Altmyer throws 4 INT in Illinois’ loss to No. 7 Penn State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Way, way too many mistakes.

Following a rough loss on the road to Kansas, Illinois faced off against No. 7 Penn State Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Coming into the game as 14.5-point underdogs, the Illini needed many things to go their way to pull off a big upset win. One thing they couldn’t afford to lose was the turnover battle, but they lost it in a big way at home.

Capitalizing off five Illinois turnovers — four interceptions thrown by Luke Altmyer — Penn State (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) cruised to a 30-13 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first quarter was a disaster for the Illinois (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) offense. What looked like a promising first drive ended in a missed field goal, and the three drives that followed all resulted in turnovers (one fumble, two interceptions).

Despite the offensive struggles, the Illinois defense changed the narrative from the first two weeks. Multiple stops from inherited drives in its own territory — including a goal-line…