Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/421383
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Jordan Lucas wasn't paying close attention, but when he heard the commo- tion, he thought it was good news. Lucas was certain his Nittany Lions had just done something positive on the opening kickoff of the second half to provide a much-needed boost in a sloppy 7-7 game. "We're going to have good field position," he said to himself. The opposite was true. On a play head coach James Franklin described as a "freak deal," what had been an early domina- tion of Illinios on a blustery a@ernoon at Memo- P O S T G A M E R E P O R T W E E K 1 1 I L L I N O I S 1 6 , P E N N S T A T E 1 4 N o V E m B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 B l U E w h i t E o N l i N E . c o m THE GAME AT A GLANCE GOOD NEWSAs usual, the Nittany Lions did a nice job against the run, holding Illinois to 68 yards on the ground. BAD NEWS The of- fense was once again dismal. Penn State scored 14 points against a team that had given up 30 or more points to eight of its first 10 opponents. Western Kentucky scored 34 points against this defense. Even Youngstown State managed 17. THE TAKEAWAY The Lions' ineffectual running game has gotten a lot of atten- tion, but of equal concern at this point is that the passing game has regressed. Christian Hackenberg threw for 93 yards Saturday. And before blaming the blustery field conditions, note that Illinois QB Reilly O'Toole went 18 of 25 for 157 yards in a little over two quarters of action. With Michi- gan State on the hori- zon, things could get worse before they get better. 1 N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B l U E w h i t E o N l i N E . c o m Freaked out Sluggish offense, unlucky breaks doom PSU RUNNING ROOM Donovonn Young turns the corner on Nyeem Wartman. Photo by Steve Manuel