Pat McCray had nine carries for 61 yards, Luke Altmyer completed 19 of 32 passes for 231 yards and Pat Bryant caught four passes for a career-high 135 yards and a TD in his final home game as the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) ended a two-game losing streak.
The Fighting Illini (6-2, 3-2) hadn’t faced the top-ranked team in the nation since 2007, when they beat Ohio State 28-21 on the road.
Illinois is now 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten after beating Michigan for the first time since 2009.
The Illini hadn’t beaten the Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium since 2010.
Illinois started fast but couldn’t make the adjustments necessary to escape Penn State’s speed on defense as the game wore on.
The last time Indiana and Illinois finished the same season with winning records was in 2007 — Indiana was 7-6, Illinois was 9-4. Illinois has big wins over Kansas and Nebraska.
The Illini are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten and have beaten two ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since 2007.
Luke Altmyer threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, both to Pat Bryant, to lead Illinois to a 30-9 win over Central Michigan on Saturday.
Texas A&M transfer Ethan Moczulski kicked a school-record 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half gave the Illini a 13-6 lead at halftime.
Illinois (2-0) beat a ranked nonconference opponent for the first time since topping then-No. 22 Arizona State on Sept. 17, 2011.
Four Eastern Illinois turnovers were turned into 24 points by the Illini.
The Illini welcome several key transfers and have quarterback Luke Altmyer heading into his second season as the expected starter.
John Paddock completed 24 of 34 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns and Reggie Love III ran for 106 yards for Illinois.
CHAMPAIGN — John Paddock threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Williams in overtime to give Illinois a 48-45 win Saturday over Indiana in a Big Ten game. After Indiana’s Chris Freeman kicked a 41-yard field goal in OT, Paddock scrambled to his right and connected with Williams near the end zone. Paddock threw for
The Illini faced fourth-and-11 from their 15-yard line with 1:24 left when John Paddock came in cold with the drive of his life that knocked the Gophers out of their tie for first place in the diluted Big Ten West Division.