Chambana Sun

No. 19 Illinois faced No. 9 Penn State in a road game at Beaver Stadium, resulting in a 21-7 defeat for the Fighting Illini on Saturday night.

Illinois started strong with an opening touchdown, but Penn State responded with 21 unanswered points to secure their victory in this Big Ten matchup.

Kaden Feagin led Illinois' offense with 13 carries and accumulated 76 yards, including a notable 34-yard run—the team's longest rush of the season so far. Josh McCray contributed two catches for 38 yards, including a crucial 30-yard catch-and-run on a third-and-21 play in the second quarter. Zakhari Franklin recorded four receptions for 49 yards, leading his team in receiving yards.

Carson Goda scored his first touchdown since joining Illinois with a 4-yard reception during the team's initial possession.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts for a total of 185 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, Matthew Bailey made nine tackles for Illinois, while Gabe Jacas achieved his third sack of the season.

With this loss, No. 19 Illinois now holds a record of (4-1, 1-1 B1G). The team will have its first off week before returning to Memorial Stadium to host Purdue on October 12th. Details regarding kickoff time and broadcast information will be announced later.

In additional notes:

Illinois has successfully scored touchdowns on their opening drives in four consecutive games. The defense limited Penn State to just seven points in the first half—marking the lowest first-half score for Penn State this season after previously scoring higher in earlier games.

Luke Altmyer threw for one interception along with his other stats mentioned above. Kaden Feagin's rushing yardage was corrected to reflect accurate figures throughout the report as needed.

The report also highlights career achievements such as Hank Beatty's career-high yardage and Pat Bryant's consistent reception streak over multiple games. Carson Goda's milestone is noted as well from the initial drive touchdown reception.