WATCH: Penn State opens scoring against Illinois with 42-yard touchdown

On3 imageby:Tim Verghese10/23/21

TimVerghese

Penn State struck first against Illinois on a 42-yard RPO pass from Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford to wide reciever Keandre Lambert-Smith. The Nittany Lions lead Illinois 7-0 with just seconds left in the first quarter.

Lambert-Smith’s touchdown was set up by two long catches by Jahan Dotson. Dotson picked up a first down with a 11-yard catch, then tracked a 36-yard pass between two Illinois defenders, then fighting off a defender to bring the ball down.

Penn State is rocking “Generations of Greatness” uniforms against the Fighting Illini. The jerseys have block uniform numbers from the mid 20th century, white sleeve stripes from multiple decades over the last 75 years and an image of a lion in honor of the Lion Shrine, a famous campus landmark and gift from the class of 1940. Their white pants have the blue stripe the team wore from 1952-1968, and the helmets will feature each player’s number, a tribute to the helmets worn several in the late 1950s through the mid 1970s.

The facemasks, socks and cleats channel previous uniforms as well. The helmet will feature a gray facemark, instead of a navy one, white cleats instead of black and striped socks, to pay tribute to those worn on game days from 1970-1972. 

Penn State is coming off a bye week after their first loss of the season against Iowa.

Iowa defeated Penn State 23-20 in a defensive matchup between the then-No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the country. The Nittany Lions led by as much as ten points in the third quarter, but struggled to move the ball after Sean Clifford went down with injury. With the win, Iowa jumped up to No. 2 in the country while Penn State fell to No. 7. 

Clifford was at risk of not playing against Illinois due to the injury suffered against Iowa. In his return to action, Clifford has looked sharp early completing four of six pass attempts for 108 yards and one touchdown.