<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=49j35O_0vlXGyC600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=49j35O_0vlXGyC600" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>The Illinois offense celebrates gaining the conversion in one of the periods of overtime during Penn State football's homecoming game against Illinois at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 in University Park, Pa. The Fighting Illini bested the Nittany Lions 20-18 in nine periods of overtime. Lily LaRegina</figcaption></figure>The last time Illinois came into Beaver Stadium, it walked out with not only a victory, but a piece of history. The game didn’t feel real for center Nick Dawkins.“It's like back in the day, you play NCAA, and it be like ESPN Instant Classic,” Dawkins said. “That was one of those — we just weren’t on the right end of it.”On Oct. 23, 2021, the Fighting Illini left the Nittany Lions stunned after taking them to nine overtimes and coming out on top after Sean Clifford’s pass to Parker Washington was batted down and Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters sealed the deal with a ball to receiver Casey Washington, marking the longest game in college football history.Though most of the team has departed, 20 current Penn State players were on the roster for that moment. Dawkins saw reps on special teams and said he’s never experienced “anything like that.”Penn State was ranked No. 7, while Illinois entered at 2-5. Despite that, the Fighting Illini ran for 357 yards on the ground, with lead-back Chase Brown running all over the Nittany Lions for 223 yards and a touchdown. Josh McCray followed behind with 142 yards.In 2021, the Nittany Lions allowed 153.2 rushing yards per game, but they’ve vastly improved, allowing 75.5 yards per game last season and 84.7 yards per game so far this season.Linebacker Kobe King didn’t see the field in the fateful matchup, but he guaranteed that Saturday will not be a repeat performance on the defensive end.“I remember how much they ran the ball on us,” King said. “This week is going to be the total opposite of that.”On the other side, the Fighting Illini’s run game remains respectable. Though there’s no star back, Illinois is up to 156.5 rushing yards per contest with four backs already over the 100-yard mark.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1IDMxp_0vlXGyC600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1IDMxp_0vlXGyC600" width="1632" height="1271" ><figcaption>Head Coach James Franklin yells to a player on the field during Penn State football's homecoming game against Illinois at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 in University Park, Pa. The Fighting Illini bested the Nittany Lions 20-18 in nine periods of overtime. Lily LaRegina</figcaption></figure>The program is also completely different from where it was in 2021 — it was coach Bret Bielema’s first season with the team. Now, he’s gotten a chance to add identity to his team, and it was evident even in his premiere season.James Franklin has watched Bielema going back to his playing days as a team captain at Iowa in 1992, and said Bielema’s acquired a style where his teams won’t beat themselves.“He’s done a really good job of winning those close games, those one possession games,” Franklin said. “They’re going to come in here confident, not only as a team, but also how to handle the environment.”In 2021, an Illinois team devoid of talent turned the ball over three times in the first half, but still rallied to keep the Penn State offense in check and hit the field goal in the fourth quarter to force overtime.Wide receiver Liam Clifford didn’t see action in the game, but with his brother Sean quarterbacking, he was locked in and paced up and down the sideline through the heart of the contest.“I was like, ‘when is this going to end?’” Clifford said.The contest nearly ended when an end-around pass from a young Tyler Warren just missed Sean in the third overtime — the first of the game’s two-point conversion-style overtime periods.By the end, the Nittany Lions had fallen flat, and Clifford described it as a draining loss.In a loss like that, lessons typically fly through the room, even indirectly. Franklin and the coaching staff have used it as motivation over the years.Through their preparation, effort and conditioning, Penn State hopes to be on the other end of the scale if a similar game happens again. Dawkins was given a lesson he’d never forget, and the team continues to use it heading into its bout with Illinois on Saturday.“Football is not boxing,” Dawkins said. “You can’t knock somebody out one round and it’s over. You got to play a full four quarters — one play at a time.”MORE FOOTBALL CONTENT<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0LYKvI_0vlXGyC600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LYKvI_0vlXGyC600" width="1280" height="720" ></figure></div></body>

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Penn State reflects, grows 3 years after 9-overtime loss to Illinois

The last time Illinois came into Beaver Stadium, it walked out with not only a victory, but a piece of history. The game didn’t feel real for center Nick Dawkins. “It's like back in the day, you play NCAA, and it be like ESPN Instant Classic,” Dawkins said. “That was one of those — we just weren’t on the right end of it.”