Illinois stopped the bleeding by halftime.
The Fumbling Illini had spotted Penn State a 28-0 lead after 18 minutes, but they closed out a disasterous first half with a long touchdown march.
“I can tell you that our attitude at halftime was exceptional,” Illinois coach Lou Tepper said.
Tepper’s scrappy little team came out looking to stage another incredible comeback to shock another Big 10 rival, but this time the hole was too deep. Illinois’ first venture to Beaver Stadium ended in a miserable 28-14 loss.
The Illini came to the mountains of central Pennsylvania hunting a Rose Bowl bid. Instead, they dropped into third place and were knocked out of title contention when Ohio State defeated Indiana.
“It hurts,” said quarterback and erstwhile miracle worker Johnny Johnson. “We know we were playing for something important.”
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All that’s left for Illinois is an invitation to an also-ran bowl, and the only way they can secure one is by beating bitter rival Wisconsin Saturday in Champaign. If the Illini (5-5, 5-2 in the Big 10) lose, they’ll fall short of the mininum six victories required for postseason participation.
The Illini looked anything but bowl-worthy in the first half. Penn State dominated the expected collision between the conference’s best rushing defense and rushing offense.
The Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-2) romped through the Illini pickets, rushing for 148 yards by intermission. That was 63 more than Illinois had allowed per game this year.
Illinois gave up four touchdowns on the ground in the first nine games. Penn State ran for four in the first 21 minutes.
“That’s a great defensive team that we scored 28 points on real quickly and real easily,” Penn State guard Mike Malinoski said. “Maybe it was too easy.”
Penn State inflicted most of the damage without tailback Ki-Jana Carter, the nation’s No. 6 rusher. When Carter bruised his calf in the first quarter, the Lions simply inserted Mike Archie. He became the first back to dent Illinois for 100 yards this year-and he did it early in the second quarter.
“In the first half, we were kind of in a daze,” linebacker Dana Howard said.
“I really can’t tell you why we played so terribly on defense in the first half,” Tepper said. “They gashed us.”
By halftime, quarterback Johnson had registered more tackles than Howard, who was the Big 10’s leading tackler.
With Illinois’ title hopes gone, Howard, a junior from East St. Louis, was asked if he’d turn pro after this season.
“I’m not sure what I’ll do,” he said. “I’m just going to concentrate on the rest of the season.”
It’s not fair to blame the defense, though. The Illini fumbled eight times, losing three, and threw two interceptions. Johnson was way off target for the second straight week, completing only 21 of 41 throws for 211 yards. And he was sacked nine times by a swarming defense.
The offense helped set up two of Penn State’s scores. Fullback Ty Douthard fumbled on the Illini’s first possession, and four plays later the Nittany Lions cashed in on a bizarre play.
Archie bolted 21 yards to the Illinois 1, where cornerback Mike Russell stripped him, the ball bounding into the end zone. Illinois’ Chad Copher had a shot at it, but Penn State flanker Chip LaBarca scooted under a pile and recovered for a touchdown.
When Illinois’ next drive faltered, Tepper ordered a fake punt from the Illini 41, but Forry Wells’ pass missed the mark. Six plays later, Penn State made it 14-0.
It was 28-0 with 9:06 left in the half when Archie stormed 9 yards for his second TD after Penn State linebacker Terry Killens toted a Johnson fumble 26 yards to the Illini 24.
The Illini finally broke through when Johnson hit Gary Voelker on a 20-yard strike with 20 seconds left in the half. They made it 28-14 on Douthard’s 1-yard run late in the third quarter.
Penn State gained only 83 yards after halftime. But it was too late for another miracle.