Here are 3 takeaways from Penn State football’s 20-18 overtime(s) loss to Illinois
No. 7 Penn State has been knocked off by Illinois by a score of 20-18 in nine overtimes.
With a number of scoring opportunities left on the board and going 4-for-17 on third down conversions, the Nittany Lions couldn’t close the door in regulation. Where their door closed, another door opened for Illinois to survive multiple overtimes. With a few conversions and a soul-crushing blow of a pass from backup Brandon Peters to Casey Washington, the Illini got the job done to ruin Penn State’s Homecoming.
Here are three takeaways of Penn State’s loss to Illinois.
The overtime rule needs to be changed
A rule change to make every overtime shorter couldn’t have made it any longer on Saturday. After the second overtime, teams must now go to two-point conversions. Unfortunately for college football fans, reporters, players, coaches, alumni, etc., the rule went against its intended purpose to speed things up. Nine overtimes is unacceptable on all fronts. The game could’ve been over and still had the exciting moments with players jousting for positioning from the 25-yard line on each drive. It wasn’t ideal and hopefully pundits on national television push for a rule change.
Penn State’s defense had no answer for Illinois’ rushing attack
Once Illinois running backs Chase Brown and Josh McCray got going, they wouldn’t go down. When the rushing duo got past the defensive line, the linebackers and defensive backs missed multiple tackles on seemingly each play. When they weren’t getting tackles, they were just getting blown around by the rushers. Illinois finished with 67 rushes for 357 rushing yards and a touchdown. Brown had the lone touchdown and had 33 carries for 223 rushing yards for the best single-game performance by any rusher against Penn State’s defense this season.
Illinois had a first half where it rushed 31 times, averaging 5.3 yards a pop and had 165 yards. The Illini didn’t give any indication that they’d even attempt to pass the ball downfield with a total of 24 passing yards in the first half. The second half was even worse for the Nittany Lions rush defense, allowing 192 yards on 36 carries (5.3 yards per carry), and 14 total passing yards. Illinois loaded up with seven men on the line with tight ends flanking each tackle. If you know the run is coming and you still can’t stop it, you’re in trouble. Penn State found itself in a world of trouble on Saturday afternoon.
Losing to Illinois diminishes chances for a New Year’s Six Bowl
While the season is far from over, the Nittany Lions face an uphill battle to position themselves for a New Year’s Six Bowl after losing to 2-5 Illinois. The Nittany Lions looked like a shell of themselves and they won’t have it any easier as the season progresses.
With no time to lick their wounds, they have to run the gauntlet of No. 5 Ohio State and Maryland on the road, No. 6 Michigan and Rutgers at home and finish the year on the road against No. 9 Michigan State. Realistically speaking, they could lose 3-4 more games this season. It’s a far cry from where their hopes were earlier in the year and even just three weeks ago, prior to facing off against Iowa.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 5:06 PM.
