On Saturday in State College, Pa., Penn State and Illinois engaged in a stare-down, and whichever team blinked first would be the loser. After nine overtimes, the Fighting Illini emerged with a 20-18 victory.
There's a twist here because of the NCAA's new overtime rules, which were designed to shorten games. Both teams start from the opponent's 25-yard line for the first and second (if needed) overtime. But if the game reaches a third OT, teams will alternate two-point conversion plays from the 3 — much like a hockey shootout — until a winner is decided.
In this case, the Nittany Lions and Illini were tied 10-10 through regulation, and each team kicked field goals in each of the first two overtimes. Both scored two-point attempts in the eighth overtime, making it 18-18. After Penn State's attempt failed in the ninth, Illinois won it with a successful pass.
Gophers coach P.J. Fleck took notice and seized on the opportunity to teach.
"There's always situations that come up every single week that everybody is like, 'Hey, that's crazy. That ending was crazy,' and we constantly show [the players] different things," Fleck said. "New rules that are adapted that are called that maybe haven't been called in the past, how important those things are."
Fleck has made adjusting to the new rule a priority, addressing it during spring practice, training camp and weekly in the Gophers' situational sessions.
"It does make it exciting," he said. "You're constantly working on your two-point plays, and we have an awful lot of them. We probably have more than we've ever carried for those situations. You've got to be ready for a 10-overtime game or maybe even more.
"The worst thing you can ever do," he added, "is run out of plays."
