Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini Match Player Stats On Nov 22, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 22, 2014

Illinois 16, Penn State 14: David Reisner kicked three field goals, including a game-winning 36-yarder with eight seconds remaining, as the host Fighting Illini kept their bowl hopes alive.

Senior Reilly O'Toole came off the bench in the second quarter to complete 18-of-25 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown for Illinois (5-6, 2-5). Freshman Mike Dudek caught 11 passes for 115 yards and Donovonn Young rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries for the Illini, who need a win next Saturday at Northwestern to become bowl-eligible.

Akeel Lynch rushed for a game-high 137 yards and a touchdown for Penn State (6-5, 2-5). Quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed 8-of-16 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown as the Nittany Lions finished with only 265 yards in total offense.

Penn State dominated most of the first half, taking an early 7-0 lead on a 18-yard touchdown pass from Hackenberg to Chris Godwin and held the Illini to minus-3 yards rushing in the first quarter. But an offside penalty when Illinois lined up to punt on fourth-and-4 on its own 38 kept an Illini drive alive, and O'Toole hit tight end Matt LaCosse with a 1-yard touchdown pass eight plays later to tie the game 7-7 at halftime.

Illinois recovered the second-half kickoff, which hung up in a stiff breeze, at the Penn State 28 and took a 10-7 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Reisner. After Lynch broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to put the Nittany Lions back up, Reisner, who connected on a 25-yarder to cut the lead to 14-13 and was wide left on a 50-yarder with 3:29 remaining, curled the game-winner inside the right upright to win it.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Illinois won despite going just 2-of-16 on third down attempts. ... Penn State RB Bill Belton, who entered the game with a team-leading 509 yards rushing, finished with six yards on six carries and left the game early in the second quarter with a left shoulder injury. ... Lynch had his second straight 100-yard rushing game and the fourth of his career.