Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/421383
QUARTERBACKS Christian Hackenberg got off to a hot start, completing his first three passes, including a beautiful TD toss to Chris Godwin. But he was off- target the rest of the afternoon, hitting 5 of 13 after PSU's initial drive. GRADE D RUNNING BACKS Penn State got the big play it was looking for when Akeel Lynch popped free on a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. But take away that gain, and Lynch averaged 3.3 yards per carry, and he also fumbled to end a second-quarter drive. GRADE C RECEIVERS Other than Godwin's catch, the wideouts didn't make any big plays or appear to be getting much separa- tion. And except for a 9-yard catch for a first down by Jesse James, the tight ends didn't have much of an impact, ei- ther. GRADE C- OFFENSIVE LINE Illinois went into this game ranked 121st in the Football Bowl Subdi- vision in rushing defense. It was giving up 267 yards per game. Penn State man- aged 172, and that's with a 32-yard gain on a fake punt factored in. Clearly, it's going to take a lot more than a healthy Miles Dieffenbach to fix what ails the Nittany Lions' offensive front. GRADE D DEFENSIVE LINE The front four had its usual strong game. Penn State held Illi- nois to 68 rushing yards and kept the pressure on the Fighting Illini quarter- backs. GRADE B LINEBACKERS Even with Brandon Bell out of action, these guys had their mo- ments, such as Nyeem Wartman's big hit on Mike Dudek in the fourth quar- ter. They also missed a few tackles, but the linebackers weren't the reason Penn State lost this game. GRADE B DEFENSIVE BACKS Wes Lunt was way off target, but Reilly O'Toole kept Penn State's secondary on its heels. When the Lions needed a stop in the final minute, they couldn't get it. GRADE C- SPECIAL TEAMS More bad than good here. Brad Bars had a nice run on a fake punt in the first quarter, but the Lions botched the ensuing field goal oppor- tunity with a bobbled snap. Evan Schwan's offside penalty late in the first half proved costly, and the Lions also lost a kickoff in the wind to start the second half. GRADE D COACHES Penn State may have overcom- mitted to the running game, especially in the third quarter when it had the wind at its back. But it's not as if the staff had any reason to feel confident in the pass- ing game. Still, it's the big picture that really gives pause. This offense isn't get- ting any better and in some respects ap- pears to be getting worse. GRADE D CROWD If Illinois makes a coaching change after the season, it'll be at least in part because of scenes like this. The seats and parking lots were largely empty for Senior Day at Illinois. Granted, the students were home for Thanksgiving break, and the late-No- vember weather was cold and windy, but a program that aspires to compete at a high level has to do better than this. GRADE D 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 6 Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Hey Sports Fans ...Get 15% Off your hotel stay! 15% discount lioncountrylodging.com When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Hey Spor Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê ts Fans ...Get Hey Spor Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê ts Fans ...Get 15% Off your hotel stay! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê your hotel stay! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê your hotel stay! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê 1 Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê 5 % d i s c o u n t Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! lioncou Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! untrylodging.com r Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê When travelling ...think of us in Carlisle! Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê G A M E G R A D E S