College Football

Big Noon Live: Penn State pulls away to rout Illinois; Deion Sanders led pregame party

Updated Sep. 16, 2023 5:13 p.m. ET

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Bryan Fischer

College Football Writer

It's been a wild day of college football, and it started early with the "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show in Boulder, Colorado.

The two-hour show included a pregame party hosted by Rob Gronkowski, with appearances by Lil Wayne, Deion Sanders and more. It was a lot of fun, so scroll below to check out all the highlights.

Next week, the big show heads to Cincinnati as the Bearcats dive deep into their new Big 12 environment by playing host to Oklahoma. Tune in then for all the pregame festivities, before settling in to enjoy the game itself.

For now, though, the focus was in Champaign, Illinois, where Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini held in there before fading late in a defeat to No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions in an early Big Ten showdown. 

Check out the action below with live analysis from Bryan Fischer!

Penn State 30, Illinois 13

Postgame notes

It wasn’t pretty, but Penn State held off Illinois 30-13 on Big Noon Saturday as both teams wound up kicking off conference play with less-than-stellar offensive efforts. Some post-game thoughts from Champaign:

— All eyes were on Drew Allar in making his first road start, and he passed the bar … just barely. After making some impressive throws during Penn State’s first two wins, he had only a handful on Saturday against the Illini, going 16-of-33 for just 208 yards. His receivers created plenty of separation, but the decision-making was questionable for Allar, with several missed touchdown throws and a handful of overthrows on passes that just sailed high. The offensive line did him no favors in terms of creating a pocket, but the sophomore has to be better if this group wants to live up to its top-10 billing.

Highlight: All the best plays from Penn State vs. Illinois

— The lack of push up front also showed up in the run game being limited for Penn State, as neither Kaytron Allen nor Nicholas Singleton cracked the 60-yard mark on the ground, and the team averaged under 4 yards per rush for most of the afternoon. Third-stringer Trey Potts may have had the best game of anybody on offense with a few yards on the ground, but most importantly an 11-yard strike for a touchdown on a halfback pass to all but seal the result in the second half.

— Defensively, Manny Diaz will be proud of the effort on the road, as PSU notched five turnovers and had two sacks, plus six tackles for loss. They didn’t need to bring pressure all that often, and you saw a pretty physical unit play well with few mistakes or missed tackles.

— Illinois is not only going to have to deal with having a losing record but will also have to sort out a quarterback battle after Luke Altmyer threw four interceptions and completed under 55% of his passes. It was a day the Ole Miss transfer would rather be buried behind the stadium. Backup John Paddock entered in the fourth quarter and threw a touchdown, looking not only comfortable leading the offense but a lot more in rhythm with his teammates.

— The defense is far from where it was last season, but the Illini have to thank their stars they have Jer’Zhan Newton leading the charge on nearly every snap. The All-American defensive lineman was a disruptive force who had six tackles, two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups as a do-everything stud up front. He gave Penn State’s highly touted line trouble from the opening series on and remains the one guy every offensive coordinator wants to avoid.

10:20 4Q: Allar exits

Drew Allar left the game as well, replaced by his backup after a so-so outing in his first road start of the season. The Penn State quarterback finished 16-of-33 for 208 yards through the air, flashing a few times on some throws, but otherwise looking quite inconsistent — especially when there was some pressure in his face. Given that the run game wasn’t there at all for the Nittany Lions, perhaps there was a little more put on his plate than the staff expected coming into the game.

13:13 4Q: Illinois makes switch at QB 

To no surprise, Illinois made a quarterback change, bringing in John Paddock to replace Luke Altmyer after the latter threw his fourth interception of the game (and seventh of the season). Though the Ball State transfer was able to move the chains on his first drive under center, he also nearly threw an interception over the middle and went just 1-of-5 as the Illini punted it away to all but wave the white flag in this one.

14:24 4Q: Out of reach?

It’s getting late early as Illinois’ defense seems to be worn out after dealing with five turnovers from their offense. Nicholas Singleton’s 16-yard touchdown run to put PSU up 30-7 was the second-longest on the ground so far and finally put the Nittany Lions over the century mark running the ball.

End 3Q: Fourth interception!

Well, this has turned into a game to forget for Illinois QB Luke Altmyer as he tosses his fourth — yes fourth — interception of the day. This was yet again another underthrown ball into traffic and simply a bad decision to even let go of the pass. Never good when 14% of your attempts after three quarters have been caught by the opposing team. Any more Penn State points may put this one out of reach for the home side.

2:14 3Q: TOUCHDOWN PENN STATE!

We have offensive life for Penn State thanks to a little trickeration! Kaytron Allen took the lateral and lofted it to Tyler Warren in the end zone, as the latter caught a beautiful tip-toe touchdown. Coming off three consecutive punts, that seven-play, 68-yard scoring drive could wind up sealing the deal in this one given how Illinois’ offense has looked.

Kaytron Allen finds Tyler Warren on an 11-yard TD

4:26 3Q: Slowing to a grind

This is turning into a rough watch offensively for both sides. The third quarter has featured three Penn State punts (on two three-and-outs) while Illinois has had three drives for 38 yards – punting twice and throwing an interception.

12:33 3Q: Altmyer intercepted again

Ouch. After one of his best throws of the day on a back-shoulder to Isaiah Williams for a big 32-yard gain, Illinois QB Luke Altmyer followed it up with another terrible throw behind his target that was picked off by Johnny Dixon and returned 32 yards the other way. You would like to give a nod to Penn State’s defense for collecting four turnovers in eight drives, but a lot of this comes down to execution for the Illini just not being there when it matters most against a ranked opponent.

HALFTIME NOTES

That was a very interesting first half, as Penn State goes to the locker room with a 16-7 lead that they can’t feel good about at all. The Nittany Lions had just two sustained drives of more than 40 yards and couldn’t take full advantage of three straight Illinois turnovers in the first quarter.

Making his first road start, QB Drew Allar was … fine. He ended the half 10-of-20 for 136 yards, throwing a few beautiful passes — such as a 33-yarder to Liam Clifford along the sidelines with a few seconds left.

But Allar has mostly looked like his internal clock was operating a little too fast given the number of quick reads he made and number of times he just took off on a scramble. His offensive line has surprisingly looked overmatched, and the normally dynamic duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined for just 37 yards on the ground (PSU as a team has rushed for just 3.2 yards/carry when taking out sacks).

As for the home side, Illinois can go into the break thrilled to only be down nine points considering the number of offensive miscues they had in the first quarter. Their defense, which came limping in and suffered injuries to a few starters, looked much more like the 2022 edition with some impressive red zone stands and generally making Penn State earn every inch. RB Reggie Love III has led the way offensively with the only points for the Illini on 35 yards rushing, but the team still needs more balance on the arm of QB Luke Altmyer. The Ole Miss transfer has just 127 yards passing and has thrown two picks, but has shown flashes of being able to hit targets further down the field when not locking onto one receiver.

Both head coaches are likely to preach consistency during their halftime team talks because neither side is displaying much of it so far in what has been an interesting Big Ten opener on Big Noon Saturday.

2:08 2Q: TOUCHDOWN ILLINOIS!

Boy did Illinois need that drive to show signs of life offensively as Reggie Love III powered into the end zone for the score, cutting Penn State's lead to 13-7. The eight-play, 68-yard drive was all on the shoulders of Love and QB Luke Altmyer, who made some nice throws outside the hashes in what was the best effort we’ve seen since the team’s opening drive.

It’s remarkable this is still a game after Illinois committed three straight turnovers, but it's been an impressive effort to bounce back for Bret Bielema’s side late in the second quarter.

Reggie Love scores to help Illinois keep it close

6:09 2Q: BLOCKED!

Illinois blocked Penn State’s field goal attempt to keep it a two-possession game, but that might not be the most worrisome thing on the Nittany Lions sideline, as QB Drew Allar grimaced after his arm got hit by Jer’Zhan Newton on third down. The Illini defense has allowed just 2.1 yards/rush so far in this one and that’s put even more on the shoulders of the young signal-caller to step up and make some plays down the field — something that could be in peril if that’s more than just a bruise on his arm.

9:55 2Q: Illini unable to get much going

The good news for Bret Bielema? His offense didn’t turn the ball over. The bad news? The Illini are averaging just 3.5 yards per play and just failed to convert on third down to force a punt. To make matters worse, FOX’s Jenny Taft reports that top safety Matthew Bailey is likely out for the rest of the game with an upper body injury.

11:04 2Q: TOUCHDOWN, PENN STATE!

Penn State scored to go up 13-0, capitalizing on the turnover once again. But you can’t help but think that this should be a bigger blowout than it currently is with such a disjointed Nittany Lions effort offensively.

On top of QB Drew Allar missing at least two touchdown throws on that recent drive, tailback Kaytron Allen running into his own offensive lineman on a screen and falling down on a play he should have scored a TD surely sums up the PSU offense in the first half. Allen did punch it in eventually for a 4-yard rushing score, but this is far from the type of crisp effort James Franklin wants for his team’s first road trip of the year on Big Noon Saturday.

Kaytron Allen punches it in, extending Penn State's lead to 13-0

End 1Q: Illini commit three turnovers, Nittany Lions lead 6-0

Illinois opened the game by missing a field goal, fumbling, and then throwing back-to-back interceptions. A lot of the credit goes to Penn State’s defense, but it’s ultimately Luke Altmyer who has been making some suspect throws, including underthrowing his receiver by quite a bit on that turnover. Does anybody want to wake up and make an offensive play? So far the answer is … no.

1:48 1Q: Illini holding Penn State to field goals

Is this the same Illinois defense that ranked dead last in the Big Ten after two games, or the one from last season that led the country in just about every category? Impressive responses to the two turnovers by stuffing Penn State twice in the red zone even as the Nittany Lions take a 6-0 lead.

If you’re James Franklin, do you walk over to the offensive line to yell at them to wake up? They have barely gotten a push in the run game and have allowed pressure on just about every dropback for Drew Allar. The young QB looks like his clock is going a little fast as a result, and he’s just 3-of-7 for 37 yards to open the first quarter so far. Things certainly not going to script for the visitors so far in the conference opener.

3:02 1Q: Picked off!

Woof, what an awful throw by Luke Altmyer on that interception, just when it looked like the Illini offense was starting to find some rhythm. He threw it directly to Abdul Carter on a route that had three other PSU defensive backs surrounding the receiver. To make matters worse, Josh Kreutz picked up an unsportsmanlike flag to move the Nittany Lions even closer to the end zone.

5:27 1Q: Penn State takes 3-0 lead

Turnovers in a conference game are always going to prove critical, and the first mistake of the day comes via Illinois after Josh McCray was popped in traffic and fumbled. Luckily for McCray & Co., their defense stepped up to hold PSU to just a field goal after a very good red zone stand on the back of a short field.

One thing is very clear early on in Champaign: the Nittany Lions are struggling early to run the ball. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have just 4 yards on five attempts, and there’s not much of a hole to run through whenever they take the handoff. That third down from the 2-yard line was indicative of just how good the Illini defensive line has been, as they had no room whatsoever.

10:35 1Q: A slow start 

Shaky opening series for Drew Allar in his first road start, with a three-and-out coming on the back of two passes that were well wide of the mark. You would have thought that the coaching staff would have leaned heavily on the run game early to get their young quarterback comfortable, but that wasn’t the case with several quick dropbacks and just one or two reads for the signal-caller to make.

11:17 1Q: Just off target

Caleb Griffin’s 47-yard field goal attempt is off the mark to spoil a solid opening effort for Illinois’ offense. QB Luke Altmyer connected on just two of his five pass attempts and seemed to be pressured on nearly every throw — perhaps the reason why the Illini went with a bit of tempo on third downs. Tailback Reggie Love III made some nice runs to the outside, but defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has to be happy how his Penn State defense bent early but didn’t break late.

Pregame notes

While all eyes are on Boulder for everything happening with Coach Prime and the Buffs, the Big Ten is taking center stage for Big Noon Saturday in what will be an early litmus test of whether No. 7 Penn State is truly a conference and national title contender befitting their ranking. Illinois has been subpar defensively to start the season, but there’s plenty of talent on Bret Bielema’s squad to make things interesting and possibly pull the upset like they did in the two teams’ last meeting back in 2021.

Here are a few pre-game thoughts before kickoff in Champaign:

— The Nittany Lions haven’t seen any dropoff at quarterback with former five-star Drew Allar taking over, ranking first in the Big Ten in points and yards per game so far this year. The sophomore has shown off his big arm during the team’s first two games with some impressive downfield throws and he’ll need to step up and make some more for the team’s league opener on the road. Allar has also taken care of the ball extremely well (zero career turnovers) and will need to keep that streak up if PSU wants to keep things rolling on his side of the ball.

— The most anticipated matchup in this one is undoubtedly the Illini’s interior DL duo of All-American Jer’Zhan Newton and All-Big Ten star Keith Randolph Jr. against one of the best running back tandems in the country with Penn State’s Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. The latter pair is averaging over 150 yards of offense this year despite not playing much in the second half of the team’s recent wins and are as good a threat out of the backfield as they are running between the tackles. Seeing how Newton and Randolph can clog up the middle and disrupt running lanes will be key to Illinois keeping this one close.

— Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has been solid so far since transferring over from Ole Miss and gives the offense an added dimension with his legs coming into this one. He’ll likely need to pick up a few first downs while scrambling but has to take care of the ball better (three interceptions in two games). Top receiver Isaiah Williams has shown he can get free and make a big play on any drive, but it’s up to Altmyer to avoid negative plays and keep his eyes up to find the elusive wideout down the field.

— The Illinois defense had several misalignments last week against Kansas and enters this game last in the Big Ten in yards/play allowed. New DC Aaron Henry has to get the mental mistakes corrected and let the Illini play much freer than they have so far if they’re going to show some improvement where it’s needed most for the home side.

Pregame in Boulder

Finally, Coach Prime stopped by the set for a live interview. And if his comments are any indication, the Buffaloes will not be going easy on Colorado State tonight.

Deion Sanders discusses exceeding expectations, more!

After lighting up the stage, Lil Tunechi got a special gift from Coach Prime.

Gronkowski worked up an appetite in Boulder.

The first Club Heisman of the season with Mark Ingram and Matt Leinart.

USC's Caleb Williams and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders lead Club Heisman candidates | Big Noon Kickoff

Mark Ingram and Matt Leinart discussed Club Heisman candidates including Caleb Williams for the USC Trojans, Shedeur Sanders for the Colorado Buffaloes and Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Give Peggy her theme music!

Coach Meyer talks Shedeur Sanders and more…

Urban Meyer discusses how Colorado succeeds when plays break down | Big Noon Kickoff

Urban Meyers analyzed how the Colorado Buffaloes can succeed when plays break down. 

Rapper Lil Wayne is behind Coach Prime A Milli…

Lil' Wayne joins to talk Colorado's turnaround, Packers' fanhood and more! | Big Noon Kickoff

Lil' Wayne joined "Big Noon Kickoff" to talk about the Colorado Buffaloes' turnaround this season, his support of the Green Bay Packers and more.

Cooper Manning officially declared his feud with 98-year-old Colorado super-fan Peggy.

FOX analyst Joel Klatt got in on the action from afar as he gears up for the Penn State-Illinois matchup.

Is Penn State's Drew Allar the best quarterback in the Big Ten? | Big Noon Kickoff

Joel Klatt discussed Penn State Nittany Lions' quarterback Drew Allar and if he is the best quarterback in the Big Ten Conference.

Gronk got the crowd going this morning!

Things got underway early in Boulder, with a pre-dawn gathering.

The Illinois game could be the first real challenge for Penn State (2-0), and coach James Franklin knows Illinois fans will be ready, especially with the Illini promoting an "orange-out."

"It should be a great atmosphere at Illinois, a great environment for college football," he said this week. "We opened our Big Ten season last year at Purdue. There was a black-out there."

The Nittany Lions have opened their season by beating West Virginia, 38-15, and Delaware, 63-7. Meanwhile, the Illini opened at home with a come-from-behind 30-28 win over Toledo, before stubbing their toes in a 34-23 defeat at Kansas in Week 2.

Here's some of the pregame action ahead of that matchup:

Penn State HC James Franklin talks to Jenny Taft about his pregame expectations vs. Illinois | Big Noon Kickoff

Penn State Nittany Lions HC James Franklin talked to Jenny Taft about what he wants to see today from his team vs. the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica gives his ‘Best Bets’.

Penn State, Florida State, and Tennessee headline Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's 'Best Bets' | Big Noon Kickoff

The Penn State Nittany Lions, the Florida State Seminoles, and the Tennessee Volunteers headlined Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's "Best Bets" for week three of the college football season.

HOW TO WATCH ‘BIG NOON KICKOFF’ THIS SATURDAY

• 10 a.m.-Noon ET: "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show on FOX
• Noon ET: Penn State at Illinois on FOX and the FOX Sports app

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the Penn State-Illinois showdown. Check back Saturday for pregame coverage, followed by live in-game analysis from FOX Sports' Bryan Fischer!

Will Drew Allar lead Penn State to a win over Illinois?

No. 7 Penn State at Illinois

PREGAME NUMBERS TO KNOW

20-6: PSU's all-time record against Illinois. The Nittany Lions have won the six of the last eight meetings.

78.2: Completion percentage for QB Drew Allar, which ranks sixth in the nation. He also sits 16th in passing efficiency (183.0) and 21st in yards per pass attempt (9.62).

9: Consecutive games PSU has scored at least 30 points — the nation's longest streak.

6-of-17: Passing Delaware was held to last week by PSU; the seventh time PSU has held an opponent below 50% passing over the last two seasons, tied for most in the nation.

9th: Current Big Ten rank for Illinois in scoring (26.5 PPG), total offense (357.5 YPG) and passing (204.0). The Fighting Illini also sit at seventh in rushing (153.5).

164: Yards needed by QB Luke Altmyer to crack Illinois' all-time top-10 list for rushing yards by a quarterback. Altmyer already has a team-best 139 rushing yards.

16-14: Final score for Illinois' last win over Penn State in Champaign in 2014, when David Reisner's 36-yard field goal with eight seconds left secured the W. 

3rd: Receiver Isaiah Williams' rank in the Big Ten in receptions per game (5.5). Williams is sixth in receiving yards (150).

[More numbers to know in Week 3 games]

Week 3 preview: Can Illinois upset Penn State?

PREGAME READING

Week 3 wagering: Chris "The Bear" Fallica shares his predictions from all the top games, including Penn State-Illinois. Read more.

The Prime Effect … on coaches: One interesting aspect of the instant success Deion Sanders has had at Colorado is the very real possibility that it could increase pressure on coaches — even established and successful coaches like James Franklin and Bert Bielema — to change the way they operate. Read more.

How Penn State prepared Drew Allar for this moment: Many observers think this is the best roster Penn State has had in the James Franklin era, but Franklin has gone to great lengths to make sure his young quarterback would be ready to lead it. Michael Cohen goes behind the scenes for the story. 

Heisman watch: Reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams of USC continues to be the favorite to win the prestigious award. But Allar is among those firmly in the mix. Check out our breakdown of the top 10 candidates.

Why Illinois has a chance: The Nittany Lions are big favorites vs. Illinois, but the Illini do have one top-notch NFL prospect who could wreak havoc — defensive lineman Jer'Zhan Newton. NFL Draft expert Rob Rang details why Newton could be a big problem for Penn State and also outlines other top prospects scouts will be watching in Week 3. Read more.

What our experts are looking for in the game: RJ Young, Michael Cohen and Bryan Fischer break down all the big games this week, including Penn State-Illinois. Read more.

Bonus reading!

"It’s hard to stop all of us": Everyone knows about Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, but Colorado has found success in large part due to the wealth of options it has compiled on offense. Read more.

Colorado will decide its ceiling: Some have doubted Deion Sanders' methods at rebuilding Colorado, but it will ultimately be the Buffs who decide how high they can climb. RJ Young explains why.

What's next for Texas? The Longhorns are flying high after their stunning victory at Alabama in Week 2, but coach Steve Sarkisian has bigger goals. "Championship teams continue to improve," he said. Laken Litman has the story.

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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