Welcome back to Beaver Stadium, folks.

No. 7 Penn State football (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) is set to host Illinois (2-5, 1-3 Big Ten) Saturday afternoon. With Sean Clifford’s status up in the air, most Nittany Lions fans will be focused on Penn State’s quarterbacks, while the Illini are just trying to stay afloat.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Penn State’s Homecoming matchup.

Television

The game is set to kick off at noon and will be broadcast on ABC. Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky will be on the call, while Kris Budden will assist with sideline reporting.

Radio

Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp
Local: 99.5 & 103.7 FM/1450 AM, Sirius/XM/Internet: 83/195/957

Weather

It might be time to finally start thinking about bundling up, folks. Accuweather says it will remain in the low 50s throughout Saturday’s entire affair, with wind gusts reaching 8 mph. There’s about a 35% chance of rain and humidity will be around 80% at kickoff. Expect a dew point of 46 degrees.

Last Meeting

The last time these two teams met was Penn State’s final game of the infamous 2020 season, and the Nittany Lions blew Illinois out 56-21 at a snow-covered Beaver Stadium. Jahan Dotson racked up 189 yards and two scores, including a touchdown on the first play of the game.

Penn State holds a 20-5 all-time record against the Illini and is currently on a three-game winning streak.

Injuries/Suspensions

Since Penn State typically only reports season-ending injuries, we only know that defensive linemen Adisa Isaac, Hakeem Beamon, and PJ Mustipher will miss Saturday’s matchup. James Franklin announced during the bye week the injury Mustipher sustained against Iowa is season-ending.

Sean Clifford’s status is undoubtedly one of the biggest storylines of this game. The quarterback exited the second quarter against Iowa and missed a week of practice, but he was back throwing with the team multiple times this week. Devyn Ford and John Lovett also left and did not return against the Hawkeyes.

Regarding the coronavirus, we won’t know until kickoff if anyone has tested positive.

Betting Lines

Penn State is a 23.5-point favorite in this one, according to Oddsshark. The Nittany Lions are 4-2 against the spread this year. The over/under is set at 45.5.

Media Coverage

Onward State will have you covered throughout today’s game. You can find big plays, photos, analysis, and more on our main @OnwardState Twitter account and Facebook page, and we’ll also provide play-by-play commentary from @OnwardStSports.

Football writers Gabe Angieri (@gabeangieri), Ryan Parsons (@rjparsons9), and Will Pegler (@gritdude) will have you covered from inside of Beaver Stadium.

Photographer Michael Tauriello (@mtauriello_) will provide visual updates from the field as well.

Onward State

• Penn State Stays Put At No. 7 In AP Top 25 Poll
• Penn State’s Quarterback Battle Remains Wide Open As Sean Clifford Works Toward Return
• What Renovations & Additions Does Beaver Stadium Need?
• Penn State History Lesson: Football Uniforms Through The Years
• Sean Clifford Is Practicing, But His Status Remains Unclear
• Analyzing Midseason Reactions For Penn State Football
• Out For The Season, PJ Mustipher Remains Vital Part Of Penn State’s Culture
• Staff Predictions: No. 7 Penn State vs. Illinois
• Previewing The Enemy: Illinois Fighting Illini