Illinois beat Penn State in a historic and torturous 9OT game where no one wanted to score

NINE OVERTIMES???

College football fans were treated to an incredible historic moment in the messiest Big Ten game possible on Saturday.

With Illinois visiting Happy Valley and No. 7 Penn State over the weekend, no one could have predicted the absolute madness that ensued. After four miserable quarters where just 26 total points were scored, Illinois and Penn State went to overtime… nine overtimes to be exact.

Yes, Illinois upset Penn State 20-18 in NINE OVERTIMES, a new record for the longest game in NCAA FBS history. Previously, the record was seven overtimes, of which there had been five games to hit that mark before Saturday’s game.

Illinois and Penn State played out college football’s new OT rules, where the first two overtime periods were played like normal then the last seven were decided by two-point conversion shootouts. Here’s the final deciding score in the ninth overtime that completed the upset for the Fighting Illini.

ILLINOIS UPSETS NO. 7 PENN STATE IN THE NINTH OVERTIME

That’s the most overtimes in FBS history pic.twitter.com/uKlOg9Sd6j

— ESPN (@espn) October 23, 2021

If you were like me and you watched that entire four-hour slog of a football game, I am truly sorry. Penn State jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, but from there the Nittany Lion offense stalled as Illinois was able to claw its way back into the game before heading to overtime.

In overtime, it seemed like neither team wanted to score, as for the first two overtimes the teams traded field goals, then it took until the eighth OT period for a two-point conversion to be scored.

.@ArtDecider This is truly a work of art, but just to be sure pic.twitter.com/03boeexmGY

— SB Nation (@SBNation) October 23, 2021

College football fans were torn between being absolutely delighted by the proceedings and absolutely horrified at the terrible football unfolding before our eyes. However, one thing was for certain and it’s that no one could tear their eyes away from the train wreck.