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Penn State running back Miles Sanders (24) finds a hole in the first quarter against Illinois during an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, in Champaign, Ill.
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Penn State finds a lot to like, but also plenty to improve, in 63-24 victory

Holly Hart/Associated Press

Penn State finds a lot to like, but also plenty to improve, in 63-24 victory

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Coach James Franklin liked a lot of things about Penn State’s 63-24 victory over Illinois at Memorial Stadium Friday night.

And he didn’t have to look hard to find them.

Franklin could start with the way his team scored 42 unanswered points during the final two quarters – getting a touchdown on its of six second-half possessions – to transform a three-point deficit into a 39-point margin of victory.

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The way running back Miles Sanders recorded the first 200-yard game of his college career. Which is one more than he managed at Woodland Hills High School.

Penn State running back Miles Sanders (24) finds a hole in the first quarter against Illinois during an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, in Champaign, Ill.
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The way the offensive line not only opened holes for Sanders, but helped to make it possible for quarterback Trace McSorley to throw for 160 yards and run for 92 more.

The way freshman running back Ricky Slade made the most of his limited playing time, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

But Franklin also saw some things that troubled him, especially with a showdown against Ohio State at Beaver Stadium next Saturday looming.

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He was understandably unhappy that costly penalties, including one that wiped out what would have been a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to McSorley, continue to dog his team.

That the Illini, who haven’t won a Big Ten game since 2016, were able to gash his defense for 245 net yards on the ground and another 166 through the air.

That Penn State, after building a 21-7 lead, allowed Illinois to rack up 17 consecutive points before regaining control of the game.

“We’re going to have to get some things cleaned up,” Franklin said. “Although we found a way to win a game on the road once again, there’s still a lot of things we have to get better at, in all three phases.”

Penn State running back Miles Sanders rushes past Illinois defensive lineman Bobby Roundtree on Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
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One thing he couldn’t quibble with was his team’s response to adversity, even if it was somewhat self-inflicted.

When Illinois seized the lead early in the third quarter, Penn State kept its composure and elevated its game to a place the Illini simply couldn’t reach.

“We’ve been in these situations before,” Franklin said. “Really, the last three years, whenever we get in those situations, we don’t panic.”

While Franklin pointed out that Penn State became the first Nittany Lions squad to score 50 or more points in three games in a row – and just the fourth Big Ten club in the past 100 years to put up 60 in consecutive games – McSorley suggested that the offense is capable of doing even better.

“There’s definitely room for improvement,” he said.

One place that has made significant progress already is the offensive line, which opened holes for the running backs for most of the evening.

“We played well today, but there’s always room for improvement,” center Michal Menet said.

Sanders is to be forgiven if he doesn’t share that perspective. He credited the guys who block for him with making his 200-yard performance possible.

“After every drive, I go to the O-line and tell them how much I appreciate them, and to just keep rolling,” he said.

Sanders said his biggest yardage game in high school was “about 160, I think,” mostly because he was removed from lopsided games because his coach “liked to keep me fresh for the next game.”

Such thinking likely factored into Franklin’s decision to replace Sanders with Slade for the latter stages of the Illinois game, because having Sanders at his best will be critical against the Buckeyes.

For that matter, having all of his teammates perform at peak efficiency then will be pretty important.

“We are getting better,” Franklin said. “I don’t know if we’ve played up to our (potential) since we’ve been here, but I do think we’re getting better.”

The Nittany Lions should find out next Saturday if that is good enough.

Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG

First Published: September 22, 2018, 5:00 a.m.

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