STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Overtime is what everyone will remember from Illinois’ loss to Penn State on Saturday, but it was penalties early that got the Illini in a 14-0 hole in the first half.

The referees were flag-happy for much of the game — Illinois and Penn State were penalized nine and 11 times, respectively — but it was the play on the field that dictated the tightly officiated game.

“It was a physical football game out there,” head coach Tim Beckman said. “They were trying to win, we’re trying to win. There were a couple of penalties, silly ones. You wanted to be aggressive and as long as it isn’t too bad of a penalty.”

Lineman Mike Heitz was penalized for holding on a touchdown pass on Illinois’ first possession. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase threw an interception on the next play.

With less than two minutes on the clock in the second quarter, the Illini were penalized a 30 second run off for an illegal snap. They were forced to settle for a field goal and a 14-3 deficit.

Penalties on defense extended Penn State drives as well. Caleb Day was called for pass interference on a big Penn State third down and Johnathan Brown was called for a personal foul on another third down in the red zone.

“That killed us,” Brown said. “Myself included, I had a penalty on the third down in the red zone. We’ve got to eliminate those.”

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @sean_hammond.