ATLANTA - Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today announced that Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week presented by PNC. The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
The Fighting Illini took down #7 Penn State in nine overtimes last Saturday in State College as quarterback Brandon Peters connected with Casey Washington to lead the Illini to a 20-18 victory over the Nittany Lions, setting the record for the longest game in FBS history. The Illini were led by their rushing attack, picking up 357 yards on the ground as Chase Brown and Josh McCray rushed for 223 and 142 yards, respectively.
Chase Brown's 223 rushing yards were the most ever by an opponent at Beaver Stadium and Illinois' 357 rushing yards were the most ever by an opponent in a Big Ten game at Beaver Stadium. Brown, who had 257 rushing yards against Charlotte on October 2, joins Howard Griffith and Rashard Mendenhall as the only players in program history to have multiple 200-yard rushing games in a season.
The Illini have also been impressive defensively as of late, allowing no more than 24 points in their last five contests for the first time since 2010-11. Against Penn State, the Orange and Blue defensive unit held the Nittany Lions to just 227 total yards and a touchdown.
Illinois at #7 Penn State Notes
• The nine overtimes broke the record for the longest game in FBS history. The previous record was seven overtimes (five times).
• The victory over #7 Penn State was Illinois' second in a row over a top-10 opponent (vs. #6 Wisconsin, 24-23, 10/19/2019).
• It was Illinois' first road win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 10, 2007 at #1 Ohio State (28-21).
• The win marked the 100th career victory for head coach Bret Bielema.
• The Fighting Illini outgained the Nittany Lions 395-227 including a 357-62 edge in rushing yards and an advantage in time of possession of 36:25 to 23:35.
• Illinois' 357 rushing yards were the most ever by an opponent in a Big Ten game at Beaver Stadium
