Starting fast has been an issue for Penn State football throughout the first few games of the 2024 season. The defense’s first half against Bowling Green was questionable, but the corps regrouped and delivered a shutout in the next game against Kent State.

The momentum from the shutout, though, wasn’t carried over into the pseudo-White Out Saturday night as the Fighting Illini took the opening possession down the field and scored.

“The first thing is that we have to be better on opening drives,” James Franklin said postgame. “Opening drives on both offense and defense are very telling about how prepared you are, so we have to be better in that area.”

The Nittany Lions answered the Illini score on their first offensive drive of the game and the defenses began to take hold as the teams traded punts.

After a defensive first quarter, Franklin said the defense, along with the crowd, turned the tide of the game when Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer fumbled a snap on a drive that ended in a missed field goal.

“When Illinois had the ball on the two-yard line at the end of the second quarter, the fans were significant there, and our defense was significant there,” Franklin said. “That was a huge moment. Our defense is playing really well.”

The Nittany Lions only gave up seven points in the first half but were still in a deadlock with the Fighting Illini heading into the tunnel at halftime.

The defensive front seven took over in the second half. Franklin said one of the main ways Penn State disrupted the Illinois offense was by challenging its offensive line, and the tactic worked as the Fighting Illini were held to -19 rushing yards in the second half.

As the Illinois offense became one-dimensional in the second half, the defense started to break through the offensive line regularly and routinely met Illinois running back Kaden Feagin in the backfield.

Defensive end Abdul Carter had his biggest game since switching from the linebacker position to defensive end. The junior was a big part of the Nittany Lions run defense, notching 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble while finishing second on the team with seven total tackles.

Despite the increasing numbers from week to week, Carter said there’s still more to come.

“I just have to keep growing, keep learning, and keep getting better,” Carter said. “You haven’t seen the best of me yet.”

The interior defensive line also had a say in the domination of the line of scrimmage. Zane Durant got to the backfield once for a sack and added two tackles for loss after receiving significant praise from Franklin as someone who impacts the game on more than just the stat sheet.

Stopping the run was a major part of the Nittany Lions game plan throughout practice last week, and the defensive line was ready for the challenge.

“They challenged us this week by trying to run the ball,” Durant said. “Coach has been preaching that to us all week though, so we just took it personally.”