Upon further review: Takeaways from Penn State’s win at Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Miles Sanders sought out teammates and Illinois opponents alike, slapping high fives as he worked his way around the field amid Penn State’s postgame celebration.

As he neared the bleachers and fans gathered around him, he gestured a few rows up, motioning for his mother to greet him for a hug after his milestone night. Sanders’ 200 rushing yards during Penn State’s 63-24 win against Illinois on Friday made him the 28th Penn State player to have a 200-yard game. Having his mom there, like she’s been for every game since he started playing football, made for another special moment.

Marlene Sanders works two jobs, picking up the second when her youngest of three boys left for college on the West Coast. She’s protective of all her sons, but her middle child, Miles Sanders, has long professed to be a momma’s boy, calling her the night before every game and texting her the day of to make sure she’s in the stadium so he knows where she’s sitting.

Marlene Sanders made all the road trips leading up to this point, including the long drive from Pittsburgh to Iowa last year, knowing that her son’s opportunities would be limited because of Saquon Barkley’s presence ahead of him on the depth chart. She was there when he stumbled and fumbled as a freshman in Ann Arbor and was there when his biggest opportunities came as a kick returner.

For all the waiting Sanders did during his first two years of college, his mom dealt with the brunt of his restlessness. She stressed patience, and he, like most five-star prospects when they enroll in college, wanted a bigger role right away. Now a junior, Sanders looked every bit like a big-time back in his first start against a Big Ten opponent.

Through four games, Sanders ranks sixth nationally in rushing with 495 yards, averaging nearly 7 yards per carry.

For all the tackles he broke and plays he made against the Illini, the one that stuck out to Sanders most afterward was his 48-yard touchdown, the first of 42 unanswered points Penn State scored after falling behind in the third quarter.

“I’ve been trying to get a long run since I got here, and breaking that tackle — I got tripped up a couple times last week, so that was probably the best one,” Sanders said. “But, you gotta thank those big guys up front. I can’t do anything without them.”

Punch, counterpunch. @BoobieMilesXXIV scores TD No. 3 on the night for @PennStateFball. pic.twitter.com/f27qZqOMYd

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) September 22, 2018

Johnson back on track

Juwan Johnson surprised himself with his drop-filled start to the season, and it took the receiver getting out of his own head to get back on track. He did Friday night by hauling in four catches for 51 yards. Johnson’s 16-yard touchdown reception effectively put away the game for Penn State early in the fourth quarter.

After Johnson put his index finger up to his lips t0 silence the Illinois student section after the touchdown — similar to the gesture he made last year after his game-winning touchdown against Iowa — he had to reflect on the past month.

“(The past) three games were hard. It was a fall-back moment, pretty much observing. It’s been a tough one,” he said. “(It was) me stepping out of character and just being that guy to uplift guys, being more of a leader, not being as productive as I anticipated. But it’s not all about the production; it’s about me being a leader, uplifting guys and stuff like that.”

Johnson said he stayed off social media during his three-game funk, well aware it wouldn’t do any good to wade into his mentions. With DeAndre Thompkins getting back on track against Kent State and Johnson having his best game of the season the next week, an offense that’s averaging an FBS-best 55.5 points per game could receive even more of a boost.

Working through his slump with the same work ethic that got him to this point is why he thought he was able to push through it.

“The process is what got me here, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do,” Johnson said.

Loud and clear

It wasn’t at all surprising that, immediately after beating Illinois, Penn State players wouldn’t even entertain thoughts about what the next game on the schedule means.

It was clearly a postgame talking point that James Franklin hit on, as every player who met with the media and was asked about next Saturday’s visit from No. 4 Ohio State spoke about being focused on Illinois and correcting their mistakes afterward.

Players were mum when asked if they’d use their rare off day Saturday to watch the Buckeyes’ game against Tulane or even use the time to get a jump start on film study. Johnson said he planned to play video games, sleep in and watch whatever college football games were on.

So did he plan to watch Ohio State beat Tulane?

“We’re just focusing on Illinois and the corrections,” Johnson said with a smile.

Did you notice?

• When Illinois attempted a 55-yard field goal in the first quarter, Penn State put kick returner KJ Hamler back deep to give him a shot at making a play if the kick came his way. The Illini missed wide right instead. For the second consecutive game, Hamler got an opportunity as a punt returner, too, with a 17-yard return.

• As the man back deep with Hamler on kick returns, it’s Johnathan Thomas’ job to signal whether to take a knee or return a kick from the end zone. We saw in Week 1 that Hamler will occasionally think for himself and throw caution to the wind, but Franklin sought out Thomas on the sideline in the second quarter after Hamler took the ball out of the end zone and returned it just 12 yards.

That wasn’t Hamler’s best decision, and Franklin let Thomas, who didn’t appear to give him a signal to stay in until Hamler’s mind was made up, hear it, too.

• Penn State won’t hesitate taking end zone shots to Hamler, with another deep play to the redshirt freshman coming on the opening drive. Hamler attempted to make a play on the ball, but the Illinois defensive back was on him like glue. Penn State went back to Hamler on the first drive of the second quarter, with Trace McSorley overthrowing Hamler in the end zone. The Lions capped that drive with Sanders’ 2-yard touchdown run. Hamler eventually got his touchdown, a 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

• Penn State kept Tommy Stevens on the sideline for the fourth consecutive game, this marking the second game in which he was likely a healthy scratch after Franklin acknowledged last Tuesday that Stevens could have played against Kent State if needed. This means Penn State heads into Ohio State week with Stevens having taken zero hits in a game this season and Penn State showing zero looks out of the “Lion” package.

• Penn State’s cornerback depth took a hit with Donovan Johnson exiting the game and then appearing on the sideline with his right arm in a sling. Late in the second quarter, the Lions worked Johnson and John Reid together for a series at cornerback before the injury.

For a few minutes, the cornerback depth looked like it was going to be worse, as Tariq Castro-Fields was slow leaving the field after a penalty. Castro-Fields did come back to finish the game. The Lions continue working Zech McPhearson in, as well, and they’ve gotten Jabari Butler involved late with the game in hand.

• Reid is one of Penn State’s most cerebral players, almost a coach on the field who knows the defense inside and out. Penn State thinks so highly of him that he traveled to every away game last year even when he was sidelined all season with a knee injury. In two games since returning — the opener against Appalachian State and Friday against Illinois — Reid has not physically looked like the same player he was in 2016.

At one point against the Illini, Reid was beaten inside in the red zone and opted for a pass-interference penalty rather than giving up the touchdown. Illinois scored two plays later when there was confusion between Scott and Reid.

The series also included a missed tackle on Reggie Corbin’s 51-yard run.

• Castro-Fields should have had an interception early in the third quarter. Instead, Illinois turned the dropped pick into seven points a few plays later. Castro-Fields and Amani Oruwariye started the second half at cornerback after Reid started the game. One thing to keep an eye on this week is if Castro-Fields moves back into the starting lineup after a rough night for Reid.

• Penn State’s defensive personnel on Illinois’ third possession, a 74-yard touchdown drive, included just two starters: linebacker Cam Brown and safety Garrett Taylor. Shaka Toney and Daniel Joseph were the ends, and Antonio Shelton and Fred Hansard were the tackles. Micah Parsons and Brown flanked middle linebacker Ellis Brooks, and Castro-Fields, Lamont Wade and McPhearson were in the secondary with Taylor. Yes, Penn State is still searching for the right personnel and has given young players ample opportunities to gain experience and rise on the depth chart. The Lions have and will always rotate a lot, but this shows again that they don’t know who their best 11 are. How reps are divided against Ohio State should be telling.

• The two-tight end looks are here to stay. Penn State deployed true freshman Pat Freiermuth and Jonathan Holland again at the same time in the red zone, this time with Freiermuth scoring his first career touchdown. Freiermuth is carving out quite the role for himself, even with Nick Bowers now in the fold for his first game action of the season. The Lions haven’t had Danny Dalton the past two weeks, which has opened the door to more snaps for Freiermuth. Add true freshman Zack Kuntz to the mix down the road, and there’s a lot of optimism surrounding this position group.

• Penn State used a few four-receiver sets, going with an empty backfield and getting Johnson, Brandon Polk, Hamler and Mac Hippenhammer on the field together. The touchdown to Johnson came out of that personnel grouping.

• File this item under “Things a savvy quarterback will do.” McSorley found Thompkins along the sideline in the third quarter for a 5-yard reception, but the receiver clearly bobbled the ball and didn’t have a foot inbounds. It was ruled a catch, and McSorley wisely hustled the Lions up to the line to get off the next play before there was a review. The drive ended a few minutes later with Johnson’s touchdown reception.

• Like the Lions did with C.J. Thorpe and Mike Miranda against Kent State, the coaching staff opted to get reserve right tackle Chasz Wright on the field with the starting offensive line for two series before the entire line was subbed out in the fourth quarter. Wright, who first checked into the game during the second quarter, lost the starting job to Will Fries after the opener. But as Penn State saw last season after a few injuries, it needs to sneak reserves whom coaches feel good about onto the field for a series or two here and there to build depth.

• For as good as Penn State’s offensive line looked in paving the way for 387 rushing yards, think for a second what it could look like next year. Penn State could return its entire starting offensive line and all of its key reserves, with the exception of Wright, a fifth-year senior.

• Defenses will live by the blitz and die by the blitz. The Lions sent Brown and followed with awful tackling on Corbin’s 51-yard run. This was the first-team defense, and it’s plays like this that have to be infuriating for defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Brown ran about 60 yards, hit the ground and kept going to help force Corbin out of bounds.

• Offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne dipped into his bag of tricks in the third quarter for Sanders’ touchdown pass to McSorley, which was called back by a penalty. One has to wonder if we’ll see that play again at some point this season and if Penn State has any unseen tricks ready for Ohio State.

• For the first time this season, Penn State didn’t score a touchdown on its opening drive. Holland fumbled after Illinois laid a perfect hit on the football. Penn State stresses the importance of getting off to fast starts, and if the defense struggles to get stops, much like this one did, it magnifies what the offense needs to accomplish every drive. That, like many minor things that popped up in this game, could doom the Lions against better opponents.

• Drew Hartlaub, a redshirt freshman walk-on safety, got a chance to play on special teams. There was genuine excitement coming from Penn State’s specialists and special teams players on the sideline in the final minutes of the game, as the player who was acknowledged as the special teams scout team player of the week earlier in the season played his most prominent role to date.

• It was a forgettable night for the Lions’ freshmen kickers. Jake Pinegar missed a 44-yard field goal try that was kicked into the wind, and Rafael Checa booted two kickoffs out of bounds. Pinegar is 1-for-3 on field goal attempts this season. Penn State wanted to get Pinegar more opportunities in the first four weeks, and now the possibility of more high-pressure kicks against Ohio State looms.

• It won’t show up on the stat sheet, but defensive tackle Rob Windsor made a few hustle plays that stood out during the game. Chasing down players 5-plus yards downfield is far from ideal, but he was all over the place.

Linebackers and safeties by series

Penn State continues to heavily rotate on defense. Here are the linebackers and safeties that started each series against the Illini.

• Linebackers: Koa Farmer, Jan Johnson, Cam Brown / Safeties: Nick Scott, Garrett Taylor
• Farmer, Johnson, Brown / Scott, Jonathan Sutherland
• Micah Parsons, Ellis Brooks, Brown / Lamont Wade, Taylor (resulted in a 6-play, 74-yard touchdown drive)
• Farmer, Johnson, Jarvis Miller / Scott, Taylor
• Farmer, Johnson, Brown / Scott, Taylor (5-play, 75-yard touchdown drive)
• Parsons, Brooks, Brown / Scott, Taylor
• Farmer, Brooks, Brown / Scott, Taylor (5-play, 32-yard drive that ended with a 42-yard field goal)
• Farmer, Johnson, Brown / Scott, Taylor (9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive)
• Parsons, Brooks, Miller / Scott, Taylor
• Farmer, Johnson, Brooks / Scott, Sutherland
• Parsons, Brooks, Miller / Scott, Sutherland
• Parsons, Jesse Luketa, Miller / Ayron Monroe, Sutherland
• Parsons, Luketa, Dae’Lun Darien / John Petrishen, Sutherland
• Parsons, Jake Cooper, Frank Di Leo / Petrishen, Sutherland

Injury report

Running back Mark Allen, listed No. 2 on the depth chart, didn’t make the trip. The Fox Sports 1 broadcast said he was “dinged up” in practice last week. Whatever it was must have happened after Allen met with the media last Tuesday. … Tight end Danny Dalton also wasn’t on the travel roster. He dressed last week but didn’t play a snap. It’s unclear why Dalton hasn’t been on the field. … Defensive end Shane Simmons has yet to play this season, though he was on the practice field last week, signaling his return might be close. … Cornerback Donovan Johnson exited the game clutching his right arm/shoulder. After staying in the injury tent on the sideline, he emerged with his right arm in a sling.

Freshman tracker

The NCAA’s rule allowing freshmen to play in up to four games while still maintaining their redshirt will mean plenty of personnel tracking now that Penn State has four games in the books. Fourteen true freshmen traveled to Illinois, although not all of them got on the field in what was a close game for three quarters

Four games played: (7): LB Micah Parsons, LB Jesse Luketa, TE Pat Freiermuth, DT PJ Mustipher, RB Ricky Slade, K Rafael Checa, K Jake Pinegar

Three games: None

Two games (2): DE Jayson Oweh, DE Nick Tarburton

One game (6): CB Trent Gordon, WR Jahan Dotson, WR Justin Shorter, TE Zack Kuntz, OT Rasheed Walker, WR Daniel George

Explosive play tracker 

Penn State offense, completions of 15-plus yards: 7

• McSorley to Holland, 21 yards
• McSorley to Holland, 18 yards (lost fumble)
• McSorley to Hamler, 20 yards
• McSorley to Johnson, 19 yards
• McSorley to Johnson, 16-yard touchdown
• McSorley to Hamler, 21-yard touchdown
• Sean Clifford to Hippenhammer, 44 yards

Penn State offense, rushes of 12-plus yards: 11

• Sanders: 19 yards, 14 yards, 12 yards, 12 yards, 13 yards, 48-yard touchdown, 15 yards
• McSorley: 16 yards, 12 yards, 12 yards
• Slade: 61-yard touchdown

The Lions’ offense produced explosive gains on 25.35 percent of their plays, exceeding their goal of 16 percent. The 11 explosive rushes were a season high, surpassing the eight produced against Kent State. The receptions of 15-plus yards tied the season high, also produced against Kent State.

The offense has gotten more explosive by the week, going from 12.65 percent vs. Appalachian State to 14.06 percent vs. Pitt, 21.42 percent vs. Kent State and 25.35 percent vs. Illinois.

Penn State defense, completions allowed of 15-plus yards: 4

• MJ Rivers to Trenard Davis, 19 yards
• Davis to Ricky Smalling, 17-yard touchdown
• Rivers to Daniel Barker, 20 yards
• Rivers to Carmoni Green, 16 yards

Penn State defense, rushes allowed of 12-plus yards: 8

• Mike Epstein: 18 yards, 13 yards
• Reggie Corbin: 15 yards, 51 yards, 12 yards
• Rivers: 12 yards
• Ra’Von Bonner: 16 yards, 15 yards

The Lions’ defense held the Illini to explosive gains on 15.78 percent of their plays, failing to hit their goal of limiting the opponent to 10 percent or less. The eight explosive rushes are a season high. Penn State’s defense has failed to limit opponents to 10 percent or less twice this season, the other time coming against Appalachian State (14.47 percent).

 (Top photo of Miles Sanders: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)