2012 Big Ten Football Standings: Penn State tied for 1st in Leaders Division

Penn State University has won their last four games and are tied with the Ohio State Buckeyes for first place in the Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference.

Michael Mauti named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after he recorded six tackles, two interceptions and forced a fumble in a 35-7 win over Illinois.

Penn State vs. Illinois final score: Nittany Lions dominate Illini, 35-7

The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini easily on Saturday, winning the game by a final score of 35-7. Illinois was sloppy all game, and Penn State repeatedly took advantage of their mistakes. Penn State improves to 3-2 with the win, while Illinois drops to 2-3.

Illinois would get off on the wrong foot almost as soon as the game got underway. After forcing the Nittany Lions to punt, they fumbled and gave the ball right back to Penn State deep in their own territory. They held the visitors to a field goal after that mistake, but a running into the kicker penalty wiped the field goal off the board and put Penn State inside the five yard line. They took advantage, as Zach Zwinak put PSU up by seven.

Illinois would continue to help their opponents with silly penalties when the Nittany Lions scored another two touchdowns to push the lead to 21-0. Earnest Thomas was ejected in the second quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit following the third touchdown, so Illinois had to go without him for the remainder of the game.

The second half would see Illinois get on the board with a touchdown in their first possession, but it was all Penn State from that point forward. The Nittany Lions immediately responded after the score and pushed the lead to 28-7, and they scored again very early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Box Score Hero: Michael Mauti had a pair of interceptions and 103 yards on the returns as he led a dominating Penn State defensive effort.

Rankings Ramifications: This game won't have any impact on the rankings.

But Did They Cover? Illinois was favored by a field goal, so they failed to cover the spread. The over/under was set at 41.5 points, so those taking the over can smile.

For More On This Game: For more on Illini football, visit Illinois blog Hail To The Orange. For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.

Next Week's Schedule: The Nittany Lions will be at home to face Northwestern. That game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Oct 6. The Fighting Illini will also be in action Oct 6, heading north to face Wisconsin. That game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Big Ten scores: Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern win Saturday afternoon

In an impressive start to their Big Ten conference schedule, the Penn State Nittany Lions have defeated Illinois, 35-7, with Zach Zwinak rushing 19 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Mauti intercepted Nathan Scheelhaase twice.

Here's what's happening in the rest of the Big Ten. No. 14 Ohio State takes on No. 20 Michigan State and Purdue hosts Marshall at 3:30, and Wisconsin plays No. 23 Nebraska at 8:00, but there were two other Big Ten matchups Saturday afternoon. Iowa ended Minnesota's (okay, ridiculously unlikely) dreams of an undefeated season with a 31-13 win over the Golden Gophers. Mark Weisman piled up 177 yards on 21 carries for the Hawkeyes, helping them to a 24-0 lead at the half.

5-0 Northwestern, meanwhile, beat Indiana, 44-29. Kain Colter and Venric Mark combined for 300 yards rushing for the Wildcats. Colter, who also caught nine passes for 131 yards, scored four touchdowns.

Penn State vs. Illinois score: Nittany Lions lead 28-7 after 3rd quarter

The Penn St. Nittany Lions lead the Illinois Fighting Illini, 28-7, after three quarters of play.

Illinois put points on the board with 10:22 left to play in the third quarter, when running back Josh Ferguson threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Harris, cutting Penn St.'s lead to 21-7.

The Nittany Lions responded with a touchdown of their own with 3:15 to play in the third quarter. Penn St. quarterback Matthew McGloin capped off an eight play, 57-yard drive with his second rushing touchdown of the day, on a quarterback sneak play.

Penn St.'s defense is still dominating play, despite giving up a touchdown to Illinois. Michael Mauti intercepted his second pass of the day, picking off an errant throw by Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, and returning the ball to midfield.

The interception was Scheelhaase's second of the game, and Illinois' third turnover.

Penn St. will open the fourth quarter with the ball at the Illinois 31, as the Nittany Lions look to tack onto their 28-7 lead.

Penn State vs. Illinois score: Defense shines, Nittany Lions up 21-0 at halftime

The Penn St. Nittany Lions are well on their way to a third consecutive victory. Led by a dominating defensive effort, the Nittany Lions lead the Fighting Illini, 21-0 at halftime.

Penn St. added to their 14-0 lead with 3:22 left to go in the second quarter, when Matthew McGloin threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Matt Lehman.

Illinois safety Earnest Thomas was ejected on the touchdown play. Thomas initiated helmet-to-helmet contact with Lehman, after Lehman already crossed the goal line.

Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase threw an interception on 4th-and-goal, as the Fighting Illini passed up a field goal attempt, with 19 seconds left in the first half. Michael Mauti intercepted the pass, and returned it 98 yards, all the way to Illinois' one-yard line, with just one second left on the clock.

Penn St. head coach Bill O'Brien opted to attempt a field goal to end the half, but Sam Ficken's kick was blocked. Ficken also missed a 47-yard field goal earlier in the escond quarter.

The Fighting Illini have been called for six penalties, totaling 54 yards. The Nittany Lions, by comparison, have just two penalties for 17 yards through the first half of play.

Zach Zwinak leads Penn St. with 49 rushing yards on 10 carries – including a touchdown run. Bill Belton has carried the ball 10 times for 36 yards.

Illinois will receive the ball to start the second half, as they look to get something going by just getting on the board.

Penn State vs. Illinois score: Nittany Lions dominate first quarter, lead 14-0

It's been all Penn St. so far in Champaign, as the Nittany Lions lead the Fighting Illini 14-0 after the first quarter of play.

Penn St. got the scoring underway early in the first quarter. Though Penn St.'s first offensive possession resulted in a three-and-out, Illinois return man Tommy Davis fumbled the ensuing punt, giving the Nittany Lions the ball deep in Illinois territory.

The Nittany Lions received another break on that drive. On 4th-and-3 from the Illinois 7-yard line, an Illinois defender ran into the kicker, setting up Penn St. with 1st-and-goal. Zach Zwinak punched it in for Penn St., giving the Nittany Lions an early 7-0 lead.

Penn St. added another touchdown on their next possession, marching down the field for an eight play, 60 yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Matthew McGloin on a quarterback sneak play.

Illinois threatened to add points late in the first quarter, after a 52-yard run from Donovonn Young that brought the ball to Penn St.'s 11 yard line. Illinois' drive stalled, however, and Taylor Zalewski missed a 26-yard field goal.

Penn St.'s defense has held Illinois to just one first down, and has been nothing short of dominant.

Penn State vs. Illinois: Lions open conference play on road

The Nittany Lions will try to take a good first step toward a Big Ten Leaders Division title.

Penn State vs. Illinois 2012: game time, TV schedule, odds and more

The Nittany Lions will face an Illinois team coming off a blowout loss in what is likely to be an evenly-matched opener to the Big Ten season.

Week 5 Big Ten schedule: Ohio State travels to Michigan State for a conference showdown

Fourteenth0ranked Ohio State will travel to East Lansing to take on the No. 20 Michigan State Spartans for a conference showdown to open Big Ten play. The Buckeyes come into the game an undefeated 4-0, while Michigan State is 3-1 with its only loss coming to No. 10 Notre Dame in Week 3.

Minnesota will attempt to start 5-0 for the first time since 2004 when it travels to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are coming off a 32-31 loss to Central Michigan.

The Big Ten has three undefeated teams heading into Week 5 of the college football season: Minnesota, Northwestern and Ohio State.

The complete Big Ten schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

Indiana at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.) at Noon
Minnesota at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa) at Noon
Penn State at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.) at Noon
Marshall at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.) at 3:30 p.m.
Ohio State at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.) at 3:30 p.m.
Wisconsin at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.) at 8:00 p.m.

Penn State vs. Illinois: How weak is the Big Ten?

Penn State University will open conference play on Saturday afternoon when the school travels to Champaign to challenge the University of Illinois.

After opening the season with back-to-back losses on the road, the Nittany Lions rebounded with consecutive victories at home, in which the team handily defeated their opponents. Illinois will also be entering the game at 2-2, with lopsided final scores – regardless of result – in each of their contests to this point. In terms of the Big Ten, the conference has yet to open play, but many have observed that the historically deep segment of college football is somewhat lacking this season.

Coming into this weekend's slate of games, the conference is a combined 6-9 against BCS leagues, including Notre Dame, and all six victories came against sub-.500 teams. In addition, only three Big Ten teams are ranked in the AP Top 25, which is the fewest teams in the poll since September 1992. No. 14 Ohio State is the highest ranked of those three teams. That's not even mentioning the embarrassing events on Sept. 8, which were highlighted by Penn State missing four field goals and having an extra point blocked in a 17-16 loss to Virginia.

While Sept. 8 may have been brutal, there still may be worse days ahead for the Big East. Via PennLive.com:

That day – Saturday, Sept. 8 – was awful.

But Tuesday, Jan. 8 – the day the final polls of the season are released – might be even worse.

Penn State vs. Illinois predictions: Could Nittany Lions pull out win?