Illinois defeated seventh-ranked Penn State 20-18 in the NCAA's first-ever nine-overtime game, Saturday. The grueling victory was sealed by Casey Washington who pulled in a clutch 2-point conversion catch.
"I actually cried," Washington said after the game. "It just felt good."
The ridiculous stalemate was tied at 10 at the end of regulation. The teams both took field goals in the first two overtimes.
With new NCAA rules in place, following a second overtime, teams are now given two-point conversion attempts to win the game. For the preceding overtimes, Illinois and Penn State missed 10 consecutive two-point conversion attempts.
In the eighth overtime, both teams succeeded in their respective plays, resulting in another continuation of the game.
Finally, Washington's 2-point conversion put the game to rest in the ninth overtime.
"To see our locker room right now is pretty special," Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said afterward. "They fight for one another."
Penn State head coach James Franklin admitted that his team has plenty of opportunities to win, but they failed to take advantage: "We had other opportunities on offense, defense and special teams that we could've made big plays to end the game and we did not."
[Via]