Penn State-Illinois Game NotesPenn State-Illinois Game Notes

Penn State-Illinois Game Notes

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No. 10/9 Penn State opens its nine-game Big Ten slate at Illinois, taking the field at Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2014 on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on FS1.
 
Penn State is playing its first regular-season game on a Friday since a 1982 day-after-Thanksgiving tilt against Pittsburgh. The No. 2 Nittany Lions defeated the No. 5 Panthers, 19-10, to conclude the regular season, and then went on to defeat No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to win the National Championship.
 
The game opens Penn State's 26th Big Ten season.
 
The Nittany Lions have been dominant since its season-opening overtime battle with Appalachian State, outscoring their last two opponents 114-16 overall and 72-0 in the second half.
 
Penn State has found success in all three phases of the game, ranking in the top 40 in both offense and defense, while boasting the fourth-best kickoff return average and 16th-best punt return average.
 
Quarterback Trace McSorley has led the scoring attack, taking responsibility for 66 points to rank second in the Big Ten and seventh in FBS. On the other side of the ball, the Penn State defense has put significant pressure on opposing quarterbacks, ranking fourth in FBS with 4.33 sacks per game.
 
Illinois is 2-1 to open 2018, defeating Kent State and Western Illinois in the first two weeks of the season, respectively, before succumbing to a fourth-quarter rally by South Florida in a neutral site contest on Chicago's Soldier Field last week. The Fighting Illini have excelled in the turnover battle this season, as they are tied for the lead in the Big Ten (Ohio State) with a plus-five turnover margin and have at least one takeaway in their last 17 games.
 
HEAD COACH LOVIE SMITH

  • Lovie Smith was named head coach at Illinois on March 7, 2016. Smith spent his first 14 years coaching at the collegiate level, working at Tulsa (1983-86), Wisconsin (1987), Arizona State (1988-91), Kentucky (1992), Tennessee (1993-94) and Ohio State (1995).
  • Smith brings 19 years of NFL coaching experience, including 11 years as a head coach. He has a 89-87 (.506) record as an NFL head coach from 2004-12 (Bears) and 2014-15 (Buccaneers).
  • With the Bears, he won three division titles, made two NFC Championship Game appearances (2006, 2010) and a berth in Super Bowl XLI.
  • Smith spent three seasons with the St. Louis Rams as the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator (2003) and defensive coordinator (2001-02). The Rams fell to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, but Smith's defense held the New England offense to 267 yards and ten points (2001).

 
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI

  • Illinois is 2-1 entering Big Ten play, with wins against Kent State, a common opponent with Penn State, and Western Illinois. Last week, Illinois lost to South Florida in a neutral site game at Chicago's Soldier Field.
  • The Illini carry a 17-game takeaway streak, and Illinois' seven turnovers gained, two turnovers lost and plus-five turnover margin this season are all tied with Ohio State for the best in the Big Ten.
  • Jartavius Martin and Del'Shawn Phillips are tied for the Big Ten lead with Penn State's Amani Oruwariye with two interceptions each.
  • Freshman quarterback MJ Rivers II has been behind center since the second quarter of the Illini's second game of the year, as senior quarterback AJ Bush, Jr. was injured. Rivers earned his first career start in the USF game. Bush completed 18-of-30 passes for 223 yards in five quarters of action, while Rivers has completed 29-of-45 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns in seven quarters.
  • The Illinois rushing attack ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 23rd in the FBS, averaging 243.0 yards per game.
  • Mike Epstein (7.17) and Reggie Corbin (6.49) rank second and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten in yards per carry. Both totals rank in the top 25 nationally.

 
GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY

  • Penn State is playing its 25th Friday, regular-season game all-time.
  • Penn State owns a 14-9-1 overall record in Friday regular-season games, with a 6-4-0 record on the road.
  • Penn State is playing a regular-season game on a Friday for the first time since Nov. 26, 1982. No. 2 Penn State defeated No. 5 Pittsburgh, 19-10, that day. That game secured the Nittany Lions' Sugar Bowl berth, where they went on to defeat No. 1 Georgia for the program's first National Championship.
  • Penn State is playing a regular-season game on a Friday on the road for the first time since Sept. 1, 1978, when the No. 3 Nittany Lions defeated Temple in a season-opening tilt in Veterans Stadium, 10-7.
  • The Illinois game marks Penn State's sixth Friday night regular season game. Penn State's very first night game was played on Friday, Oct. 31, 1941 at the Polo Grounds against NYU. The Lions are 4-1 in Friday night games, with all five taking place on the road or at neutral sites.
  • Penn State is playing a Big Ten game on a Friday for the first time.
  • The last time Penn State played on a Friday was the 2010 Capital One Bowl. No. 11 Penn State defeated No. 13 LSU, 19-17.
  • The last time Penn State played a regular-season game on a day other than Saturday was Sunday, Aug. 27, 2000, when No. 22 Penn State opened the season against No. 15 USC in Giants Stadium. The Trojans won, 29-5.

Penn State Regular-Season Friday Games

Date Site Opponent Result
Oct. 10, 1890 A Penn Penn, 0-20
Oct. 2, 1891 A Lafayette Penn State, 14-4
Nov. 25, 1892 N Dickinson Penn State, 16-0
Nov. 23, 1894 A Washington & Jefferson Penn State, 6-0
Oct. 13, 1899 H Washington & Jefferson Tie, 0-0
Nov. 17, 1899 A Penn Penn, 0-47
Nov. 29, 1900 A Buffalo Buffalo, 0-10
Nov. 24, 1905 H West Virginia Penn State, 6-0
Nov. 7, 1913 H Notre Dame Notre Dame, 14-7
Nov. 13, 1914 H Michigan State Michigan State, 3-6
Nov. 5, 1915 H Lehigh Penn State, 7-0
Nov. 17, 1916 H Lafayette Penn State, 40-0
Nov. 3, 1922 N Navy Navy, 14-0
Oct. 31, 1941^ N at NYU Penn State, 42-0
Oct. 8, 1948 A Syracuse Penn State, 9-0
Sept. 29, 1961 A Miami (Fla.) Miami, 25-8
Oct. 6, 1961 A Boston U. Penn State, 32-0
Sept. 29, 1967^ A Miami (Fla.) Penn State, 17-8
Nov. 26, 1976^ N Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, 24-7
Sept. 2, 1977^ N Rutgers Penn State, 45-7
Sept. 1, 1978^ A Temple Penn State, 10-7
Nov. 24, 1978 H Pittsburgh Penn State 17-10
Nov. 28, 1980 H Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, 14-9
Nov. 26, 1982 H Pittsburgh Penn State, 19-10
Sept. 21, 2018^ A Illinois --

^-Night game
 
 
PENN STATE IN 26TH BIG TEN SEASON

  • After 106 years as an independent in football, Penn State began play in the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and is playing its 26th season in the conference.
  • The Nittany Lions were outright Big Ten Champions in 1994 and 2016 and shared titles with Ohio State in 2005 and 2008.
  • Penn State beat Oregon to win the 1995 Rose Bowl and played USC in the 2009 and 2017 Rose Bowls.
  • Penn State won the 2006 Orange Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 3.

 
PENN STATE VS. BIG TEN

  • Penn State has won 16 out of its last 18 games against Big Ten opponents.
  • Penn State won 13 consecutive games against Big Ten opponents from 2016-17, breaking its record of 12 from 1993-94.
  • Penn State owns a 208-101-3 mark against Big Ten Conference teams since the Nittany Lions first opposed Ohio State in 1912.
  • The Nittany Lions began play as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and have a 126-75 mark.
  • Penn State played 109 games vs. the current Big Ten alignment when either or both Penn State itself (prior to 1993) or the opponent (Nebraska prior to 2011; Maryland and Rutgers prior to 2014) was not yet a member of the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions went 80-26-3 in those games.

 
B1G OPENERS OF THE YEARS

  • Penn State owns an 12-13 record in Big Ten opening contests.
  • Penn State is opening the Big Ten season on the road for the 17th time in its 25 seasons in the league. The Nittany Lions are 8-8 on the road in openers.
  • Penn State is opening against Illinois for its fourth time in program history, tying with Iowa and Wisconsin as its most frequent opening opponents.
  • Penn State has won all three Big Ten openers against Illinois (41-6, 1997; 38-24, 2008; 35-7, 2012). The 1997 and 2012 openers were hosted by Illinois, while the 2008 opener was played at Penn State.
  • The Nittany Lions have also played Indiana (3), Minnesota (3), Northwestern (1), Ohio State (3), Michigan (2) and Rutgers (2) in Big Ten openers.

 
NITTANY LIONS FROM ILLINOIS

  • LB Frank Di Leo – Elmhurst/Saint Ignatius College Prep
  • SN Joe Calcagno – Elmhurst/Fenwick
  • DE Daniel Joseph – Brampton, Ontario, Canada/Lake Forrest Academy (Ill.)
  • OL Bryce Effner – Aurora/Metea Valley

 
PENN STATE-ILLINOIS CONNECTIONS

  • Penn State redshirt freshman KJ Hamler Illinois freshmen OL Reuben Unije, DB PC Daniel II and DL Verdis Brown all played at IMG Academy in Florida.

 
COACHING CONNECTIONS

  • Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks was Illinois' defensive coordinator and secondary coach from 2012-15.
  • Banks and Illinois special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky coached together at Bowling Green in 1999. Backs was the running backs coach and Ligashesky was the assistant head coach and linebackers and special teams coach.
  • Penn State special teams coordinator Phil Galiano was Ligashesky's assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012. Ligashesky was the special teams coordinator.
  • Ligashesky was on former Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien's Houston Texans staff as the special teams coordinator from 2014-15.
  • Illinois head coach Lovie Smith visited Beaver Stadium in 1995 as Ohio State's defensive backs coach. The Buckeyes defeated Penn State, 28-25.
  • Illinois defensive line coach Austin Clark was the assistant defensive line/outside linebackers coach for Southern California when Penn State and the Trojans met in the 2017 Rose Bowl.

 
LIONS UNDER THE LIGHTS

  • The 2018 season marks the 18th straight with at least one regular-season night game on the schedule, and the 10th since 2000 with multiple night games in the same season.
  • Penn  State won its first night game of the season at Pitt in Week 2, 51-6. The Lions have now won their last eight night games, including a 4-0 mark last season, and eight of their last nine dating back to 2015.
  • Three of Penn State's first five games of the season were scheduled to be played at night. Next, the Week 5 game against Ohio State will kick at 8 p.m. on Sept. 29 on ABC.
  • Penn State is 50-30 at night all-time. The figure breaks down to 14-9 at home, 24-14 on the road and 12-7 in neutral site games. Penn State is 1-1 at regular season neutral sites, 11-6 in bowl games and 1-0 in conference championship games.
  • The Lions' night games since 2000 include: Pitt
    (2018); Michigan, Iowa and Georgia State (2017); Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers and Wisconsin (2016); Ohio State and Rutgers (2015); Boston College (Pinstripe Bowl), Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers (2014); Ohio State, Michigan and UCF (2013); Iowa and Ohio State (2012); Northwestern (2011); Alabama, Iowa and Michigan (2010); Iowa (2009); Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio State (2008); Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M (2007), Michigan (2006), Illinois, Ohio State and Florida State (2005), Minnesota and Boston College (2004), Nebraska (2002 and 2003), Miami (Fla.) (2001) and Indiana (2000).
  • On Oct. 12, 2013, the Lions claimed the longest game in Big Ten history when they edged Michigan under the lights, 43-40, in four overtimes in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd of 107,844 on Homecoming.
  • non-conference success
  • Penn State went a perfect 3-0 in non-conference play this season.
  • Penn State has won seven consecutive games over non-conference opponents during the regular season, dating back to a win 34-27 win over Temple in 2016.
  • Under James Franklin (since 2014), Penn State is 15-2 against non-conference opposition during the regular season.

 
PENN STATE IN THE POLLS

  • Penn State enters Week 4 ranked No. 9 in the Amway Coaches poll and tied for No. 10 in the Associated Press poll.
  • Penn State's 28-straight weeks in the AP Top 25 is the eighth-longest active streak in FBS.
  • Penn State has been ranked in the last 11 CFP rankings, dating back to its first-ever appearance in the first poll of the 2016 season.

 
MILESTONE WATCH

  • Trace McSorley is 28 yards shy of 8,000 career passing yards.
  • ... 27 completions shy of 600 career completions.
  • ... 59 attempts shy of 1,000 career pass attempts.
  • ... 986 yards shy of 10,000 career yards of total offense.
  • ... 12 TDs shy of 100 career touchdowns responsible for.
  • Tommy Stevens is 112 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
  • Miles Sanders is 330 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards.
  • Juwan Johnson is 139 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.

 
MILESTONES ACHIEVED

  • Trace McSorley surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards with 54 yards against Kent State.
  • ... 9,000 career yards of total offense with 283 against Kent State.
  • Miles Sanders surpassed 500 career rushing yards with an 118-yard effort against Pitt.
  • DeAndre Thompkins surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards with 101 against Kent State.
  • ... surpassed 500 career punt return yards with a 29-yard return against App State.

 
STREAKING

  • With a win over Kent State, Penn State extended its home winning streak to 16 games for the sixth-longest streak in the school annals. It is the longest home winning streak since a 21-game streak from 1970-74.
  • See Happy Valley on Page 17
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 20 or more points in a school-record 26 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. It trails the 46-game stretch by Ohio State (2012-15).
  • QB Trace McSorley has thrown a touchdown pass in 31 consecutive games, dating to the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl, extending his school record. It is the longest active streak in FBS.
  • Penn State has rushed for 200 yards in six consecutive games, dating back to last season's Nebraska game on November 18, 2018. It's the longest streak since a seven-game streak from 2007-08.
  • Penn State has made its last 165 extra points.
  • Penn State has scored in 13-straight quarters (including overtime against App State).
  • Penn State has scored a touchdown on its last 16 trips into the red zone.

 
WINNING BIG

  • With wins of 51-6 (Pitt) and 63-10 (Kent State) in back-to-back weeks, Penn State has earned back-to-back 45-point wins for the first time since 1947, when Penn State defeated Bucknell, 54-0, and Fordham, 75-0.
  • Penn State's 53-point win over Kent State tied for the 13th-largest margin of victory since 1966.
  • Winning ways
  • At 3-0, Penn State is one of 35 undefeated FBS teams this season.
  • Penn State is 23-3 in its last 26 games, the best span since going 37-3 from 1993-96.
  • Over the last 25 games, only Alabama and Oklahoma (23-2) have posted a better record than Penn State (22-3). Clemson and Wisconsin are also 22-3 in their last 25.
  • Penn State is 25-5 over the past three seasons (2016-18), tying for the eighth-best record in FBS.
  • Penn State's 39 wins over the last five years (2014-18) rank tied for 14th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 52; Wisconsin, 49).
  • Penn State's 81 wins over the last 10 years (2009-18) rank 18th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten (Wisconsin, 96; Ohio State, 93; Michigan State, 85).
  • Penn State's 125 wins over the last 15 years rank  16th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 144, Wisconsin, 143).
  • Penn State finished 2017 with an 11-2 record for its seventh 11-win regular season since joining the Big Ten (12 wins in 1994; 11 wins in '96, 2005, '08, '09, '16, '17) and 16th overall.
  • Penn State posted back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
  • Penn State completed its 2017 home schedule with a second consecutive perfect 7-0 record. It is the first time the Nittany Lions have back-to-back undefeated home seasons since 1985 (6-0) and 1986 (7-0).
  • Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to have posted a winning season in the last 13 consecutive years.
  • Penn State is one of eight teams (USC, LSU, Florida State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Oregon, Virginia Tech) in the Autonomy Five to have a winning record each of the last 13 years.
  • Overall in the FBS, Penn State is one of nine teams with a winning record in each of the last 13 years (Boise State).

 
McSORLEY AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS

  • Senior QB Trace McSorley owns the longest active FBS streak for consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 31.
  • The streak dates back to the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl. It is not without close calls though, as McSorley threw a "walk-off" touchdown pass with no time remaining for his only TD pass at Iowa in 2017, and he threw his lone TD pass against App State in the 2018 opener with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation.
  • McSorley is one of six active quarterbacks with at least 4,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing.
  • Passing Yards per Attempt - 2nd (8.47)
  • Rushing Touchdowns (QBs) - 2nd (24)
  • Touchdowns Responsible For - 2nd (88)
  • Total Offense - 5th (9,014)
  • Passing Touchdowns - 5th (64)
  • Passing Efficiency - 6th (150.46)
  • Passing Yards - 6th (7,972)
  • Total Offense Yards Per Play - 7th (7.10)
  • Completion Percentage - 10th (60.9)
  • Passing Completions - 10th (573)
  • Passing Yards Per Game - 15th (215.5)
  • Rushing Touchdowns - 16th (24)

 
TOUCHDOWN TRACE

  • QB Trace McSorley is responsible for 11 of Penn State's 22 touchdowns this season, running for six and throwing for five.
  • McSorley's six rushing touchdowns this season lead all Big Ten players and are tied for second in FBS with seven others.
  • Additionally, McSorley leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth in FBS with 12.0 points per game, and is second in the Big Ten and eighth in FBS with 22.0 points responsible for per game.
  • See National Nits on Page 12
  • McSorley's 22.0 points responsible for per game average is higher than the scoring offense average for 23 FBS teams. Of those 23 teams, eight are members of Autonomy Five conferences.
  • Against Kent State, McSorley became the first Big Ten quarterback to have at least two passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in the same game since Braxton Miller of Ohio State did it vs. Michigan in 2013. (Per @BTNStatsGuys)
  • McSorley recorded his 19th career game with a passing and a rushing touchdown (seven in 2016, nine in 2017, three in 2018) versus the Golden Flashes.
  • McSorley's three rushing touchdowns against Kent State gave him 24 for his career, setting a Penn State record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Daryll Clark had 22 in his career from 2007-09.
  • With three rushing touchdowns against Kent State, McSorley tied a career high (Michigan, 2017) and had his third career multi-rushing touchdown game. It was his second multi-rushing touchdown game this season. (2; App State).
  • McSorley is the first Penn State quarterback to have at least three rushing touchdowns in a game at least twice in his career since at least 1967.
  • Responsible for 88 touchdowns in his career, McSorley is second among active FBS players. Washington's Jake Browning leads with 95.
  • McSorley's 88 TDR is a Penn State record by a large margin. The previous record was 65 by Daryll Clark (2006-09).

 
McSORLEY ADDING YARDS ON THE GROUND

  • With 54 rushing yards against Kent State, QB Trace McSorley has 1,042 yards on his career, becoming the 44th Nittany Lion to pass the 1,000-yard mark.
  • He is the second Penn State quarterback to rush for 1,000 career yards (1,637; Michael Robinson, 2002-05).

 
EVERY QUARTER

  • Penn State has scored in 13 nine quarters (including overtime against App State) this season.
  • Penn State has scored in at least three of four quarters in its last seven games, dating back to Rutgers on Nov. 11, 2017.

 
OFFENSE CONTINUES PRODUCING

  • Penn State is averaging 53.0 points per game through three games to rank fifth in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
  • Penn State has scored 159 points this season, the program's third-most through three games in the last 100 years (166 in 2008 and 165 in 1926).
  • The Nittany Lions have scored in 13 consecutive quarters, including the overtime against Appalachian State, and have scored in 23 of its last 25 quarters dating back to the Nebraska game in 2017.
  • Penn State's 63 points against Kent State gave it at least one 60-point game in three consecutive seasons, for the first time since 1993-95.
  • The Nittany Lions scored at least 50 points for the sixth time since 2016.
  • Penn State scored 40 points for the 14th time since 2016.
  • Penn State has scored 30 or more points 21 times in the last 23 games.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 20 or more points in a school-record 26 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. It trails the 46-game stretch by Ohio State (2012-15).
  • Penn State is averaging 489.0 yards per game on offense to rank 30th in FBS and third in the Big Ten.
  • Penn State's 643 total yards of offense against Kent State were the most by the Nittany Lions since having 661 yards of total offense at Rutgers in 1995.

 
LONGEST PLAY IN SCHOOL HISTORY

  • Penn State's 95-yard pass from QB Sean Clifford to WR Daniel George in the fourth quarter of the Kent State game is the longest play from scrimmage in school history.
  • Previously, Penn State had a 92-yard pass in 1919 from Bill Hess to Bob Higgins and three 92-yard rushes by Blair Thomas vs. Syracuse in 1986, Bill Belton vs. Indiana in 2014 and Saquon Barkley vs. Washington in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
  • Both Clifford and George are freshmen.
  • Clifford has completed each of the first four passes of his career, with two of those resulting in touchdowns. He threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Polk against Pittsburgh.
  • The reception was George's first. He joins Mac Hippenhammer as Nittany Lions to score on their first career reception this year. Hippenhammer had a 12-yard touchdown grab at Pittsburgh.
  • Clifford and Trace McSorley combined for 346 yards on just 14 completions, resulting in an average of 24.7 yards.
  • Recently, the only similar performance was in 2015 when Christian Hackenberg threw for 315 yards on just 13 completions for an average of 24.2 yards.
  • Neither figure is a school record though, which is at least 26.1 yards per game, as Penn State completed six passes for 157 yards in the 1974 Orange Bowl, defeating LSU, 16-9. Tom Shuman connected with Chuck Herd for a 72-yard reception.

 
GROUND GAME ROLLS

  • Penn State has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of its first three games, rushing for 205 yards in the opener against App State, 211 yards at Pitt and 297 versus Kent State.
  • Penn State's 297 rushing yards against the Golden Flashes are the fifth-most under James Franklin.
  • Penn State has now rushed for more than 200 yards in six-straight games, dating back to November 18, 2017 vs. Nebraska.
  • It's Penn State's longest 200-yard rushing game streak since a seven-game streak from 2007-08.
  • RB Miles Sanders had has led Penn State in rushing in each of the first three games of the season. Against Kent State, his 86 yards led four rushers with 50 or more yards, as he was followed on the stat sheet by RB Johnathan Thomas (3 carries for 84 yards, 1 TD), RB Mark Allen (11 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD) and QB Trace McSorley (9 carries for 54 yards, 3 TD).
  • Allen's 62 yards were a career high, as were Thomas' 84. Thomas also had a career-long 69-yard run and his first career touchdown.
  • The last time Penn State had four rushers total at least 50 yards in the same game was at Rutgers Nov. 19, 2016, as Saquon Barkley (16 carries for 92 yards, 1 TD), McSorley (11 carries for 55 yards), Sanders (5 carries for 85 yards) and Tommy Stevens (6 carries for 61 yards) completed the feat.
  • Sanders had his first career 100-yard rushing game with 118 yards on 16 carries at Pitt, marking his second consecutive game with a career-high rushing total. Sanders was named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week for his effort at Pitt.
  • See Season Honors on Page 11
  • Against App State, Sanders totaled 91 yards rushing, with 62 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also set career highs with 19 rushes and three receptions, and rushed for two touchdowns, including a 4-yard score in overtime.

           
FAST STARTS

  • Against Kent State, the Nittany Lions scored a touchdown on their opening drive for a sixth consecutive game. The streak dates back to 2017 vs. Nebraska.
  • Penn State's 21 points in the first quarter against Kent State marked the most points by the Nittany Lions in the opening frame since scoring 28 vs. Indiana in 2017.

 
GREEN LIGHT IN THE RED ZONE

  • Penn State is one of 30 FBS teams that has scored on each trip to the red zone this season.
  • Penn State has scored on 42 of its last 43 red zone trips, including 38 touchdowns.
  • Penn State's 92 percent scoring rate score over the last two seasons, is tied for 11th in FBS.

 
THOMPKINS CRACKS 1,000

  • WR DeAndre Thompkins' 101 yards against Kent State sent him over the 1,000-yard mark for his career. Thompkins now has 1,017 career receiving yards, becoming the 31st player in program history to reach that mark.
  • It was Thompkins' second 100-yard game of his career. He had a career-high 102 receiving yards at Michigan State in 2017.

 
LIMITED ACCESS

  • Penn State allowed just 221 total yards to Kent State, the sixth-fewest yards allowed under James Franklin, tied with 221 yards allowed at Indiana in 2014.
  • The 221 total yards allowed vs. Kent State are the fewest since allowing 200 vs. Rutgers in 2017.
  • The Nittany Lions allowed just 41 yards rushing by Kent State, the lowest value since giving up 39 at Rutgers in 2016.
  • Penn State has shutout Kent State and Pitt in the second half in each of the last two weeks.
  • Penn State held Pitt to just six points, marking the fewest points allowed by Penn State since holding Maryland to three points in the 2017 regular season finale.
  • Last season, Penn State shutout opponents in at least one half in seven games (Akron, Georgia State, Indiana, Northwestern, Michigan, Rutgers, Maryland).

 
FLASH BACK

  • The Penn State defense was able to move Kent State offense in the wrong direction, recording 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
  • The 16 tackles for loss, were the most by the Nittany Lions since recording 16 at Ohio State in 2002.
  • The seven sacks recorded by the Nittany Lions are the most since Penn State had seven vs. Michigan in 2017.
  • DE Shareef Miller tied a career high with two sacks against Kent State, and also notched a career high with three tackles for loss, topping his previous high of 2.5 last season against Pittsburgh.
  • LB Cam Brown had two tackles for loss vs. Kent State, a career high. His previous high was one tackle for loss on four occasions, with the last coming at Pittsburgh.
  • DE Jayson Oweh made his collegiate debut vs. Kent State and recorded the first two sacks of his career in the third quarter.
  • DE Yetur Gross-Matos had a career-high two tackles for loss and notched one sack against the Flashes.
  • S Lamont Wade had the first two tackles for loss and the first sack of his career.
  • S Jonathan Sutherland recorded the first tackle for loss in his career among his career-best five tackles.
  • DT Ellison Jordan had a career-high one sack and one tackle for loss. His previous high was a half-sack against Maryland in 2017.
  • CB Amani Oruwariye recorded his first tackle for loss.
  • LB Micah Parsons had the first half tackle for loss of his career.

 
FINDING A HOME IN THE BACKFIELD

  • Penn State ranks fourth in FBS and second in the Big Ten with 4.33 sacks per game, and fifth in FBS and tops in the Big Ten with 10.3 tackles for loss.
  • Penn State is continuing to bring a balanced pass rush, as 10 different Nittany Lions have contributed to the team's 13 sacks for the season.
  • DE Shareef Miller leads the team with 3.0 sacks, which ranks him 18th in FBS and fifth in the Big Ten with 1.0 per game, while his team-best 6.0 tackles for loss rank 10th in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
  • The Nittany Lions totaled 42 sacks in 13 games in 2017. Following totals of 46 sacks in 2015 and 40 sacks in 2016, Penn State posted back-to-back-to-back 40-sack seasons for the first time since it posted three-consecutive 40-sack seasons in 2005 (41), 2006 (40) and 2007 (46).

 
STEPPING UP ON D

  • Penn State's top seven tacklers this season do not include any returning starters from last season.
  • In his first start at middle linebacker in the opener against App State, Jan Johnson had a career-high 11 tackles, including four solo.  He leads the team with 18 tackles.
  • True freshman LB Micah Parsons, who had a career-high seven tackles at Pitt, has racked up 16 tackles to rank second on the team along with S Garrett Taylor, who had a career-best eight tackles in his first start against App State.
  • Making his second-career start at safety, Nick Scott recorded a career-best nine tackles in the opener at App State. Scott also had his first career sack and tied career highs with one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. He has 15 tackles for the season, tying him with LB Cam Brown (8), who had just two starts in 2016 before moving into the starting lineup this season, round out the group.
  • CB Amani Oruwariye and CB Tariq Castro-Fields  are tied with 12 tackles each.

 
RETURN GAME LEADERS

  • Returners KJ Hamler and DeAndre Thompkins both ranks in the top 10 nationally in kickoff and punt returning, respectively.
  • Hamler is averaging 35.5 yards per kickoff return to rank eighth in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
  • Penn State's 35.4 kickoff return average as a team ranks fourth in FBS and first in the Big Ten.
  • Hamler also returned a punt 33 yards against Kent State, giving him 210 return yards this season, which ranks 13th in FBS and tops in the Big Ten.
  • Hamler tied a career-long with a 52-yard kick return vs. Kent State to setup a Penn State touchdown drive. Hamler also had a 52-yard return in the season opener vs. Appalachian State, which helped setup a game-tying touchdown drive to force overtime.
  • Hamler's return prowess and success on offense rank him with the sixth-highest all-purpose yards average this season (123.7) in the Big Ten.
  • Thompkins leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in FBS averaging 21.5 yards per punt return.
  • On punts alone, Thompkins' 129 combined kick return yards rank seventh in the conference.
  • Thompkins returned a third-quarter punt 39 yards for a touchdown at Pitt for his second career punt return touchdown. He also scored on a punt return against Akron last season.
  • With two career punt returns for a touchdown, Thompkins is tied for fourth on Penn State's all-time list with 10 other players (most recently: Larry Johnson, 1998-2002.
  • Penn State has been strong on punt return defense, yielding an average of just 1.5 yards to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 28th in FBS.

 
GILLIKIN FLIPS THE FIELD

  • At Pitt, P Blake Gillikin dropped four punts inside the Pitt 20-yard line and three inside the 10. He now has dropped 54 punts inside the 20 and (28) inside the 10 for his career.
  • Gillikin hit a 58-yard punt against Kent State for his 33rd career punt more than 50 yards.
  • Gillikin's 43.8-yard punting average ranks 23rd in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
  • Gillikin's four punts inside the 20 at Pitt tie a career high, which he has down three times (most recently vs. Indiana in 2017).
  • He also tied his personal mark at Pitt with three punts inside the 10, which is the fifth time in his career he has done so.