Penn State’s Post-Illinois Report Card

Samuel Brungo | Onward State

Penn State football won its fourth consecutive game Saturday night by blowing out Illinois 56-21 at Beaver Stadium.

Following a back and forth first quarter, the Nittany Lions completely dominated the Fighting Illini the rest of the way, scoring 42 unanswered points. It was a strong day for all of Penn State’s position groups.

Here are our grades from the Nittany Lions’ season-ending victory:

Quarterbacks: A-

The quarterbacks played arguably their best overall game of the season in the win over Illinois. Sean Clifford completed 73% of his passes and totaled 285 yards and two touchdowns through the air. It was the highest completion percentage he had all season and just the third time this year he didn’t throw an interception.

He fumbled early in the game but made up for it with timely throws and turnover-free football the rest of the way.

Will Levis also contributed to the blowout win with significant plays of his own. Levis completed three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown and ran for a touchdown as well. The gritty quarterback ran the ball nine times for 38 yards, including a Saquon-esque hurdle late in the game.

It was the first time in Levis’s career he punched it in the end zone both through the air and on the ground in the same game.

Running Backs: B+

Ja’Juan Seider’s running backs quietly had a really productive game. Overshadowed by the big plays in the passing game, Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes combined for 31 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns, with Holmes picking up the first two touchdowns of his career.

Additionally, Holmes and Lee each had two carries of 10 or more yards.

Joseph Bruno saw some action toward the end of the game and totaled 32 yards on the ground, including runs of 20 and 10 yards. Tank Smith added one carry for seven yards.

Wide Receivers: B

It was the Jahan Dotson show Saturday night, folks. The junior dominated with six receptions worth 189 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown came on the first play of the game when Dotson took a short hitch route all the way home.

That was easy! pic.twitter.com/Ndh1idsPei
— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 19, 2020

The second came on a screen pass that Dotson took 70 yards to the house.

Jahan Dotson now has two touchdowns and 183 receiving yards.

It’s the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/1RoIFYZgcs
— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 20, 2020

His receiving total is the sixth-highest single-game mark in program history.

Other than Dotson, it was an awfully quiet day for Penn State’s wideouts. The rest of the group combined for three catches worth 41 yards. However, Dotson’s performance alone gives the wideouts a passing grade.

Tight Ends: B+

This was the most productive day for Penn State’s tight ends ever since Pat Freiermuth has been out. Brenton Strange finished second on the team with a season-high four catches, and his 31 receiving yards were the third-most among Nittany Lion pass catchers. Additionally, he hauled in a touchdown late in the third quarter from Will Levis by leaping his way into the end zone.

True freshman Theo Johnson made an impact in the passing game as well by hauling in receptions of 19 and 23 yards. Johnson’s 23-yard reception is the longest of his young career.

Offensive Line: B

It was a solid day overall for Phil Trautwein’s offensive line. The unit allowed five sacks, which brings the grade down to a B. However, the Nittany Lions rushed for 253 yards, and the offensive line deserves a lot of the credit for that.

Additionally, no Penn State running back was dropped for a loss throughout the entire game. The offensive line constantly won at the line of scrimmage in the run game.

Defensive Line: B+

After an ugly first quarter from the entire defense, the defensive line completely dominated the Fighting Illini. The Nittany Lions gave up 111 yards on the ground in the first quarter, which prevents the group from getting perfect marks.

However, for the rest of the game, Illinois totaled just 42 yards on the ground. Shaka Toney was the leader for the defensive line with six tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss. PJ Mustipher added three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack, while Adisa Isaac totaled two tackles and a quarterback hit.

Antonio Shelton made an impact as well with two tackles, one forced fumble, and a sack on fourth down in the third quarter.

Linebackers: A-

Penn State’s linebackers played really well and made a significant impact against the Fighting Illini.

Brandon Smith played the best game of his college career Saturday night. The sophomore totaled eight tackles, three for loss, and one fumble recovery in the dominant performance. Smith was all over the field for the Nittany Lions and made quite the difference in this one.

Jesse Luketa added seven tackles, while Ellis Brooks totaled six tackles and one pass breakup. It was Luketa’s third consecutive game with seven or more tackles, and Brooks’ fourth straight game with six or more tackles.

Secondary: B+

Penn State’s cornerbacks and safeties didn’t stuff the stat sheet but played a nice game. After allowing 88 passing yards in the first quarter, including a long touchdown, the Nittany Lions allowed only 32 yards through the air the rest of the way.

Jaquan Brisker continued his stellar season by finishing second on the team with seven tackles. Fellow safety Lamont Wade totaled only one tackle for just the second time this season.

With starting corners Tariq Castro-Fields and Joey Porter Jr. out, Keaton Ellis stepped up as a difference-maker. He totaled two tackles, one pass breakup, and intercepted the first pass of his career.

Special Teams: A

A second consecutive week with a special teams touchdown? Hell yes.

Lamont Wade returned a kickoff 100 yards to the house early in the game to give Penn State a 14-7 lead. In what could have been his last game at Beaver Stadium, Wade made sure to score his first career touchdown on his way out.

Later in the game, Dotson returned a punt 50 yards all the way to Illinois’ 10-yard line to set the Nittany Lions up with prime field position.

Jordan Stout did a good job punting and averaged 41.4 yards per punt. The only blemish for the unit was a missed field goal from Jake Pinegar. However, the positives far outweigh the meaningless field goal and give the group an A.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Support quality journalism:

Already receiving enough emails?

About the Author

Gabe Angieri

After a four-year career with Onward State, Gabe is now a college graduate and off to the real world. He shockingly served as the blog’s managing editor during the 2022-23 school year and covered football for much of his Onward State tenure, including trips to the Outback Bowl and Rose Bowl. For any professional inquiries, please email Gabe at [email protected]. You can still see his bad sports takes on Twitter at @gabeangieri.

Topics

More

Enter a search term for instant results