Illinois makes a statement, punctuated by its defense

CHAMPAIGN -- So many years had passed since Illinois knocked off a ranked Big Ten opponent at Memorial Stadium, the players had no way of knowing the traditional celebration protocol.

So instead of the students rushing the turf to jump around with the players, the Illini stormed the new north stands to party with their peers after cracking No. 21 Penn State 27-20 Saturday.

"I don't believe I've ever seen the football players go up in the stands," Illinois coach Ron Zook said.

When the marching band swung into "Illinois Loyalty," orange-clad fans and blue-chip players alike screamed the fight song to celebrate the school's first conference home win over a ranked opponent since Oct. 12, 1991.

Oh, and the Illini's 7-point margin represented a 60-point turnaround from the Nittany Lions' last visit to Memorial Stadium, when they built a 56-3 halftime lead and emptied the bench from there.

"It was kind of talked up on the sidelines," Illini quarterback Juice Williams said. "We said we owe it to the fans. They've been waiting so long for us to beat a team like this.

"It was just great up there being up in the stands having everyone pat you on the back and tap you on the head saying, 'Good game.' Hopefully we'll be able to have that feeling again next week."

Illinois (4-1, 2-0) just might knock off No. 9 Wisconsin, too, if brilliant freshman Arrelious Benn again makes big plays early and the defense again makes big plays late.

Benn's electric 90-yard kickoff return less than six minutes into the game -- his first collegiate touchdown -- gave the Illini the lead to stay.

Then, early in the second quarter, Benn shed four Penn State tacklers to turn a short slant pass into a 29-yard score and a 21-10 lead.

But the Illini settled for just 2 field goals the rest of the way, which meant their bend-but-don't-break defense had to carry the day.

Check out this string of big red-zone plays, which started with Illinois leading 24-20 in the final minute of the third quarter:

• Penn State (3-2, 0-2) starts on Illinois' 27 after a short punt and a 15-yard fair-catch interference call.

On first down, tight end Andrew Quarless catches the ball in the end zone but has it smacked to the turf by middle linebacker J Leman for an incompletion.

"You read his eyes," Leman said. "When his eyes start getting big, that's when you start swatting."

Two plays later from the 20, Quarless runs a similar route, but Leman intercepts Anthony Morelli's underthrown pass at the 3.

• Early in the fourth quarter, Penn State marches as deep as Illinois' 19.

Morelli tries to rifle a third-down pass to Deon Butler on the sideline -- a route that worked for 16 yards just three plays before -- but cornerback Vontae Davis reads it and intercepts it just before going out of bounds.

"My motto?" Davis said with a laugh. "He beat me once, but he won't beat me twice."

• After backup quarterback Eddie McGee's 53-yard option run sets up a Jason Reda field goal for a 27-20 advantage, Penn State threatens again.

The Nittany Lions get as far as Illinois' 19, then back up slightly and face fourth-and-13 with just more than two minutes to go.

Morelli can't find a receiver, so he scrambles and dives for the first down. Just as he crosses the 10-yard line, which he needs for a new set of downs, senior safety Justin Harrison flies in and forces a fumble.

The ball bounces backward and, even though Penn State recovers, it's not enough for the first down.

• As if the defense hadn't been asked to make enough big plays, Penn State retains the ball one last time at Illinois' 42 with 47 seconds left.

A false start and a sack send Penn State back into its own territory, then Morelli flings one last desperate bomb. Senior safety Kevin Mitchell leaps and clutches the interception to his chest at the 10 with nine seconds left to clinch the win.

Zook, who had to comb his hair and change his shirt after getting drenched by his players during the wild locker-room celebration, believes things might only get better.

"The exciting thing about this game for me, and us as a staff," Zook said, "is we can play a whole bunch better. And we're going to need to to get in this thing."