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Illinois pulls off major upset of No. 7 Penn State in 9 OT
By Nick Schultz
Published:
It was a surprise classic in State College Saturday afternoon.
No. 7 Penn State and Illinois went to 9 overtimes before someone finally won. Eventually, it was Illinois that came out on top 20-18 — the Illini’s first road win against an AP top-10 team since 2007.
WHAT. A. WILD. FINISH.
ILLINOIS WINS IN A RECORD 9TH OT 😭😤
— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 23, 2021
Penn State was heavily favored coming in, but Illinois used a potent run game and a staunch defense to force overtime. Rather, overtimes.
The Illini were led by Chase Brown and Josh McCray on the ground, who combined for 365 rushing yards — led by Brown’s 223. That’s where the vast majority Illinois’ yards came from, as Art Sitkowski threw for just 38 yards.
For the Nittany Lions, Sean Clifford’s return wasn’t bad. He threw for 165 yards on 19-of-34 passing and a touchdown, while Noah Cain led the rushing attack with 43 yards on the ground.
It was certainly one of the craziest games of the college football season and showcased the new overtime rules. Considering it took 7 extra periods before someone scored, fans should be pretty familiar with the new setup.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.