Illinois should present little more than a speed bump for Penn State in its race toward a prime time showdown against Ohio State next week.

The Lions, so long as they exercise some caution and don’t look so far ahead that they fail to see the Fighting Illini at all, should grind out a third straight blowout victory.

For PSU (3-0), favored by 4 TDs, the odd start time (9 ET Friday) might create more worry than Illinois (2-1). After all, the Illini had to rally in Week 1 to edge Kent State, the same team the Lions just crushed 63-10.

Still, the Lions will be playing under lights for the first time this year and playing a conference game on a Friday for the first time ever. Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State has played only two games on Fridays, both New Year’s Day bowls. If you like good omens, yes, the Lions won both those games, against teams way better than Illinois.

As long as the players get their biorhythms properly adjusted for a fun Friday night in Champaign, the Lions should roll. And in the process, they can work on these five things I’d like to see in preparation for the Buckeyes:

Tommy Stevens joins the party

Coach James Franklin says all three quarterbacks will be available on Friday, and that Tommy Stevens (foot) could have played last week. Of course, State fans haven’t been champing at the bit to see Stevens handle the mop-up duty that Sean Clifford has excelled in.

No, we want to see Stevens play meaningful downs in the “Lion” role, in which he lines up at various places and confounds defenses as a threat to run, pass or receive. I’d like to see the 6-5, 240-pound junior get a handful of reps running plays from last year’s offense. Get him acclimated and synced up with Trace McSorley and crew, but save any new plays for the Buckeyes.

Franklin didn’t say absolutely that Stevens will play, only that he’s available. But the way he said it seemed to imply that Stevens will take the field. I hope so.

Get acclimated to prime time

The Lions play their first night game of the season, perfect preparation for the 7:30 start Sept. 29 against Ohio State. Memorial Stadium (capacity 60,670) won’t rock like Beaver Stadium a week later, but it’s better than nothing.

Another step for defense

It’s hard to argue with two straight second-half shutouts. But it’s fair to say the defense has started slow in all three games. In each case, after the offense scored early, the defense allowed a score shortly thereafter.

Brent Pry’s unit remains a work in progress, with a lot of young players feeling their way. If halftime adjustments are again needed, it’s good that Pry knows which buttons to push. It’d been even better to see the Lions’ preparation produce dominant defense right from the start on Friday.

At least one field goal

True freshman place kicker Jake Pinegar looks solid so far, but he hasn’t been tested much.

On field goal tries, he hit from 32 yards in Week 1 and missed from 45 against Pitt. Last week, he proved he can nail an extra-point, going 9-for-9. He’s made 22 PATs without a miss so far.

It’s a safe bet some clutch situations will arise before the season is done, perhaps as soon as, say, Sept. 29. I’d like to see Pinegar get some confidence-boosting game reps.

Starters resting late, just like last week

If things go right, Clifford can try to extend his run of perfection in the fourth quarter, just like last week. I’d like to see McSorley, Stevens and other key players watching from the sidelines, completely healthy, with eight days remaining until Ohio State.