
On this day in 2004, Penn State lost a game to Iowa 6-4. This date lives in infamy for Nittany Lions fans, however. Why does that matter? Well, Saturday's win over Penn State was Illinois' first road win over an AP top-10 team since 2007. It was a big win, as Illinois had to come back from a 27-7 deficit in the third quarter to claim victory.

9 Michigan, led by then-Wolverines quarterback and now seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. 23 has additional historical significance for both teams. 23: Not only is it the date Illinois and Penn State participated in the longest game in college football history, but Oct. In fact, Penn State surrendered more rushing yards only twice: in 1997 vs. That is historically unusual for the Nittany Lions' defense. Since the FCS/FBS split in 1978, there was only one other time the Nittany Lions lost a game after closing as 20-plus-point favorites - last season against Maryland.ģ57: Illinois pounded Penn State on the ground, rushing for 357 yards Saturday afternoon. Only two other teams have recorded fewer passing yards in a win over an AP top-10 opponent in the last 15 seasons: UCLA against Texas in 2010 (27 yards) and Florida against Georgia in 2014 (27 yards).Ģ5.5: According to Caesars Sportsbook, Penn State closed as 25.5-point favorites against Illinois. Both teams scored at least 50 points each in all five of those seven overtime contests.ģ8: The Fighting Illini didn't pass the ball well, accumulating 38 passing yards for the entire contest. The previous high was seven, which happened five times - and those games weren't low-scoring affairs. They played the most overtime periods ever in a college football game. This was the longest game in FBS history, and Penn State and Illinois made history in the process. Let's take a look at the numbers that defined this game.ĩ: Four quarters - plus nine overtimes.

Little passing, little scoring and some history provided this contest between Illinois and Penn State with some interesting stats - many showing how awful a loss this was for the Nittany Lions. Alabama, Coastal Carolina and more have suffered the same fate this season.

Penn State is the latest ranked school to lose to an unranked opponent. 7 Penn State 20-18 in a game that was a test of endurance.Īfter Illinois' Khalan Tolson broke up Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford's pass in the ninth overtime, Brandon Peters found Casey Washington in the end zone for the winning conversion.

Interesting stats behind Penn State and Illinois' 9-OT marathonĬollege Football, Penn State Nittany Lions, Illinois Fighting IlliniĪfter nine - yes, nine - overtime periods, unranked Illinois defeated No. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
