The Notorious History Between Penn State Football & Illinois
A rainy, gloomy Beaver Stadium slowly became home to the longest game in college football, which ultimately left Penn State football and 106,572 fans stunned.
That was the scene on Saturday, October 21, 2021, when the then-No. 7-ranked Nittany Lions lost in nine overtimes to a 2-5 Illinois team, despite being heavily favored by 24.5 points.
Now, the two teams will face off again on Saturday, September 16, in Champaign, Illinois, for the first time since the infamous afternoon. Similarly, the No. 7 Nittany Lions are favored to defeat the Fighting Illini in the 27th matchup between the two teams.
Penn State holds an all-time 20-6 record against Illinois and has won seven of its last 10 matchups dating back to 2009. Additionally, the Nittany Lions have never lost consecutive games to Illinois.
Almost all of Illinois’ success in this matchup’s history has occurred since 2000, as Penn State was 8-1 during the 20th century. From 1954 to 1972, the teams played each other just four times when Illinois was in the Big Ten, but Penn State was still independent. The Nittany Lions went 3-1 during this span.
It wasn’t until 1993 when Penn State joined the conference, that these teams began to play each other more frequently. The Nittany Lions’ 1972 victory began a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest of the series.
Illinois defeated Penn State by five points in 2001 to snap the streak, and the Fighting Illini ultimately went on to win the Big Ten Championship that season with former NFL quarterback Kurt Kittner at the helm. They finished the season 10-2 before losing in the 2002 Sugar Bowl to a Nick Saban-led LSU team.
From 2002 to 2021, Penn State went 11-4 against Illinois. This included the largest win in the series, when the Nittany Lions demolished the Fighting Illini 63-10 in 2005.
For most of the history between these teams, Penn State has showcased consistent and dominant success. This time, each side will roll out new quarterbacks in Drew Allar and Luke Altmyer.
The game will take place at noon on Saturday, September 16, in Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Folks can tune in to the broadcast on FOX.
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