“Here’s Blackledge from midfield, down the sideline Jackson is there. Has the ball, does a pure net, and goes around his man, and goes in to score, what a move by Kenny Jackson!”
PENN STATE FOOTBALL CLASSIC GAMES
Joe Paterno, James Franklin, Ki-Jana Carter, Todd Blackledge, Kerry Collins, Saquan Barkley, Trace McSorley, Tamba Hali, and so many more household Nittany Lions.
BLACK SHOES, BASIC BLUES, NO NAMES, ALL GAME
November 28 1981: The Turning Point of Pennsylvania Football Popularity
Created by Bragging Rights Sports (WE ARE! PENN STATE!)
Narrator: Joe Paterno. The question about him isn’t how good of a coach he was but what he will be remembered for. The man who built the culture of Penn State Football, or the guy responsible for the Sandusky Scandal? To me he is remembered as perhaps the most consistent coach in College Football History. No coach has ever won 400 games at the College level than JoePa. And if I were to find a signature Paterno game there is one that comes to mind. It happens to be the game that basically laid the foundation for their National Championship team in 1982. Week 11 of the 1981 College Football season. Penn State started the year 6-0 but 2 close game losses to #8 Miami, and #6 Alabama prevented them from competing for the National Title. Even if they won an epic against Notre Dame no one seemed to take them seriously. JoePa told his boys “this game is going to show how far we have come since those 2 losses.”
Their final game of the regular season would prove how good Penn State really was. Their opponents were the top ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. Led by eventual Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino they had crushed everyone in their path during the season. It looked as if Pitt was going to cruise to the National Championship game. On a cold Saturday Afternoon in November, the Nittany Lions strutted into Pitt Stadium looking for blood. It would eventually come as Todd Blackledge and the offense had trouble navigating the cold as they got only one 1st Down on the opening drive and were forced to punt. Pitt got the ball on their opening drive and took advantage of the excellent field position and attacked Penn State’s defense very quickly. Marino looked very confident especially after firing a touchdown pass to end the drive. The blowout that many of the Yinzers were expecting was looking like reality as Blackledge and Curt Warner had no room to run on their next possession as PSU punted the ball back to Pitt. For the moment the drubbing continued as Marino led the Panthers on another touchdown drive which made the score 14-0.
You may be asking yourself how this game is a significant game for JoePa and his legacy. That answer is simple. It began with one crucial mistake by Marino. After another 3 and out. The Panthers were going straight for the knockout. “Marino on a straight drop back, look at that protection. Throws one long and deep for the endzone and it is. Caught out of the field of play, no he caught it in bounds, a great interception!” (Zombie Nation playing) What a catch by Roger Johnson, you ask any Penn State fan that watched that particular game, they will tell you that interception changed the whole momentum. Why? Blackledge took advantage of the opportunity and found Mike McCloskey twice, the 2nd catch set up a Mike Meade touchdown to cut the Pitt lead to 14-7. At the time it was a footnote since Danny Boy and the Panthers drove deep into Nittany Lion territory yet again. But 3 key mistakes undid Pitt again. First, Marino missed a wide open touchdown pass by about a few inches, 2nd a false start penalty, and 3rd “Once again great protection, pass is deflected and intercepted.” That right there is Pitt coming up empty on a gimme play yet again. Once again Marino was denied a sure touchdown by means of interception by Mark Robinson. Even if PSU did nothing after that takeaway, JoePa clearly had figured out the Future Hall of Fame QB. Exhibit A, FUMBLE! (Plus that was a bad snap) Recovered by Penn State! 3 drives, 3 turnovers for Pitt. A circus catch by Gregg Garrity got Penn State into the redzone, scratch that play, it was called back for offensive PI. And on the next play Blackledge was picked off. Luckily there was no long term damage since the defense stopped the Panthers again. As soon as the Nittany Lions got the ball back, Blackledge went for the big shot and it worked. Kenny Jackson’s acrobatic catch set up the tying score. (Look at Blackledge running over 3 Pitt defenders) With the game tied at 14, it looked as if an epic duel was taking place especially since Pitt capitalized on a muffed punt by Penn State. (YoYo Sound) And then turned the ball over again in Lion territory. (REFBALL and Yinzers what a combination) This game clearly featured some sloppy moments but at halftime many said that this clash that Pitt could have easily put away was going to go right down to the wire. BOOOOOOOOOOM! PAUSE.
(Fight On State playing) “Here’s Blackledge from midfield, down the sideline Jackson is there. Has the ball, does a pure net, and goes around his man, and goes in to score, what a move by Kenny Jackson!” Right on cue the Nittany Lions took the lead when everyone was ordering their Hot Chocolate. Look out Marino, the Lions are about to eat you for lunch! The defensive feeding frenzy began with a 3 and out to start the half after the touchdown. Even if Curt Warner had been contained all day long, there was still time to change that narrative. Meanwhile Blackledge hit Jackson for another long touchdown. The blowout that no one saw coming is only just beginning. Pitt may have benefitted from a roughing the kicker call after getting stalled out but let’s be real they weren’t scoring any points. As soon as the Panthers gave the ball back, Curt Warner started to find space for the first time all day. He never broke off one of his usual big runs but he kept the Pitt D guessing. The problem for the Panthers was that they committed all of their time into stopping Warner, that they forgot that Blackledge could find wide open receivers. For example, Mick McCloskey racking up huge yards after the catch. Even if they couldn’t score a TD thanks to a false start on Warner, the Nittany Lions at least got 2 field goals from Brian Franco. The score was now 34-14, now Penn State would turn the storm loose. After both teams traded punts, Penn State would finally unleash the running game to put this one out of reach. (Whoever that linebacker was who tried walking towards Blackledge is hilarious) Mike Meade’s long run on a free play set up a touchdown that made the score 41-14. GAME OVER! Indeed it is as Marino was intercepted again, this time by Matt Bradley.
The only good news for Pitt was that it didn’t lead to points. But at least the Panthers want to score at least one more time before the game is over. (Enter Sandman playing) “Marino, has the pass intercepted. Stepping right in front is Mark Robinson, and he’s still loose. He might go. Marino is the only man and they can’t get to him. Mark Robinson goes all the way for the score.” This is what you call one of the greatest statement wins in school history. Anytime you win a game like that on the road against a team with National Championship ambitions it’s something that the players will always remember. Paterno even said years after this game that this victory laid the foundation for the 1982 championship season. In my opinion he was right. Considering that most of their key players would be back in 82 they knew that this would be the beginning of something special. I mean to score 48 unanswered points against the #1 team in the country who is all but locked in to win the National Title is insane. Let alone do it in their building. What makes this game even more insane is that PSU fans going back to the early 80s have the final score of this game 48-14 on their license plates even today. This is why you are an insufferable Penn State Football fan instead of a Pitt fan if you live in Pennsylvania. It’s because of this game and the impact it had going forward. Penn State went up and Pitt went down after this game pretty much in terms of popularity. If you think this game is crazy, wait until you see the next game on this list. “Belton to the edge, PENN STATE HAS DONE IT!” Oh yes the 2013 Whiteout against Michigan. But that’s a whole other doc for next week. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone and remember… WE ARE! PENN STATE! WE ARE!! PENN STATE!! WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!! THANK YOU! YOU’RE WELCOME!!!
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