After starting the 2018 season with three non-conference wins, Penn State football — ranked No. 10 in the nation — headed to Illinois for the first Big Ten Conference game of the season. The Nittany Lions again stared slow, but used a giant fourth quarter to pull away from the Illini and secure a 63-24 win.
Running back Miles Sanders, who would go on to have a big night, started the scoring with a 14-yard run to give Penn State the early lead. However, Illinois scored a touchdown late in the first quarter to tie the game at seven after one.