Illinois earns first win vs. ranked team since 2001

 

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Top 25 Overview

It was over when... Illinois DB Kevin Mitchell came up with an interception of an Anthony Morelli pass with less than a minute to play to seal the 27-20 win. Gameball goes to... Arrelious Benn. Illinois' freshman WR returned a kickoff 90 yards for a TD and caught six passes for 84 yards and another TD. Stat of the game... 4. Penn State turned the ball over four times, three in the form of interceptions by QB Anthony Morelli. Complete Top 25 Overview

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	18	17
Total Yards	427	336
Passing	298	120
Rushing	129	216
Penalties	4-20	4-43
3rd Down Conversions	5-17	6-15
4th Down Conversions	1-2	0-0
Turnovers	4	2
Possession	33:27	26:33

Air/Ground Leaders
Penn State Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Morelli 21/38 298 1 3	Illinois Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Williams 11/24 120 0 2 McGee 0/3 0 0 0
Penn State Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Kinlaw 16 66 0 14 Scott 12 52 1 9	Illinois Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Mendenhall 18 76 1 16 McGee 2 58 0 53
Penn State Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Norwood 3 89 0 43 Williams 5 79 1 47	Illinois Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Benn 6 84 1 29 Mendenhall 4 27 0 10

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				PSU	ILL
	FG	09:33	Kevin Kelly 26 Yd Drive: 11 plays, 73 yds, 5:28	3	0
	TD	09:20	Arrelious Benn 90 Yd Kickoff Return (Jason Reda Kick)	3	7
	TD	02:03	Rashard Mendenhall 2 Yd Run (Jason Reda Kick) Drive: 13 plays, 69 yds, 5:44	3	14
	TD	00:42	Derrick Williams 24 Yd Pass From Anthony Morelli (Kevin Kelly Kick) Drive: 3 plays, 73 yds, 1:21	10	14
SECOND QUARTER				PSU	ILL
	TD	10:34	Arrelious Benn 29 Yd Pass From Juice Williams (Jason Reda Kick) Drive: 2 plays, 39 yds, :34	10	21
	TD	08:54	Austin Scott 7 Yd Run (Kevin Kelly Kick) Drive: 4 plays, 63 yds, 1:40	17	21
THIRD QUARTER				PSU	ILL
	FG	12:38	Jason Reda 47 Yd Drive: 7 plays, 40 yds, 2:22	17	24
	FG	06:09	Kevin Kelly 20 Yd Drive: 8 plays, 34 yds, 4:14	20	24
FOURTH QUARTER				PSU	ILL
	FG	07:00	Jason Reda 33 Yd Drive: 9 plays, 66 yds, 2:54	20	27

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- It's been six long years since Illinois had a victory like this to celebrate and so much to be excited about.

Freshman Rejus Benn scored two touchdowns, including a 90-yard kickoff return, and the Illini defense intercepted Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli three times Saturday in a 27-20 victory over No. 21 Penn State.

Illinois hadn't beaten Penn State or any ranked team since 2001, when the Illini went to the Sugar Bowl. The program has been a wreck since, with five straight losing seasons, but third-year coach Ron Zook appears to have the Illini moving in the right direction.

"Right now, I don't want to say we've turned it around -- we haven't turned it around -- but we've made some progress," Zook said.

Illinois (4-1) is 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1991.

Benn, the prize catch in Zook's stellar recruiting class, had six receptions for 84 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown that gave Illinois a 21-10 lead.

Benn caught the short ball over the middle and ran by four would-be tacklers on his way to the end zone.

"I'm catching the ball and saying to myself, 'I will not be denied'," Benn said.

Penn State (3-2, 0-2) lost its second straight game and has upcoming games against Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

"I'm not really pleased with anything," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "We just didn't take advantage of some chances."

Morelli, who didn't talk to reporters after the game, completed 21-of-38 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. He was picked off by linebacker J Leman and defensive backs Vontae Davis and Kevin Mitchell.

The interceptions and a fourth-quarter fumble by the quarterback all came deep in Illini territory, each ending a drive that could've tied the game or taken the lead.

"I'm surprised we didn't pull it out," Penn State cornerback Justin King said.

He had good reason to believe they might.

The Illini led 21-17 at the half on Benn's two touchdowns and a TD run by Rashard Mendenhall.

From that point Illinois struggled to move the ball, settling for a pair of second-half field goals by Jason Reda.

A combination of Illinois turnovers and special teams mistakes gave Penn State the ball four times in Illini territory in the second half.

Only one of those drives led to points, a 20-yard Kevin Kelly field goal with just over 6 minutes left in the third quarter that made the score 24-20.

The rest ended with turnovers.

Morelli, facing a third-and-20 at his own 48, scrambled to his right and threw deep, but Mitchell intercepted with 27 seconds left to seal the win.

"The ball floated up there a little bit, and I thought I misjudged it," said Mitchell, a senior. "But I came down with it."

Derrick Williams had five catches for 79 yards, one of them a 24-yard second-quarter touchdown.

Morelli completed four passes of 24 yards or more, and often had receivers open deep. He underthrew tight end Andrew Quarless, who was open in the end zone, on Leman's interception.

"We can't throw interceptions and turn the ball over when we are going in to score," Paterno said. "It's something that we are going to have to address."

Illinois quarterback Juice Williams was sharp for the game's first 20 minutes, but struggled to find his receivers for most of the second and third quarters. The sophomore completed 11-of-24 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions before being replaced in the fourth quarter by redshirt freshman Eddie McGee.

"Juice was forcing it," Zook said.

McGee "came in and did exactly what we wanted him to do," Zook said. "We were backed up on our end of the field for the whole half until he got in."

McGee's 53-yard keeper late in the fourth quarter moved the ball from the Illini 31 to Penn State's 16, setting up Illinois' last field goal.

That carry also put Illinois over the 200-yard mark in rushing for the game at 216 on 38 carries. Mendenhall led Illinois with 76 yards on 18 carries, giving him 612 yards and eight TDs this season.