The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions at home under the Friday Night Lights at Memorial Stadium. Penn State head coach James Franklin is 1-1 against the Illini since taking over in Happy Valley in 2014. Penn State is 18-5 all-time against Illinois, the first meeting dating back to 1959. After this game in 2018, the Illini won’t face Penn State until 2021.

Special Teams The Name of The Game... Again

Last week against South Florida, Lovie Smith’s bunch remarkably (and surprisingly) almost won in the same fashion his Chicago Bears teams of the past used to do: Through strong special teams, superior defense and grinding out games on the ground.