Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Penn State Nittany Lions - News - September 28, 2024 | FOX Sports

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・September 28, 2024 September 28 Sep 28

#9 Penn State snaps Illinois' 4-game win streak with victory

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Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA

Beau Pribula - Three carries in run-heavy winPribula was 0-for-0 passing for zero yards during Saturday's 21-7 win over Illinois.

ImpactPribula continued to rotate in as a rushing quarterback to change up the pace with starter Drew Allar, who had a pedestrian 135-yard passing yards Saturday. The 6-foot-2 backup has started to see more competition recently, as tight end Tyler Warren once again took snaps out of the shotgun as a wildcat quarterback, including a three-yard rushing score to put Penn State on the board in the first quarter. Pribula's lack of usage in the red zone won't net him nearly enough production to warrant any attention from fantasy players moving forward.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE

Omari Evans - Draws penalty on lone targetEvans did not finish with an official target during Saturday's 21-7 win against Illinois.

ImpactEvans appeared to fall out of the game plan as the Nittany Lions focused on a ground-and-pound attack Week 5. The 6-foot junior logged long TD passes with notching four targets in each of the previous two games, though he saw just one target Saturday, drawing a pass interference on a deep pass. Unless Evans continues to reel in long touchdowns, he'll be largely invisible for fantasy purposes, as the Nittany Lions still seem committed to a run-centric offense with standout ball-carriers Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE

Harrison Wallace III - Logs five targets againWallace accrued four receptions (on five targets) for 50 yards during Saturday's 21-7 victory against Illinois.

ImpactWallace had his second-most productive outing of the season, though this speaks to his minimal fantasy performances since a 117-yard, two-touchdown outing in the season opener. The redshirt junior also still logged fewer targets than tight end Tyler Warren, who's been the No. 1 receiver for quarterback Drew Allar so far this season. With seven catches (on12 targets) for 79 yards over the last three games, it's unlikely that Wallace will put up enough stats to be a worthwhile fantasy option moving forward.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE

Tyler Warren - Scores rushing TD in Week 5Warren posted four receptions (on seven targets) for 34 yards during Saturday's 21-7 victory over Illinois. He also rushed twice for 13 yards and a touchdown.

ImpactWarren continued to serve as the top target for quarterback Drew Allar. However, the 6-foot-6 tight end lined up as a wildcat quarterback while taking snaps out of the shotgun for the second week in a row. This led to his three-yard rushing touchdown that put the Nittany Lions on the board in the first quarter. With 20 catches on a team-high 24 targets through four games, Warren is already the most valuable fantasy player among this receiving corps. His added benefit as a rushing threat could add some meaningful upside moving forward. It will be worth monitoring if this role continues during next week's home game against UCLA.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE

Nicholas Singleton - Scores another TD in winSingleton notched 16 carries for 94 yards and one touchdown and gathered in all two targets for 25 yards during Saturday's 21-7 victory versus Illinois.

ImpactSingleton continued to roll under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. The 226-pound speedster didn't notch any home-run plays like he did over the past two games, but he remained efficient while seeing a season-high 16 carries and his third rushing score of the season. This still fell behind fellow junior running back Kaytron Allen, who logged 18 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown. With Singleton and Allen continuing to split carries, they'll likely need the Nittany Lions to heavily rely on the running game moving forward through Big Ten play. They should both have an easy time during next week's home game versus UCLA, which has been one of the conference's worst teams so far this season.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE

Kaytron Allen - Logs his first TD of the yearAllen accrued 18 carries for 102 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 21-7 win against Illinois.

ImpactAllen found the end zone for the first time this season with a five-yard score late in the fourth quarter. This capped off his most productive performance of the year, as he also logged season-highs in carries and rushing yards. He also tallied more rushing attempts than dynamic running back Nicholas Singleton, who rushed 16 times for 94 yards and a touchdown of his own. Singleton has looked like the better running back so far this season, though Allen continues to split carries with him. This could be a productive 1-2 duo so long as the Nittany Lions employ a run-heavy game plan, as quarterback Drew Allar attempted just 21 passes compared to 43 team rushing attempts. Allen should remain a significant part of the ground game this coming Saturday's home game against UCLA.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE

Drew Allar - Quiet outing in close winAllar completed 15 of 21 passes for 135 yards during Saturday's 21-7 victory against Illinois.

ImpactAllar and the Nittany Lions offense struggled to finish their long drives with touchdowns, as kicker Sander Sahaydak missed two 40-yard field-goal tries. The quarterback also didn't log any explosive passes like he did the previous three games. Meanwhile, the team's other rushing threats finished things off in the red zone, including rushing scores of five, four and three yards for Kaytron Allen, Nicholas Singleton and tight end Tyler Warren, who scored while lined up in the shotgun as a wildcat quarterback for the second game in a row. Allar totaled 10 touchdowns over the first three games of the season, but his lack of scoring in the conference opener is not an encouraging sign for his production going forward. He'll look to turn things around next week against UCLA, which has been one of the weakest teams in the Big Ten so far this year.

SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE