Illinois

Illinois-Penn State 3 keys and a prediction: Is drama finally in store for Nittany Lions?

Published

1 year ago

September 26, 2024

Illinois-Penn State 3 keys and a prediction: Is drama finally in store for Nittany Lions?

It’s not the White Out, but the energy Saturday night in and around Beaver Stadium is likely going to feel like a marquee home game.

This isn’t the kind of matchup many expected, myself included, when the schedule was released. No. 9 Penn State (3-0) has a homecoming game that suddenly features two ranked opponents. No. 19 Illinois (4-0) returns to the place where it last needed nine overtimes to beat the Nittany Lions in 2021.

Over time, Penn State and Illinois have given college football fans quite a few dramatic moments. Overcoming a 21-0 first quarter deficit added to the legacy of Penn State’s undefeated 1994 team, a group that will be honored on the field Saturday. There was also LaVar Arrington’s famous leap in 1999 that won’t soon be forgotten in State College or Champaign, Ill. Joe Paterno’s 409th career win, his last as Penn State’s head coach, came in a 10-7 win against the Illini in 2011.

Will Saturday night live up to some of the drama these teams have produced before? We’re certainly going to learn much more about this team. Here are three keys and a prediction.

How do Drew Allar, receivers handle Illinois’ man coverage?

This is the best test to date for Andy Kotelnicki’s offense. The Illini are 32nd nationally in total defense, surrendering an average of 292.3 yards per game. West Virginia, Penn State’s Week 1 opponent, is 102nd, while Bowling Green is 110th. Last week’s record-setting offensive performance against Kent State, in which Allar exited early in the third quarter with a 35-0 lead, was not a good barometer for much of anything.

Still, the Penn State offense has been as advertised this year, averaging 537.7 yards and 41.3 points per game. It’s been explosive, quick-strike and dynamic with lots of pre-snap motion and creativity. Penn State won’t march up and down the field all night against a Bret Bielema team. But, we should find out how this offense responds to a true test.

Can Penn State string together a long, sustained drive if it needs to? For all the strides this receiving corps has made, whether it’s been Harrison Wallace III, Omari Evans or tight end Tyler Warren, how does it stack up against better defensive backs?

Count James Franklin among those who are curious to learn more.

“Their secondary is really going to be a challenge for us,” Franklin said. “Our wide receivers have taken a really nice step and made some really good strides since last season, but we will be challenged.”

Do the wrinkles create pause?

Throughout nonconference play, Kotelnicki has shown countless creative wrinkles. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula has a role in every game. Warren, a tight end, has thrown a touchdown pass and taken a direct snap. Offensive lineman Vega Ioane could line up again as a lead blocker. There will be other options off many of these plays depending on how and when Kotelnicki uses them.

Illinois, like most opponents, can go back to Kansas’ film to see more of what Kotelnicki did prior to arriving at Penn State. How much time did Illinois’ defense spend this week trying to decipher all Penn State has shown and what it could show based off Kansas?

While Kotelnicki is willing to use his creativity at any point on the field, Penn State has scored on 13 of 14 trips to the red zone this season. Twelve of those trips have resulted in touchdowns. Doing anything to slow down defensive end Gabe Jacas will be key. Jacas forced two fumbles this season to go along with four tackles for loss and two sacks.

What’s the next gear for this Penn State defense?

Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton each recorded a sack against Kent State, their first of the season. They haven’t stuffed the stat sheet like most expected during nonconference games. Franklin insists it’s the style Bowling Green and Kent State played: Get the ball out quickly and limit the opportunities for two two talented edge rushers to go to work.

All of that changes now. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has completed 71.4 percent of passes and has yet to throw an interception this season. Altmyer has passed for 862 yards and had a rush of 15 yards or more in three of four games. Illinois is 82nd in total offense, and if Penn State can force it to have to play from behind, then these defensive ends should have plenty of opportunities to generate a pass rush.

This is as well rested of a Penn State defensive line as one can expect. No defensive lineman played more than 19 snaps and no starter played more than 23 snaps last week against Kent State.

Keep in mind

Penn State still has to work toward a long-term solution at safety without starter KJ Winston. Winston is dealing with a long-term injury, and there’s been no indication if or when he could potentially return. Ideally, freshman Dejuan Lane eventually slides into the starting spot opposite Zakee Wheatley. That solution would allow Jaylen Reed to play the lion position where he’s thrived. Per TruMedia, Lane played 22 snaps against Kent State. How much will they put on the freshman’s plate in conference play?

“I’m thankful for the 7:30 game. I know that sounds silly, but with some of the young guys that we’re playing, we need every minute we can in preparation,” Franklin said.

Don’t forget about

Tom Allen’s new spot. The defensive coordinator called the Kent State game from upstairs. Typically, Allen had been on the sideline while safeties coach Anthony Poindexter was in the booth. The swapped places last week. Franklin was non-committal about the game-day change being permanent, but it seems like the switch was made after communication issues popped up in the first half against Bowling Green.

Playoff implications

A win against a ranked opponent would certainly bolster the College Football Playoff resume. At this point, that’s what it’s all about. There’s certainly some temptation to think a few weeks down the road when Penn State plays No. 13 USC, but until then, this is a solid measuring stick, especially for Allar and the offense.

Player we’ll be talking about Sunday

Running back Nick Singleton has amassed 314 rushing yards and three total touchdowns through three games. Illinois’ 35th-ranked run defense will be a test, but as Bielema also pointed out, this is the best offensive line his team has seen.

Prediction

This one reminds me of the Iowa game last year. It was a night game, the Hawkeyes were ranked 24th at the time, and yet it never was close. Penn State’s offense had arguably its best showing of the season, and the defense was superb. A similar script could unfold Saturday night under the lights.

Penn State 30, Illinois 13

(Photo of Omari Evans: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

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Illinois

Shooting investigation shuts down I-270 in Illinois Thursday

Published

8 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Shooting investigation shuts down I-270 in Illinois Thursday

MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — A shooting investigation shut down a stretch of Interstate 270 in Madison County during the evening rush-hour Thursday. No one was injured, Illinois State Police said.

Troopers from ISP Troop 8 responded around 5:23 p.m. to I-270 eastbound at milepost 8 near Edwardsville after a call of shots fired on the expressway.

The eastbound lanes of I-270 were closed at mile marker 8. Police said the investigation is in its early stages. More details will be posted here as they come into the FOX 2 newsroom.

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Illinois

A power shortage could be in Northern Illinois’ near future, new report warns

Published

20 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

A power shortage could be in Northern Illinois’ near future, new report warns

Illinois energy providers are projected to face power shortfalls within the next decade as demand increases amid a transition away from fossil fuel power plants, a new report found.

The report anticipates accelerating energy demand, largely from data centers coming online. That demand, along with retirement of many coal, gas and oil units, and increasing development constraints could strain the state’s utilities and regional transmission organizations, PJM Interconnection and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, according to the report.

Plus, consumers are likely to see prices continue to rise as demand does.

The report, compiled by Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Commerce Commission and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, is required by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) that Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law in September 2021.

Per CEJA, the state is required to undergo a Resource Adequacy Study that assesses its progress toward renewable energy, green hydrogen technologies, emissions reduction goals, and its current and project status of electric resource adequacy and reliability throughout the state, with proposed solutions for any shortfalls the study finds.

The different mechanisms and entities that supply energy across Illinois after the state’s deregulation and restructuring of the electricity industry in the late 1990’s and early 2000s contribute to challenges in managing resource adequacy in the future.

With different entities focusing on serving the needs of its immediate customers, the development of a plan for long-term resource adequacy needs is more difficult than if entities were working in concert with each other, according to the report.

Though Illinois zones are considered “resource adequate” today, sources of energy across Illinois are becoming increasingly constrained. Unless new capacity resources are developed, energy capacity shortfalls could be seen in Illinois as early as 2029, the report found.

Data centers are the primary driver of growth in the latest forecasts, the report states, with growth projections at levels “well above those observed in either market over the past twenty years.”

Combined with an “aging fleet of coal and gas generators,” the growth from data centers is “likely to pose significant challenges for the reliability of both systems,” the report stated.

Rapid, concentrated growth from data center development, in addition to growth from residential and commercial customers, is projected to drive growth in resource adequacy targets for both PJM and MISO between 2025 and 2030.

PJM is expected to experience a capacity shortfall beginning in 2029, with the deficit projected to widen in subsequent years if left unabated. MISO is resource adequate through 2030, though a shortfall is projected to emerge in 2031 and grow from there.

Though Illinois has long been known as an exporter of electricity, Northern Illinois will begin to import power in 2030 as the area served by Commonwealth Edison is projected to see a 24% increase in demand for power, according to the report.

MISO, which services downstate Illinois, will meet its zonal requirements through 2035 as a more modest increase of only 11% is expected between 2025 and 2030, though reliance on imports after that is possible.

In addition to the credible risks to reliability, rising demand means already rising consumer cost will continue to trend upward over the next decade.

Utility customers in Illinois reported increasing costs on their electricity bills earlier this year, with some saying their payments have doubled.

When ComEd bills increased an average of 10% in June after a capacity charge increase, PJM told NBC Chicago “higher prices reflect the fact that electricity supply is decreasing while demand is increasing.”

The latest PJM and MISO auctions each set record high capacity prices, which will incentivize new resource development and retention of existing generation. However, the price signal is also going to increase costs for consumers, the report states.

Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board — a nonprofit that advocates for utility consumers in Illinois — said the report “makes clear the need to confront these challenges head-on and remain firmly committed to keeping the lights on at prices we can all afford.”

The report also “underscores the urgency” for the implementation of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), that was passed earlier this year to address the imbalance of supply and demand for energy in Illinois and to pass additional reforms on data centers.

“Across the country, our energy systems are facing new pressures, but for years, consumer advocates have sounded the alarm about policy shortcomings from the regional power grid operators, including unacceptable delays in connecting clean and affordable resources to the power grid,” Moskowtiz said. “Illinois’ strong energy policy gives the state a blueprint to tackle our resource adequacy challenges.”

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition also pointed to the CRGA as an important step to addressing the projected shortfalls, however, passing “commonsense guardrails for data centers” is “the next critical step” to protecting Illinois’ ability to meet energy demands in the future.

“ICJC looks forward to working with legislative leaders and stakeholders in the spring legislative session to ensure data center developers, not Illinois consumers, pay for the disproportionate energy burden big tech is bringing to our power grid and keep in line with Illinois’ national leadership on climate by powering these facilities with clean energy,” the organization said in a statement.

Clean Energy Choice Coalition Executive Director Tom Cullerton said while the organization is in support of decarbonization and the state’s climate ambitions, “the Resource Adequacy Study makes clear that policy-driven shutdowns of reliable energy generation, before replacement resources are ready, will drive higher costs within this decade and push Illinois toward a less reliable system while putting skilled energy jobs at risk.”

As mandated by the CRGA, Illinois will begin an Integrated Resource Plan next year, an energy planning tool that will help the state account for the challenges outlined in the report and develop a strategy for moving forward. The IRP process is projected to take place throughout 2026 and 2027, according to the report.

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