ANN ARBOR, Mich. — At the end of Saturday’s triple-overtime football game, Nathan Scheelhaase looked up from the ground to see nearly 100 Michigan players storm straight toward him.

The Illinois redshirt freshman quarterback had just been knocked to the ground on a failed two-point conversion that would have tied the game, and the Michigan sidelines charged to midfield, hurdling over Scheelhaase to celebrate its 67-65 win.

“It sucked, to be honest with you,” Scheelhaase said. “It sucked being on the field, seeing them rush onto the field.”

After Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure scored a three-yard touchdown to bring the Illini within two at the latter half of a third overtime, heavy pressure from the Michigan defense was able to break through the Illini offensive line to force a desperation incomplete pass from Scheelhaase on the 2-point conversion attempt.

“(The play) was open,” Illinois head coach Ron Zook said. “They blitzed and we didn’t pick it up. They made the plays when was the opportunity was there.”

On a day when both defenses took a backseat to the offensive units, the two teams combined for a record-setting performance. The triple-overtime game was the longest in Illinois history and ties for the longest Big Ten game, and the combined score of 132 points was the most scored in Michigan Stadium history. In the previous record, set in 1904, Michigan romped West Virginia 130-0.

The Michigan offense set a number of records on its own. The Wolverines passed for a program-best 419 yards, while their 67 points were the most ever surrendered by Illinois.

“I don’t think anybody’s that good,” defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said. “They kicked our butts in every facet.”

Michigan (6-3, 2-3 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing streak to qualify for a bowl game for the first time under head coach Rich Rodriguez, while Illinois (5-4, 3-3) will have to wait at least another week.

“Like I told our football team before the game, that was a football team that was backed into a corner,” Zook said. “We had to come out and we had to match their intensity. I think, for the most part, we did. We just fell down in the end.”

Throughout most of the game, Michigan was led by sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson, who completed 10 of 20 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns, as well as 62 yards rushing.

But it was Michigan’s Tate Forcier who provided the late-game heroics after the fellow sophomore quarterback came in for Robinson at the start of the fourth quarter. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said after the game that Robinson had possible symptoms of a concussion, including dizziness and headaches.

Forcier’s nine-yard touchdown pass to receiver Darryl Stonum with one minute, 47 seconds remaining tied the game at 45, and Forcier finished the game with 114 passing yards and two touchdown passes on 12-of-19 passing.

The first play from scrimmage set the tone for the day, when Robinson found a wide-open receiver in Roy Roundtree for a 75-yard touchdown.

“It wasn’t any magic,” Koenning said. “Our guys just looked in the backfield and he ran down the middle of the field. After that we seemed like we were in shocked and never could recover.”

Roundtree would continue to find holes in the Illini secondary throughout the game. The sophomore receiver hauled in nine passes for a Michigan-record 246 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

“I’m going to chalk it up as us getting our butts handed to us,” Koenning said.

Despite entering Saturday’s game averaging 26.9 points per game, Illinois managed to keep in stride with Michigan’s offense.

Junior running back Mikel Leshoure rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns, and also hauled in 52 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Scheelhaase completed 14 of 25 passes for 211 yards, while also gaining 101 yards on the ground on 21 carries.

“I think Nathan is really maturing,” offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “I think the Illini fans should be excited and happy. You’re really seeing a kid that’s getting better and better and making more plays. He made a whole bunch of them, just (needed to) make a couple more.”