James Franklin vs. Bret Bielema and The New Illinois Challenge

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema knows how to tilt the math in his favor to gain advantages, even when he’s on the short end of the overall talent battle.

Bielema Fighting Illini have proven dangerous because of that, notably in that post-COVID season 9-overtime 20-18 game where Illinois out-uglied the Nittany Lions.

Bielema isn’t too big (metaphorically) to try any approach needed to deliver his team’s highest chance to win. It’s one of his great attributes as a head coach.

Need a 10 offensive lineman and a quarterback to do it? Sure.

Heavy run game, gain three yards at a time? Yep.

How about 11 running backs? Can’t know until we try.

Even in last season’s 30-13 Penn State win, Illinois held Drew Allar to an unremarkable 16 of 33 passing for 208 yards and a 4.1 yards per carry average for Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and the ground game.

Three of the Lions’ first four scoring drives ended in field goals in that game, and the team’s halftime lead was just 16-7 before separating in the second half.

“They do a really good job, again, mixing up personnels, mixing up scheme, mixing up tempo,” Franklin told reporters. “I think the offensive coordinator’s background is tempo. I think, if you look at Bret’s background, it’s more about runs plus completions and being able to run the ball and being physical, so they’ve blended the two, I think very nicely.”

James Franklin on Facing Unique Challenge Against Illinois’ Offense

That brings us to perhaps the most stark contrast between that game and what could unfold at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night.

Vegas has already weighed in on that one, installing Penn State as a 17.5-point favorite, which feels hefty upon initial review.

Either way, one of the big talking points from Franklin’s Monday news conference was the play of Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer, who was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, after leading the Illini to a 31-24 win over No. 22 Nebraska, with 215 yards and four touchdowns.

“I think the biggest difference is the quarterback [Luke Altmyer],” Franklin said. “I think he’s got 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. I think he’s one of the more improved players right now in college football. So I think that’s kind of the big story.”

This is the same player who threw four picks in last year’s loss to Penn State as part of a rough three-game opening stretch where he had three touchdown passes and seven interceptions. From that point forward, Altmyer has a 20-to-3 TD-to-INT ratio in 10 games, including this season’s 4-0 start.

One of the big questions going into this one is: Does Penn State have that defense to do it again to Altmyer? A great case can be made that Penn State’s disruptive defense is a major trump card, especially on the unit’s home field.

The Penn State student section will have that “make Illinois call timeout before its first play” energy. That can only help the D-line help a group of cornerbacks with a chance to prove its mettle against a solid Illini pass attack.

On the other side is Bielema and his desire to take bold risks. Will power running work? That Nittany Lion defensive line has a ton of veterans who can hold up better against a willful run game, which helps in Franklin’s linebacker development project. Or will the Illini be more air-oriented?

Offensively, Allar looks ready and the Lions have emerging weapons to go with the reliable playmaking of tight end Tyler Warren and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Now, according to Franklin, is time for the whole group to go out-compete a tough-minded group of Illinois DBs.

“I think their secondary is really going to be a challenge for us,” Franklin said. “I think our wide receivers have taken a really nice step and made some really good strides since last season, but we will be challenged. We will be challenged in the secondary this week.

“These guys do a really good job. They play a decent amount of man coverage, and they’re extremely competitive.”

MORE: Penn State Unveils Balanced, Prolific Offense at Exactly the Right Time

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