Underrated Penn State pass rush will play key role in stopping Illinois offense

Many Penn State fans will remember that Illinois, in its last trip to Penn State in 2021, set a Beaver Stadium record by rushing for 357 yards en route to a 20-18 overtime upset.

This time around, while the Fighting Illini will still try to run the ball and establish a physical presence, their passing game — and Penn State’s ability to stop it — may be the biggest key.

“I think the biggest difference is the quarterback,” coach James Franklin said in his weekly press conference. “I think he’s one of the more improved players right now in college football.”

Luke Altmyer, a transfer from Ole Miss in his second season as the Illinois starter, has completed 71.43% of his passes this season, averaging 215 yards per game with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions to start the year. He’s the Big Ten’s reigning Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

When Penn State visited Illinois last year, the Nittany Lions intercepted Altmyer four times en route to a 30-13 victory. But Altmyer’s numbers, and a big overtime win at Nebraska last week, already show he’s taken a massive step forward. He also has a pair of talented receivers to throw to.

Senior Pat Bryant, at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, has 77.25 receiving yards per game — eclipsing the century mark once — with a whopping six touchdowns through four games. Another Ole Miss transfer (though he and Altmyer did not overlap with the Rebels), senior Zakhari Franklin stands 6-1 and 190 pounds, averaging 60.75 yards without a touchdown to this point.

“They’ve played a lot of ball, and they know how to play the game. They’re big body receivers that have great ball skills and catch radius,” Penn State cornerback Jalen Kimber said Tuesday. “We’ve just gotta be prepared, worry about us this week and focus on small little details so that we can be prepared when it comes to Saturday.”

Much has been made about Penn State’s pass rush this season, as hyped-up defensive ends Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter waited until the Kent State game to get their first sacks of the year.

The Lions as a team have just four sacks in three games, but as Franklin and his players have said, the defensive front’s disruption has been much more effective than the numbers show. Teams have had to gameplan around the pass rush and get the ball out quickly or send extra help to block the edge.

“Obviously it’s good when it starts happening and we would love more of it, but there’s a lot more that goes into it than just beating your man,” Franklin said. “If you’re just strictly looking at a stat sheet, it wouldn’t tell you that. But like I try to talk to our guys all the time, real football people, they know that. The NFL scouts know that. Our coaching staff knows it. Our players know that. Our media that covers us closely knows that.”

And an underrated pass rush could be the key to controlling Altmyer, Bryant and Franklin this weekend. Altmyer hasn’t turned it over, but he has been sacked seven times this season and at least twice in each of the past three games.

“Savvy guy. (Altmyer) knows how to extend the plays out of the pocket, and he just takes care of the ball,” Kimber said. “Something that we’re going to have to create is havoc, try to cause some disruption up front so that we could potentially cause some problems in the back end. He’s a good quarterback, though.”

“I think that’s going to be a key point to this game this upcoming week. For the D-line, I think that’s one of our biggest goals is getting home to the quarterback,” said defensive tackle Zane Durant, whom Franklin said has been “as impactful as anybody” in affecting the quarterback.

Illinois will still run the football. The Illini have 144 rushing attempts this season to 110 passes, and they average a solid 4.3 yards per carry. Franklin noted starting running back Kaden Feagin as a “thumper” in his 6-3, 250-pound frame.

Josh McCray, another big body at 6-1 and 235 pounds, set the Illinois freshman record against ranked Penn State in 2021 with 142 yards. Though his role has diminished some this season, he’s still a threat in what Bielema traditionally likes to do: run the ball, dominate physically and muck up a game.

Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., though, comes from a background of running tempo and throwing more often. Pairing well with Bielema’s goals, and playing to Altmyer’s strengths, are part of what makes the Illinois offense tough to defend.

“They do a really good job mixing up personnels, mixing up scheme, mixing up tempo,” Franklin said. “If you look at Bret’s background, it’s more about runs plus completions and being able to run the ball and being physical, so they’ve blended the two, I think, very nicely.”