Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/84628
ously, prior to any of this [NCAA] stuff happening, by a young man. We pur- sued it. We did not go and chase him. We told them that we would be off- campus and if they'd like to, they could, and if they didn't like to, then we wouldn't pursue them any fur- ther." Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien was likewise asked how he felt about Illinois' recruiting strategy at his weekly news conference. Perhaps call- ing on his experience studying politi- cal science at Brown, he played politician, deflecting the question by saying, "It takes a lot to bother me." Then he switched the focus to back to the football field. "The biggest thing is that this is our first Big Ten game," O'Brien said. "Our players are very focused on the Big Ten schedule. I believe that our players are really focused on building on what they did well in the Temple game and improving in areas where we really need to improve." With Penn State being eligible to win the Leaders Division title in 2012, the chase is on in the Big Ten. And since the conference has gotten off to a rocky start, the Nittany Lions could be legitimate contenders in their divi- sion. But first they have to get past the Illini, who have had an erratic start this season. Illinois' defense has been very good in two games and terrible in two oth- ers. Its victories over Western Michi- gan and Charleston Southern were by a combined score of 68-7, but the Illini were crushed in losses to Ari- zona State and Louisiana Tech, falling by a combined score of 97-38. "We have got to play better in the back end [of the defense], and we have to create a little more help for our corners so they're not put in one- on-one situations, like they were put in [during] that [Louisiana Tech] foot- ball game at times. The players re- sponded by coming back and watching that film, evaluating it. We critiqued it as a team, and we know what we must do on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week to get ourselves prepared for a Penn State football team that's also 2-2 at this time. We're excited about getting into Big Ten play." Turnovers have been a major prob- lem for the Illini through their first four games. They fumbled six times against the Bulldogs and have a -.25 turnover ratio. But at times they've been able to control the ball. They av- erage more than 34 minutes of pos- session time, which ranks ninth among all Football Bowl Subdivision programs. Other than in last week's game in Champaign, much of the ball control is dictated by the Illinois quar- terbacks. Through the first two games the Illini have relied on two passers. Jun- ior Nathan Scheelhaase, who rushed for 89 yards and threw for 63 in a 10- 7 loss to Penn State last season, is the starter, but he's been slowed by an ankle injury that he suffered in the season opener. His replacement is sophomore Reilly O'Toole, who also saw action at Beaver Stadium in 2011, finishing with 31 yards passing on four com- pletions and an interception. Scheel- haase missed the second and third games of the season before returning against Louisiana Tech, a game in which he threw an interception and fumbled in the first quarter. Then he took a big hit, which prompted Beck- man to put O'Toole back in the game. "Being a guy that I hope is like a father, I want to make sure that everyone is 100 percent," Beckman said. Beckman said Scheelhaase, a "dual- threat type player" as descibed by O'Brien, is fully healthy now and has been practicing with the first team this week. He added that Scheelhaase was "rusty" in his first-quarter per- formance last week, so O'Toole could see action, as well. Beckman will likely stick with whichever quarter- back has the hottest hand, because as he admitted Monday, if they turn the ball over like they did against Louisiana Tech, the Illini won't have a chance against an improving team like Penn State. "You can see how they have pro- gressed each and every week, from the Ohio U. game all the way to this last week against Temple," Beckman said. "They're 2-2, their goals and their dreams are the same. They want to win a Big Ten [division] champi- onship, and this is their first opportu- nity for a Big Ten game." S E P T E M B E R 2 6 , 2 0 1 2 2 BWI'S FORECAST NATE BAUER RECORD 2-2 PSU's start to Big Ten play might be a challenge, but not due to the opponent. Illinois just isn't very good, regardless of the defensive line and quarterback hype. If Penn State capitalizes on its red zone opportunities, the Nittany Lions win easily. PENN STATE 27, ILLINOIS 13 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 2-2 With an injury slowing Nathan Scheelhaase and the turnover problems facing the Illini, I'm looking for a solid Penn State win on the raod. PENN STATE 31, ILLINOIS 17 MATT HERB RECORD 3-1 The offense is getting healthy, and that helps. But the defense holds the key. Will Penn State do a better job in week five than it did in week one vs. Ohio's Tyler Tettleton? I think it will. PENN STATE 27, ILLINOIS 21 TIM OWEN RECORD 2-2 Illinois' vulnerabilities have been greatly exposed in their two losses, and Bill O'Brien and Matt McGloin should exploit them just enough to squeak by. PENN STATE 21, ILLINOIS 20 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 3-1 PSU should have extra motiva- tion heading into this game. Look for McGloin to continue his successful run, leading Penn State to a late win in Cham- paign. PENN STATE 20, ILLINOIS 17 ERIC THOMAS RECORD 2-2 I see Illinois' immediate future, and it's not pretty. PENN STATE 31, ILLINOIS 10 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . 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