How can Penn State football fend off an Illinois upset at home? Here are Saturday’s 2 key matchups
Penn State football is set for a reprieve before its matchup with Ohio State next week. The Nittany Lions will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini at noon Saturday in Beaver Stadium. Penn State enters the game 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten after losing to Iowa in its last game. Illinois is 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten.
Let’s take a look at the two key matchups in Saturday’s noon kickoff between Penn State and Illinois.
Jon Sauber: Penn State’s starting QB vs. Illinois’ pass defense
This matchup — and this game for that matter — is entirely about the quarterback position for Penn State. Redshirt senior starting quarterback Sean Clifford suffered an injury in the second quarter of the team’s game against Iowa just over a week ago and his status remains up in the air. He was replaced by redshirt sophomore quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson, who struggled in the game and was part of the reason the team lost its 17-3 lead and ultimately lost the game.
If Clifford is able to go against Illinois, all eyes will be on him and how he moves and handles the injury he suffered. The undisclosed injury will make it worth watching if his mobility or ability to throw the ball have been impacted in a meaningful way, making him the focal point of the game if he plays in it.
On the flip side, if Clifford — who Penn State head coach James Franklin did not rule out for the season — cannot play, the starting role could fall to Roberson. The redshirt sophomore showed he had good mobility against the Hawkeyes but was unable to get into a rhythm passing the ball in the game, completing only seven of his 21 passing attempts for 34 yards and two interceptions.
That type of play won’t cut it for the Nittany Lions if Clifford misses an extended period of time. The opportunity does exist for Roberson to improve and a weaker Illinois defense could give him a chance to get a better feel for the college game, given that he’d attempted eight career passes before the game against Iowa. Starting and succeeding against the Illini could go a long way in proving he has what it takes to lead the team without Clifford, if necessary.
Of course, if Roberson struggles in practice or in the game if Clifford can’t play, the door will open for freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux. Veilleux enrolled at Penn State in January but has the arm talent to succeed early in his career. The questions in his game come more in terms of decision-making and his ability to process the college game after being out of high school for less than a year.
Veilleux has shown the requisite arm strength in practice to make all the necessary throws in a game, but has never appeared in a college game to prove it will translate. Again, the Illinois defense doesn’t pose the biggest threat to Penn State and could provide an opportunity for him to show he can play quarterback in the Big Ten. Regardless of who plays, if Clifford can’t go Saturday and can’t come back in time for Ohio State, Penn State will need to learn a lot about who the second-best quarterback on the roster is behind the redshirt senior.
If neither plays well and Clifford isn’t healthy soon, the 2021 season could go downhill quickly for the Nittany Lions.
Kyle J. Andrews: Illinois defensive end Owen Carney Jr. vs. Penn State’s offensive tackles
Fans of the 2-5 Illini don’t have a lot to look forward to on Saturday against Penn State. However, one bright spot is defensive end Owen Carney Jr., who was named to Phil Steele’s Preseason All-Big Ten first team and the Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten second team. The senior has 23 total tackles (nine solo) and five tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks on the year.
Carney has been used primarily with his hand in the dirt, playing 447 snaps as a defensive lineman. This season, he holds a 64 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, along with a 56.8 grade in run defense, a 72.4 pass rush grade and 61.7 grade in coverage. He was named to the All-Big Ten second-team in 2020, when he had 27 tackles (13 solo), six tackles for loss and five sacks. However, he was held to just three tackles in last year’s 56-21 loss to Penn State.
Penn State has only allowed nine sacks in six games this season. The Nittany Lions are 28th in least sacks allowed in the country and only 58 yards lost and 1.5 yards lost per sack. With that being said, their tackles have struggled. Left tackle Rasheed Walker has a 58.3 offensive grade from PFF, which is ranked 291st of 437 tackles in the country. Walker’s pass blocking grade is 64, which is 186th of 366 tackles and his run blocking grade is 206th of 306 tackles.
On the right side, Caedan Wallace has a 48.3 offensive grade and is ranked 387th of 437 tackles in the country. His pass blocking grade is 59.2, which is 232nd of 366 tackles and holds a 41.3 run blocking grade, which is 305th of 306 tackles. Whether it is pass blocking or run blocking, the offensive tackle duo has their work cut out for them.
Carney is not the type of player you want to allow to get going against an inexperienced quarterback, such as Ta’Quan Roberson or Christian Veilleux. Roberson has just 29 passing attempts as a collegiate quarterback and Veilleux has none. Of Roberson’s 29 passing attempts, 21 came against Iowa two weeks prior, when he went 7-for-21 with 34 yards and two interceptions. Part of Roberson’s struggles came from getting out of rhythm with the offensive linemen. Walker and Wallace have the opportunity to dispel those problems against Carney Jr. and Illinois defensive line, which has 15 sacks on the year.
This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
