Seven OTs, 139 points: WMU edges Buffalo in highest-scoring, longest FBS game

For the first time since 2006, a NCAA football game went to seven overtimes; this one made history

By Tom Fornelli

Oct 7, 2017 at 8:27 pm ET • 2 min read

History was made Saturday night in Buffalo, New York. Unfortunately for the home-standing Bulls, they were on the wrong side of it.

Western Michigan beat Buffalo 71-68 in seven overtimes. It was not only the highest-scoring game in FBS history (139 points), the contest tied for the longest FBS game ever played. It was the first seven-overtime game since 2006 (North Texas beat Florida International 25-22), second since 2003 (Arkansas beat Kentucky 71-63) and fourth all-time (Arkansas beat Ole Miss 58-56 in 2001).

Here are some other fun facts about this crazy game:

1. It broke a record that was nearly a year old: We already told you it was the highest-scoring game in FBS history, but the previous record was set last season when Pittsburgh beat Syracuse 76-61 on Nov. 26, 2016. Of course, that game didn't need overtime, so it's possible an appeal will be filed. We'll see.

2. It's the first time since 2010 that a MAC team scored 70 points in a single game: Northern Illinois was the last to do it, beating Eastern Michigan 71-3. What's kind of eerie about that? Well, that game was played on Nov. 26, 2010. Six years to the day before Pitt beat Syracuse 76-61. What's the deal with Nov. 26?

3. It's the fourth time Jarvion Franklin has finished a game with at least 175 rushing yards: The Western Michigan running back finished with 176 yards and three touchdowns. Still, as impressive as it is to know Franklin's now had four career games with that many rushing yards, it still isn't anywhere close to the MAC record. No, that record belongs to former Northern Illinois running back Garret Wolfe. He had 15 of them over a three-year span from 2004-06.

4. The over/under in this game was 51 points: They went over that mark midway through the fourth quarters. So, in a way, all those overtimes were just overkill.

5. Buffalo QB Drew Anderson threw for 595 yards and seven touchdowns: The last quarterback to throw for so many yards in a losing effort was Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes (734 yards in Tech's 66-59 loss to Oklahoma last season). The last quarterback to throw at least seven touchdowns in a loss was Arkansas' Brandon Allen, who had seven in a 51-50 loss to Mississippi State in 2015.

6. There were family members running on the field before the game ended: Seriously, you think seven overtimes is crazy, let's go way back in time to the first overtime. That's when Jon Wassink hit Donnie Ernsberger for a 14-yard touchdown that set things up for a second overtime. Well, apparently Donnie's sister thought the game was over.