Penn State football’s Sept. 28 game against Illinois at Beaver Stadium will kick off under the lights, the Big Ten announced Monday afternoon.
The kickoff time will be at either 7 or 7:30 and the television network has yet to be announced.
Week 5⃣ kick and network designations 👀
TBDs will be confirmed after Week 4 games.#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/zFjjP5KW9k
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 16, 2024
There’s a good chance this is Penn State’s only night game at Beaver Stadium this season.
Normally, the annual White Out game is reserved for the dark but this year’s White Out, scheduled for Nov. 9 against Washington, is likely to kick off at 3:30. Penn State’s showdown with Ohio State, scheduled for the week before, will likely be one of Fox’s Big Noon kickoff games.
There’s also a chance this game will be a ranked matchup.
PSU is ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Poll, which is to be expected.
But Illinois has been a pleasant surprise thus far.
Coach Bret Bielema’s squad is 3-0, headlined by a win over then-No. 19 Kansas Sept. 7. Illinois will be hoping for a better showing than it had against Penn State last season at home. Even with a performance that left many in the fan base dissatisfied, PSU still came away with a 30-13 win. The last time Illinois came to Beaver Stadium was much less pleasant for Penn State.
When PSU fans hear the words “nine overtimes,” they think of one game and one game only: Illinois 2021.
Penn State came into that contest ranked No. 7 and favored by four touchdowns but ended up losing in nine OTs.
Before Penn State can worry about Illinois, it must take care of Kent State, who it plays this week at 3:30 on the Big Ten Network at Beaver Stadium.
