Dec 21, 2024
Photo courtesy of JUSTICE SHEAFFER
Saturday’s first-ever College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium will be played under White Out Game conditions. The first White Out Game, shown here, was played on Nov. 9.
UNIVERSITY PARK — Biggest game ever at Beaver Stadium? Eh, arguably. Penn State die-hards tout a top 10 matchup between the then No. 7 Nittany Lions and No. 2 Miami Hurricanes in 1992.
A decade prior to that — Sept. 25, 1982 — No. 8 Penn State upended No. 2 Nebraska as coaching legends Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne matched wits in a game the Nittany Lions won, 27-24. That one remains pretty special.
Now, we have entered a new era as the 12-team College Football Playoff debuts and the revamped Pony Express of Southern Methodist University gallops into Happy Valley to battle Penn State and what is certain to be a capacity crowd of post-season starved fans.
“It’s one of the biggest,” said longtime Penn State fan Brian Heckert, of Reedsville. “Nebraska in ’82 is my No. 1 big game.”
Overall, Heckert believes the 1987 Fiesta Bowl where Penn State was crowned with its second national championship after beating Miami still ranks No. 1 on the list.
The CPF is uncharted territory for Heckert and other fans.
“You bet I am excited,” Heckert explained. “Another game in Beaver Stadium and a playoff game! I’m like a kid at Christmas.”
He hopes the Nittany Lions find a way to tear through the Mustang defense like a kid laying waste to his wrapped gifts on Christmas morning. Paper and bows will be flying everyone as one by one each present is opened.
Penn State plays its first-ever College Football Playoff game, hosting the SMU Mustangs today — the weekend before Christmas. The first-round game will kick off in Beaver Stadium at noon.
Heckert will be in the stands watching with his usual group of family and friends. And white out conditions are expected, as Penn State will hold its second White Out Game of the season.
Is there any snow in the forecast? It’s almost too much to hope for, with visions of sugar plums and a Nittany Lion victory dancing in most fans’ heads.
After a decade of near-misses and disappointments, the Nittany Lions were nearly a lock to make the new, expanded, 12-team format this season. The only question was would they play?
After a loss to top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, Penn State dropped only one spot in the penultimate playoff rankings (now No. 4) and seedings (now No. 6) after losing by a touchdown.
The winner of the Penn State-SMU tilt earns a trip to the aforementioned Fiesta Bowl to play Boise State in the CFP semifinals.
The Nittany Lions and Mustangs certainly don’t have a history. In fact, they’ve only met twice previously: Penn State won 26-21 in 1978 at Beaver Stadium; and they played to a 13-13 tie in the 1948 Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Biggest game ever? Brian Rothrock, of Lewistown, isn’t certain.
“So many great, important games played at Beaver Stadium,” Rothrock explained. “I mean I like our path to the finals. It would shut the (coach James) Franklin haters up and put us back near the top of college football after where we were in 2011. I’ll take it.”
That year was one of turmoil as Paterno coached the Nittany Lions for the first nine games until he was fired in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal, with defensive coordinator Tom Bradley taking over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The Nittany Lions won eight of their first nine game, but Paterno’s firing sent them reeling to a 1-3 finish. The program took years to rebuild due to the sanctions.
Ray Hoppel, of Lewistown, will be there as well. Games in 2005 and 2016 rank up there in Nittany Lion lore. Both were Penn State victories.
In 2016, the “Block Six” was a blocked field goal by Penn State, resulting in a touchdown in the final minutes for a dramatic upset for the Nittany Lions, who were unranked and 19.5-point underdogs.
With just over four minutes to play in the game and Ohio State leading 21-17, the Buckeyes lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt. However, the kick was blocked by Penn State safety Marcus Allen and knocked into the hands of cornerback Grant Haley, who sped 71 yards for a Penn State touchdown, giving Penn State an improbable 24-21 win.
It is regarded by fans as one of the best plays in Penn State football history, and marked the program’s return to national relevance following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Hoppel also considers the Sept. 1, 2001, game against Miami where Adam Taliaferro returned to Happy Valley for the first time since he suffered a serious neck injury.
We will see how today’s contest ranks. Hopefully, it has a happy ending for the Happy Valley faithful.
