DeAndre Thompkins hasn’t forgotten the last time Penn State traveled to Champaign, Ill. But it almost seems like forever ago now.
Back when the fifth-year wideout was a true freshman, when James Franklin was trying to keep his head above .500 in Year 1, the Nittany Lions hopped on a plane and received a shock from the Fighting Illini. The orange-and-blue used a last-minute field goal to slip past Penn State 16-14.
At 9 p.m. Friday, Thompkins and the Nittany Lions will again square off against Illinois. It’s been just four years since that last road meeting, but Thompkins struggled putting into words how much has changed since.