For the second consecutive week, the Fighting Illini will travel to take on a ranked Big Ten opponent away from home. No. 19 Illinois will fly out east to play No. 9 Penn State under the lights on Saturday night.
The Orange and Blue found success on the road in their Week 4 overtime win at No. 22 Nebraska, which saw the Illini improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2011. Illinois held the hosting Cornhuskers to just seven points after halftime en route to the Illini’s second ranked win of the season and their third straight victory in Lincoln.
Illinois has embraced the underdog mentality when playing away from Champaign under head coach Bret Bielema. The Illini have secured three ranked road wins across Bielema’s four seasons at Illinois, including a record-setting nine-overtime win at No. 7 Penn State in 2021 in the longest game in college football history.
That victory occurred during Illinois’ most recent trip to Happy Valley, though the Nittany Lions hold the all-time 10-2 edge at Beaver Stadium.
“We went through a lot of detail about making home and away as similar as possible,” Bielema said. “The part that our guys really relish is that we’re always playing the underdog role. We always say we don’t have one chip on our shoulder; we have two. I think that plays out a little bit.”
Saturday’s contest will serve as NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night game, which will also be available to stream on Peacock.
Here are a few notable storylines to follow ahead of the Illini’s first top-20 vs. top-20 conference game since 2000.
Illinois Defense Enters Happy Valley With Momentum
The Illini defense has made significant strides this season under second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Henry. Illinois ranks 15th in the nation in scoring defense (12.5 points per game allowed), fourth in interceptions (7), and 10th in fourth-down defense (20%).
The Orange and Blue have held opponents to a 1-for-5 fourth-down conversion rate, while the Nittany Lions have successfully converted on both of their fourth-down attempts this season. While the Illini ranks among the top 15 programs in scoring defense, Penn State sits third in the Big Ten in scoring at 41.3 points per game. The Nittany Lions also rank seventh nationally in total offense with 537.7 yards per game, which is the second-best mark in the conference behind only Ohio…
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