Chambana Sun

No. 19 Illinois will travel to face No. 9 Penn State in a primetime matchup on Saturday night. The game, set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

Illinois, coming off an overtime win against No. 22 Nebraska, is looking to maintain its undefeated record this season. Head coach Bret Bielema's team has thrived in away games, securing three ranked road wins over his four seasons with the Illini.

"We went through a lot of detail about making home and away as similar as possible," Bielema said. "The part that our guys really relish is that we're always playing the underdog role."

NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night game will highlight several key storylines. Illinois' defense has shown improvement under second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Henry, ranking 15th nationally in scoring defense and fourth in interceptions.

"Every week, we are going to play against better players," Henry said. "It's so cool to see our players embrace that challenge collectively."

Both teams have been efficient in the red zone this season. Penn State has converted 13 out of 14 trips with 12 touchdowns, while Illinois has scored on all 16 trips with 11 resulting in touchdowns.

Penn State's head coach James Franklin leads a team featuring quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Tight end Tyler Warren is Allar’s top target with 226 receiving yards.

"They are a program that has been at the top of college football for a long time," Bielema said of Penn State. "They are undefeated and ranked in the top 10 for a reason."

The contest marks Illinois' first top-20 vs. top-20 conference game since 2000.