BIG TEN ROUNDUP
Illinois 20, No. 7 Penn State 18 (9OT): Casey Washington caught a 2-point conversion pass from Brandon Peters to end the first nine-overtime game in NCAA history and lift visiting Illinois (3-5, 2-3 Big Ten) over Penn State (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday.
The teams were tied at 10 after regulation, exchanged field goals in the first two overtimes, then began to alternate 2-point attempts in the third OT as part of a format tweaked ahead of the 2021 season.
Neither team converted until the eighth overtime, when Isaiah Williams ran one in to put Illinois up 18-16. Penn State’s Noah Cain kept the game alive with a 2-point run of his own.
In the ninth OT, Sean Clifford’s pass to Parker Washingtonw as broken up by linebacker Khalan Tolson. Peters then found Washington near the back of the end zone for the winning completion.
The 2-point conversion shootout started in 2019, the season after LSU and Texas A&M played a seven overtime game that left both teams badly beaten up. The rule was tweaked this season, with the 2-point conversion possessions beginning with the third overtime instead of the fifth.
No. 6 Michigan 33, Northwestern 7: Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins combined for 229 yards rushing and four touchdowns, carrying Michigan (7-0, 4-0) to a win over visiting Northwestern (3-4, 1-3).
The Wolverines closed strong after a sluggish start. They led by just three points at halftime, looking as if they were peeking ahead to next week’s game against ninth-ranked Michigan State on the road.
Michigan outscored the Wildcats 23-0 in the first 16:40 of the second half.