch this top-20 matchup on Saturday.

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Illinois

The Fighting Illini have their third 4-0 start since 1950, and it’s an unexpected one as the team has had to go through two ranked teams to get there. Last week’s overtime win at Nebraska was especially impressive to open Big Ten play. Head coach Bret Bielema is in his 4^th season in Champaign, where he’s had an up-and-down tenure. Whether this proves to be an “up” year on Bielema’s record likely depends on the team’s current stretch of games, as five of seven contests between Week 2 and Week 9 are against ranked opponents.

Illinois’ success is largely thanks to strong – though sometimes inconsistent – defensive play and an efficient Luke Altmyer at quarterback, who is the only player in FBS with at least 10 pass TD and no interceptions. It’s a huge turnaround for Altmyer, who threw 10 interceptions last season. Penn State will be the toughest defense he’s faced so far, though, and last year he threw four interceptions to the Nittany Lions.

Illinois’ defense, especially in the secondary, will look to challenge Penn State’s pass game on Saturday. Entering Week 5 the Illini have seven interceptions on the season, tied for the most in the Big Ten. CB Xavier Scott and safety Miles Scott (no relation) are the stars of the secondary; after the Scott duo combined to force 4 turnovers in the team’s Sept. 7 win over Kansas, head coach Bret Bielema referred to them as “the new ‘Scott & Scott Law Firm.’”

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Penn State

The No. 9 Nittany Lions begin conference play this weekend. Penn State is seen as one of the primary beneficiaries of conference realignment and the new 12-team Playoff, as the team now has a path to the Big Ten title game without having to go through both Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten East. Even when those divisions existed, Penn State recently finished in a top-12 rank repeatedly but was never selected for the Playoff, unable to crack the top four. Now, the path appears to be clear for them.

The team has shown big improvements and changes on offense under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who has brought a creative style that has helped bring more big plays out of the unit led by QB Drew Allar. Allar’s most telling stat might be that he is second in FBS this season in yards/attempt, a far cry from an offense that rarely stretched the field in 2023. The pass game benefits from a strong duo in the backfield in RBs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.

How to watch the Illinois Fighting Illini vs the Penn State Nittany Lions

• When: Saturday, September 28
• Where: Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (Pregame coverage begins at 7:00pm ET)
• Watch: NBC, Peacock

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