[2023] (Illini Game Recap - Week 3 vs. Penn State) Illini stunned in crushing blow to Penn State

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This tweet sums up what Illini fans thought of the 10-20 loss to Penn State 

All two wins that came from the Illini were statement wins, that were won after Illinois faced two easy teams. They then went over to Penn State and saw themselves as the favorites in the game. And the fans believe that this is a game that they would definitely win. However, that all disappeared rather quickly. It feels like a different-looking Illinois team that looked out of sync this game. And that, unfortunately, contributed to a 20-10 scoreline to the first loss for the Illini. This angered fans, as expected from a couple of fans throwing a couple of beer cans at the players at the game, who thought that this game would confirm the Illini as pretenders. Now the Illini have to prove even MORE to show that they contend in the Big Ten. 

There seems to be a common trend in these games for the Illini. whoever scores a field goal first wins the entire game. Penn State got on the board on a Josh Moore Field Goal, After that moment, it was a change of blows all throughout the entire game, with each team trading parallel scores. The two teams did well enough to tie the game up at the half, and it seems as if Illini has the momentum coming into the second. Unfortunately, it was up to this point that Illinois had the power, as it was all Penn State in the second half. The Illini could not crack the code that is the Penn State defense, and the Illini defense, in turn, could not stop Melvin Tate and the Penn State offense, as they gave up 10 points for the loss. As many people around the Big Ten see it, it seems as if the Illini aren't what we all thought we were. 

Jalen Jenkins had his worst game of the season so far, as he only made 9 completions for 40 yards in 24 attempts. He did score the lone touchdown for the Illini but had that one interception that lost all momentum for the Illini. He ended up with a 56.92 QB rating, which contributed to a fall of grace for the Illini quarterback since the season opener. There might be a change of guard if things do not improve for Jenkins. Unfortunately, the running game was no better. Gabriel Adeboyejo only ran for 86 yards, which is usually unlike him. The only positive is through the defense, who was on the field for the majority of the time. Here is what the coach had to say about the game: 

"It's just so demoralizing to lose a game like that. I know that team morale among our players is down since we lost to a sherbert cookie, kitty cat team with a quarterback who can't even hit an almond. But we need to step up our game and make sure things like this do not happen again. We are a good team, and we have a lot to prove that we are." 

POTG: ILB Michael Rozier - 15 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception (TOTW)

Player of the Game

Seeing how the team played today, it only fits that the player of the game is a defender. Michael Rozier had one heck of a game and did most of the work for the Illini. He had a game that he will remember for the rest of his life. That is the most memorable loss. He tallied an impressive 15 tackles throughout the game, That is not, however, the only thing that he accomplished during the game. He also racked up 3 tackles for a loss, as well as grabbed the one interception that the Illini managed to take from Melvin Tate. This is one of hopefully many huge games for Rozier, and as a senior this season, this will add to his draft stock come April. 

Seeing how well the defense played this game, the same cannot be said for the offensive side. For the offensive player of the game this year, it will have to be the O-Line. They did not allow a sack all game, which was a sigh of relief given how well the Penn State defense played against the Illini offense. They only allowed 4 tackles for a loss as well, but the offensive line was the only diamond in the struggling offense throughout the game. As this isn't really a good look, it seems that the offense has a lot of work to do. 

Next week will be a bye week for Illinois, then the Illini will travel over to West Lafayette to face off against the Purdue Boilermakers

Next Game:

There is one silver lining for the Illini after that game, they have one week to look back at the game and regroup. Illinois is heading to a bye week next week, so they will have time to improve and relax before they head to play Purdue next week. Don't let their fans fool you, Purdue is actually a good team on paper -- and it seems like the odds agree on this statement. To make matters worse for the Illini, Purdue is coming into the game on a 3-0 start to the season, despite all of those teams being particularly easy teams. The Illini, however, hope they aren't another statistic. 

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Edited June 20, 2023 by nemolee.exe

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