By Nate Bauer Penn State and Illinois locked themselves into a bruising, traditional Big Ten battle on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. It was hardly the blueprint the Nittany Lions would have chosen, but they executed better than the Illini. The result, a 21-7 win for Penn State, improved the hosts to 4-0 on the season with a 1-0 mark in conference play. These are the players and plays that defined the game. Highs & Lows: Penn State bullies Illinois in Big Ten battlePLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State might have liked to build a lead early with its passing attack. That wasn’t the personality of Sa…