Bowl Central
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)Â -Â Brandon Peters threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Barker with five seconds left, completing an incredible Illinois comeback to give the Illini a 37-34 victory over Michigan State on Saturday night.
Illinois (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) trailed 28-3 in the second quarter and 31-10 entering the fourth. Down 34-30, they converted fourth-and-17, then drew a pass interference flag in the end zone on another fourth-down pass. It was second-and-goal when Peters patiently rolled out to his right and found Barker open in the back of the end zone.
Peters threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
The Illini are now bowl eligible for the first time since 2014. They've done it by forcing turnovers all season long, including four Saturday.
Down 28-3, Illinois began its comeback when Peters threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Josh Imatorbhebhe on the final play of the first half. It wasn't so much a Hail Mary as it was just a long pass to a single-covered receiver deep down the field — the first of several puzzling mistakes by Michigan State.
Down 31-10, Imatorbhebhe scored on an 83-yard catch and run with 14:48 left in the fourth. Then Reggie Corbin scored on a 6-yard run to make it 31-24.
The Spartans (4-5, 2-4) then lost a fumble giving the Illini the ball at the Michigan State 8-yard line. But Peters' pass to the end zone was intercepted by Shakur Brown.
The reprieve was only temporary for the collapsing Spartans. Brian Lewerke's third interception of the game was returned 76 yards for a touchdown by Sydney Brown. That would have tied the game, but James McCourt missed the extra point.
Michigan State's Matt Coghlin kicked a 46-yard field goal with 3:17 remaining to make it 34-30. Peters completed a 37-yard pass to Imatorbhebhe on fourth-and-17, and before long, it was first-and-goal from the 1.
The Spartans forced Illinois into a fourth-down situation from the 4, and Peters' pass to Caleb Reams fell incomplete. But Reams and Josh Butler got tangled, and the Michigan State defensive back was called for pass interference. The Illini finally scored with 5 seconds left.
Illinois has now forced 26 turnovers on the season, and that helped them get back in this one. Then Peters, Imatorbhebhe and Barker took it from there.
The Illini are off next weekend before playing at Iowa on Nov. 23.
Fourth Quarter Comeback
Press Conference
Team Notes
• Illinois trailed 28-3 and completed the 25-point comeback for the biggest comeback in program history. The previous highs were 20 points at Michigan, 10/25/1999 (27-7 deficit), 35-29 and 20 points vs. Rutgers, 9/3/2005 (27-7 deficit), 33-30 ot.
• ESPN's win probability calculator gave Michigan State a 99.6% chance to win entering the fourth quarter.
• Illinois' 21-point deficit entering the fourth quarter is tied for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in a Big Ten game in the last 40 seasons (21 points, Michigan State at Northwestern, 2006; 21 points, Michigan at Minnesota, 2003).
• Illinois outscored Michigan State 27-3 in the fourth quarter. Illinois' 27 fourth-quarter points at Michigan State were the third-most by an FBS team in a game this season. (UCLA 29 vs. Washington State, Wake Forest 28 vs. Louisville)
• Illinois' 27 fourth-quarter points were the most by an opponent in the 96-year, 544-game history of Michigan State's Spartan Stadium. It was tied for the second-most allowed in a fourth quarter in Michigan State history (34 in October 1912 at Michigan).
• Illinois led for only five seconds after Brandon Peters' touchdown pass to Daniel Barker with 0:05 left gave the Illini their first lead. Illinois previously beat Wisconsin without leading until 0:00 on the clock after James McCourt's game-winning field goal as time expired.
• Illinois is bowl eligible for the first time since 2014.
• This is the earliest Illinois has been bowl eligible since starting 6-0 in 2011.Â
• Illinois is on a four-game Big Ten winning streak for the first time since the 2001 Big Ten Championship team finished the regular season with seven straight conference victories.Â
• Illinois has won four Big Ten games in a single season for the first time since 2010 (4-4).Â
• Illinois has won two Big Ten road games in a single season for the first time since 2010 when the Illini won at Penn State and beat Northwestern at Wrigley Field. The last time Illinois won two Big Ten road games in a season at their opponents' true home stadiums was in 2007 at Indiana, at Minnesota, and at No. 1 Ohio State.
• Illinois has won two Big Ten road games in a single season for the fifth time since 2000 (2019, 2010, 2007, 2002, 2001).Â
• Illinois has won three road games in a single season for the first time since 2007 (Four games: at Syracuse, at Indiana, at Minnesota, at Ohio State).
• Illinois has won consecutive Big Ten road games in a single season for the first time since winning at Minnesota and No. 1 Ohio State in November 2007.
• Illinois is two games over .500 in November for the first time since Nov. 12, 2011 when the Fighting Illini were 6-4 after starting the season 6-0.
• Illinois is over .500 in Big Ten games in November for the first time since 2007 when the Fighting Illini went 6-2 in conference games.
• Illinois had three interceptions and a fumble recovery to total 26 takeaways this season. Entering the weekend, Illinois led the nation with 22 takeaways.Â
• Illinois' national-leading sixth defensive touchdown of the year was a Sydney Brown 76-yard interception return to make it 31-30 with 4:53 to play.
• Illinois has at least one fumble recovery in every game this season.
• Illinois' 16 fumble recoveries this season are its most since recovering 16 in 2010.
• Illinois trails the all-time series against Michigan State, 19-26-2, and 9-13-1 in East Lansing.
• On Sunday following the game, Illinois received a vote in the AP poll for the first time since 2013, when the Illini received nine points in the poll after starting 2-0 including a 45-17 win over Cincinnati.
• Illinois started four transfers - QB Brandon Peters, WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, OL Richie Petitbon, LB Milo Eifler Â
• Illinois captains: LB Dele Harding, LB Jake Hansen (injured), P Blake Hayes, OL Doug Kramer, OL Alex Palczewski
Individual Notes
• Junior WR Josh Imatorbhebhe had four receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns, the most receiving yards by an opponent at Spartan Stadium since at least 2000 and the most by an Illinois player ever in the 47-game series history against Michigan State. Imatorbhebhe had a 46-yard touchdown reception as time expired in the first half and an 83-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter. Imatorbhebhe's nine touchdown receptions this season are tied for the third-most in program history, one away from tying the Illinois single-season record of 10 set by Brandon Lloyd (2001) and David Williams (1985). His 83-yard touchdown tied for the fourth-longest reception in Illinois history and the second-longest ever by an opponent at Spartan Stadium (94 yards, Mitch Anderson-Jim Lash, Northwestern, 1972)
• Junior QB Brandon Peters' was 22-of-42 passing for 369 passing yards and three touchdowns. His 369 passing yards are the most by an opponent at Spartan Stadium since 2007, when Northwestern's CJ Batcher threw for 520.
• Sophomore TE Daniel Barker caught the game-winning touchdown with 0:05 seconds left.Â
• Senior RB Reggie Corbin ran seven times for 29 yards and one touchdown. Corbin is in 12th place on Illinois' all-time career rushing yardage list.
• Senior TE Justice Williams had a career-long 33-yard reception in the first quarter that led Illinois to a field goal.Â
• Sophomore WR Donny Navarro had a career-high seven receptions for 49 yards.Â
• Senior LB Dele Harding had a game-high 14 tackles and 1.5 TFLs.
• Sophomore DB Sydney Brown had 13 tackles, including a game-high eight solo, and two interceptions. He returned one interception 76 yards for his first career touchdown, the second-longest interception return by an opponent in the 96-year history of Spartan Stadium (98 yards, Tim Wilbur, Indiana, 1978)
• Junior DB Nate Hobbs had a career-high 2.0 TFLs.
• Junior RT Alex Palczewski started for the 33rd straight game.
• Junior C Doug Kramer started for the 25th straight game.
• Junior LT Vederian Lowe started for the 23rd straight game.
• Sophomore LG Kendrick Green started for the 22nd straight game.
• Freshman WR Casey Washington started for the third straight game. He is the 13th Illini wide receiver in history to start 3+ games as a true freshman.Â
• Sophomore LB Khalan Tolson started for the first time in his career.
• Junior LB Jake Hansen, a Butkus Award semifinalist, missed the game with an injury.
