After a dreadful performance during Homecoming Weekend against Wisconsin, Illinois football bounced back in the most unexpected fashion. The Illini came into Beaver Stadium and knocked off No. 7 in the country Penn State in a result that came after a whopping nine (yes, nine) overtimes.

Coming into the matchup, experts and fans alike gave the Illini a slim chance of winning, and there were a plethora of reasons to believe so. Ignoring Penn State’s elite status in college football, Illinois came into this match sitting at 2-5. However, early on, it was apparent the Illini were possibly going to stick in the match for the long haul.

Illinois’ road map to victory needed to involve a heavy run game, and Chase Brown and Josh McCray delivered. Brown had 33 carries for 223 yards and one touchdown, while McCray contributed 142 yards on 24 carries. 

Part of Illinois’ run success rooted from their jumbo packages with seven offensive lineman. Based on Penn State’s strong defensive front, head coach Bret Bielema wanted to give more support to his running backs.  

“I just thought that for us it was a better matchup if we got bigger,” Bielema said. “That formation actually was put in before Monday. …That was something we put in last week, something I’ve used in the past.”

Even with running backs performing well, a win against a top ten opponent typically requires the quarterbacks to create some magic. What makes this win even more dumbfounding is that Artur Sitkowski was pitiful in Happy Valley. The Rutgers transfer went 8-19 with 38 passing yards, along with one interception and two fumbles. 

Head coach Bret Bielema decided to make the quarterback change from fifth-year senior Brandon Peters ahead of this weekend’s game. To be honest, I think most Illini fans are pretty indifferent on who plays quarterback at this point, but Bielema was pleased with how Peters handled the change.

“I think for BP especially this week was probably difficult for him,” Bielema said. “We made a decision early in the week to go with Art and rep him through it. But a true credit to BP and his ability to rise above the moment. The one good thing is he’s played a lot of football, and he’s been through a lot of heartbreak. Hopefully, today was the start of something that can get him a couple wins here in his last couple games as an Illini.”

After ending regulation tied at 10-10, the nine overtimes were complete chaos with both teams having clear chances to end the game with a victory. Illinois and Penn State traded incomplete passes or field goals throughout many of the overtime periods.

In the third overtime, Art Sitkowski went down with a wrist injury, forcing Bielema to sub in Peters. When Peters took over in the fourth overtime, the stagnant offense continued, but the Nittany Lions were unable to capitalize. The game finally ended in the ninth overtime when Peters scrambled out and found Casey Washington in the end zone.

The result on Saturday was fantastic for the program. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country on their home turf is great for recruiting in the upcoming years of Bret Bielema’s tenure. 

Looking specifically at this year, winning in overtime was paper over the cracks for this Illini team. Their quarterback still threw for 38 yards and turned the ball over three times. However, Illinois winning at Beaver Stadium is impressive nonetheless, and Bielema loved his team’s attitude throughout the lengthy Big Ten bout.

“Yeah, we’re not where we need to be, but I definitely am loving the attitude, the enthusiasm, the energy,” Bielema said. “It’s just boundless, and they just fight for each other. One thing that has really come out is just how much they fight for one another.”

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