Penn State necessarily built an early lead in this game because any and all momentum was expired offensively by the time halftime rolled around. Ki-Jana Carter left with an injury on the first drive, and that gave Mike Archie the chance to run wild in the first half. Illinois brought with them a strong defense, and it showed as Kerry Collins had his worst statistical game in a blue and white uniform, throwing 3 interceptions with hardly any passing yards. The defense played well, but after the Lions had their 28 points, the rest of the game was a lot of time of possession for the Illinois offense.
The win gave Penn State its 7th win of the season. Illinois would fall to a 5-5 record and finished the year 5-6, failing to make a bowl game.