By Woodrow Carroll
Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema enjoyed victory No. 100 of his collegiate coaching career. Rest assured, it was a contested game that long will be remembered, and, not just by Bielema!
On the road at Penn State and a 23- or 24-point underdog, Bielema’s Fighting Illini’s victory over the Nittany Lions was 20-18 in nine overtimes. The operative word is nine overtimes. You can bet that observers in other parts of the sports world had to look twice when the final score popped up.
Briefly stated, the Illinois-Penn State score was tied at 10 at the end of regulation. Each team kicked field goals in the conventional first and second overtimes to tie the score at 16..
Starting with this season teams have to go for a two-point conversion starting with the third overtime from the three yards from the goal line. From the third through the seventh overtimes neither team scored. Then in the eighth overtime both sides scored on runs for an 18-18 tie. Penn State came up dry in the ninth overtime. Illinois put an end to the game with a pass from quarterback Brandon Peters to Casey Washington deep in the end zone.
Two years ago, Illinois shocked No. 6 Wisconsin 24-23 in Champaign on a last-second field goal. That game ended in regulation and kick-started a four-game Illini winning streak.
Illinois running back Chase Brown collected 257 yards rushing in Illinois’ 24-14 victory over Charlotte earlier this season. A week later, against Wisconsin, Brown was limited to 35 yards. Against Penn State, Brown reeled off 223 yards and Illini backs ended up with an astounding 67 carries.
Illinois, 3-5 and 2-3 Big Ten, will play host to Rutgers, 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, offer the Illini an outside shot at starting a bowl game quest.
A victory over Rutgers is within range. Games with Minnesota (away), Iowa (away) and Northwestern (home) will follow. Six victories brings a bowl bid. With the addition of more bowl games, the Fenway Bowl in Boston and LA Bowl in Inglewood, Calif. are new this season. It is possible teams with 5-7 records might be needed. Illinois from the Big Ten Conference could be selected with a 5-7 record.
• Northern Illinois, 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West, by virtue of its 39-38 victory over Central Michigan (CMU) Saturday, Oct. 23 is eligible for a bowl game
Trailing 35-18 in the third quarter, Northern Illinois went ahead, 39-38, on a field goal by Kanon Woodill with 0:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. When CMU botched a game-winning field goal attempt in the final seconds, the Huskies were victorious.
Woodill, from Plainfield North High School, was three of three in field goal attempts and made both extra points. Woodill and Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who passed for 320 yards, each earned MAC accolades for their performances. Woodill was chosen MAC West Special Team’s Player with Lombardi the MAC West Offensive Player of the Week.
A likely bowl bid is not bad for a team that was 0-6 in the shortened 2020 season.