No. 9 Penn State arguably faced a test in its Big Ten opener, hosting No. 19 Illinois on Saturday. The Fighting Illini came into the matchup off a big win over then-No. 22 Nebraska in Lincoln, improving to 4–0 and looking like a possible factor in the conference race.
If this was a test, the Nittany Lions passed it with a 21–7 win at State College. The night game at Beaver Stadium was not officially a “White Out,” though fans were dressed in white for the nationally televised primetime clash.