It was a dominant game in the trenches for Penn State football’s offensive line in its 21-7 victory over No. 19 Illinois Saturday night.

The Fighting Illini came into the top-20 matchup allowing 104.3 yards on the ground, 188 yards through the air, and 12.5 points per game – tied for 15th in the nation.

Against Penn State, Illinois slowed Drew Allar and the passing attack to just 135 yards through the air and no touchdowns, but the running game exploded for 239 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

The biggest reason for another offensive explosion is the offensive line.

“They’re playing a physical brand of football,” James Franklin said of his offensive line and tight ends after the win. “They’re doing a great job of protecting our quarterback. They’re allowing us to get ahead of the sticks.”

The offensive line allowed just two sacks on Allar as he finished the game 15-for-21 passing. Allar said getting ahead of the sticks was important against the Fighting Illini and the Nittany Lions could do so because of the communication up front.

“I think we’re all on the same page, especially when it came to protection on third down,” Allar said. “[Nick Dawkins] does a great job of communicating what he’s seeing and then the sideline fixing anything. Today, it showed they can take over the game in the trenches.”

“They’re a super physical group up front, and so was Illinois, so to see that was really good for us, and it’s a good sign for us in future games,” Allar added.

It wasn’t always easy for the offensive line though. Guard Sal Wormley and his replacement J.B. Nelson both went down with injuries during Saturday’s contest. Wormley and Nelson are two of the most experienced linemen for the Nittany Lions, however, the offensive line never missed a beat.

True freshman Cooper Cousins replaced Nelson after he was injured. Cousins was a four-star offensive lineman who has been committed to the Nittany Lions since 2022. Franklin praised Cousins for his work ethic during fall camp.

“[Cousins] is as driven and as committed as a young player I’ve ever been around,” Franklin said during camp. “And specifically on the O-line because it’s hard to play those grown man positions as a true freshman. He’s going to be hard to keep off the field.”

After the game, fellow guard Vega Ioane said the rest of the offensive line trusts Cousins when he’s on the field.

“[Cousins is] a guy who can come in and play anywhere we need him to,” Ioane said. “He’s violent. He loves football, so it makes it easier for us to trust him when he’s out there.”

Overcoming a setback like losing Wormley and Nelson isn’t a surprise considering the offensive line’s goals before the game. Franklin said he challenged both the offensive and defensive line to be more physical and Ioane said the offensive took it upon themselves to meet that goal.

“We talked before the game and the o-line came together and told him this game is going to be on us,” Ioane said. “We got challenged by [Franklin] and we took that to heart.”