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Penn State opens Big Ten play Saturday against No. 19 Illinois at 7:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium. A game with two ranked opponents isn’t what many of us, myself included, expected, but it’ll be a test for a Penn State team that looks like a College Football Playoff contender.

Burns was just on the receiving end of a 56-0 blowout loss at the hands of Penn State — his team’s second straight lopsided defeat after it lost to Tennessee on the road last week, 71-0. So he knew what he was getting into in Happy Valley.

The Lions, now 3-0, will need to lean on their offensive and defensive coordinators, as well as two unsung players.

James Franklin’s goal was to create more offensive plays. The outcome in Penn State’s 56-0 win over Kent State was that and then some. The three keys to offensive dominance — third-down execution, diversified involvement and quick defensive sets — were all checked on Saturday.