“Beanie Wells couldn’t block his man, but Terrelle steps away from him and goes deep. Endzone!”
PENN STATE FOOTBALL CLASSICS
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
October 25 2008: Tressel and JoePa go 15 Rounds at the Horseshoe
Created by Bragging Rights Sports (WE ARE! PENN STATE!)
Narrator: THE Ohio State University. It’s one of the most famous brands in collegiate athletics. From the script of the Marching Band, to the Horseshoe, to the players that have walked through those doors. As a Penn State student it’s painful to say this, but this was and still is THE BIG10 Football Factory. They are the biggest rivals for Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State regardless of what you think. Why? Because all 3 of those schools want to beat them more than anyone. If there is any coach that loved to beat Ohio State, it was Joe Paterno. No game symbolized that thinking more than his last win at Ohio Stadium in 2008. (Plus the 05 game at Beaver Stadium which we will cover in 2 weeks) Penn State was #3 in the country coming into the game. The Nittany Lions had ripped off 8 straight wins to open the 08 season, headlined by home wins over Illinois and Michigan, as well as a 48-7 shallacking of Wisconsin. However there was a speed bump that set in. CRACK! Daryll Clark was injured in the game against Michigan and was questionable for this contest. Luckily Clark would be a go come gametime. JoePa knew the stakes of this game were very important. The previous year, Ohio State had come into Beaver Stadium and laid a 2nd Half whooping on the Nittany Lions. But the difference between 07 and 08 for Penn State was that the team was much better. Fresh off an appearance in the National Championship game, Ohio State still had massive expectations of a New Years 6 game. Even if their only loss was a blowout against #1 USC at the LA Coliseum the Buckeyes were still viewed as the class of the BIG10. Let the games begin!
Brent Musberger: You are looking live, at the Horseshoe in Columbus, where Ohio State is out to prove that they still are the team to beat in the BIG10. Narrator: The beginning of this game would turn into an old school defensive showdown. Even if Heisman Candidates Beanie Wells, and Terrelle Pryor were coming off an outstanding performance against Michigan State the previous week, they would have issues navigating JoePa’s defense. Even if the Buckeyes got to the Penn State 35 on their opening drive they would get nothing. Tyrell Sales shutting down a receiver screen was a big reason why. It knocked Ohio State out of field goal range, and they were forced to punt. The question now was how would Daryll Clark do against the Bucks defense even if he wasn’t 100%? Early on Clark looked relaxed. Led by a 10 yard run from Derrick Williams, and a nice hookup with Brett Brackett, Clark guided his team past midfield. However he didn’t take into account that Cameron Heyward was to knock down 2 key passes at the line of scrimmage. (I didn’t like it then, and I for sure don’t like it now that he’s in Pittsburgh) Add in REFBALL on a pass interference penalty against PSU too because why not. With JoePa looking down from the press box thanks to a hip injury the defense was able to once again neutralize the zone read offense for Ohio State. Penn State on the other hand was once again pinned deep in their own end. And like the previous drive they gained 2 key 1st Downs to open the drive. Aided by a PI call this time against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions would get past the 50. But then they got stalled thanks to a 3rd Down sack. It seemed that whoever had the toughest defense on the field was going to win this game.
After a scoreless 1st Quarter the 2 teams recognized that points would be hard to come by. It looked as if the Buckeyes would convert a 3rd Down play into a fresh set of downs only for Brian Robiske’s catch to be reversed into an incomplete pass. (It’s hard to tell if it hit the ground, but who knows) With both passing games slow to develop it became clear that the run game would play a factor into this one. And it did. Evan Royster carried the ball twice on consecutive plays, which resulted in a combined 13 yards and a 1st. However as soon as they went back to the passing game, Ohio State knew what was coming. Wouldn’t you guess it, Penn State had to punt again. All of this led to the Buckeyes making the game’s first big play. It just happened to be a 50+ yard catch and run which got them to the PSU 40. But like every other drive from both teams, Ohio State had to punt. The Nittany Lions for the first time all night went for the big strike down the field as soon as they regained the ball. It worked. Graham Zug, the sophomore got behind the secondary and hauled in the long pass. It didn’t lead to a touchdown but it did give Penn State the first points of the game and a 3-0 lead. However the big play Buckeyes would try to take their chances. They converted one of those big shots thanks to a great catch by Robiske. And just before the 1st Half ended, Ohio State was able to tie the game at 3. What looked like an offensive showdown on paper has turned into a defensive battle.
The 2nd Half looked to be more of the same, with both teams having trouble getting anything going on offense. The chess match between JoePa and Jim Tressel was only growing intense. Both defenses held up strong and scoring a touchdown in this game would be a victory on its own. (The weather conditions weren’t even that bad either) On their first drive of the 2nd Half, Ohio State had their best chance to score a touchdown all night long. That was short lived as the Nittany Lion defense shut down Pryor again inside the 15. The Buckeyes did kick a field goal which gave them a 6-3 lead. As Clark and the Penn State offense again penetrated OSU territory, the theme of this game was simple. “Bend but don’t Break.” Even as the 3rd Quarter ended, not a single touchdown was scored. (DRAMATIC MUSIC!) Who is going to break through in this old school kind of game? At the moment it looked like it was Ohio State as Kevin Kelly missed a game tying field goal. (Penn State students: OH COME ON!) If Penn State is going to keep their unbeaten season and National Title game hopes alive, they are going to need a break to go their way. (Great Balls of Fire playing) And wouldn’t you know it came at the right time. Pryor tried a QB Sneak on 3rd and 1, AND IT’S A FUMBLE! THERE’S A SCRAMBLE FOR THE BALL! BOTH TEAMS ARE CHASING FOR IT! RUMBLIN, BUMBLIN, STUMBLIN! WE HAVE A MASSIVE PILE! I wonder who has the ball? BEEP! PENN STATE HAS IT! There’s the break the Nittany Lions needed! The only downside was that Daryll Clark got knocked out of the game due to injury on the Lions last possession.
Enter Pat Devlin. Yes he may be the backup but as long as he doesn’t blow this chance, we’re good to go. Fortunately for PSU fans, he and Derrick Williams were helped out by a PI call which took them to the 14 yard line. From there, the running game would do the rest although they had to earn their yards. And with one sneak by Devlin, PENN STATE HAS SCORED A TOUCHDOWN! (Hallelujah!) Finally someone has made it to the endzone. Many watching the game expected an Ohio State answer, but Terrelle Pryor’s rough night continued as he was no match for the Penn State defense. JoePa exposing his weaknesses, what a gentleman in a scholar! On the next series, the Nittany Lions were helped out by a 15 yard facemask penalty against the Buckeyes which took them to the 45. Then PSU decided to pound the ball down Ohio State’s throats. And even if they weren’t able to run out the clock, Penn State led by 7 with a minute left thanks to a Kelly field goal. All the defense had to do was hold off one last drive by THE BIG10 Factory. With 36 seconds left, the Buckeyes reached Penn State territory. Will this be the signature win of the season, or will overtime occur? “Beanie Wells couldn’t block his man, but Terrelle steps away from him and goes deep. Endzone! (HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!) Intercepted! Picked off by Lydell Sargeant.” In a game that has been ruled by defense all night, the Pride of the Penn State Football team that has been gloated about for generations came through in the end. In what turned out to be Joe Paterno’s final win at Ohio Stadium, it was a sweet one. Holding one of the top offensive teams in the nation out of the endzone. I wonder how State College is reacting. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! PAUSE.
(Zombie Nation playing) PSU Students: O-O-O-O-O! O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O! WE! ARE! PENN! STATE! O-O-O-O-O! O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O! WE! ARE! PENN! STATE! Narrator: You heard that, the Penn State students rioted the streets in celebration after this game. It may have cost them the next week in a gut wrenching loss to Iowa but it was good while it lasted. To this day that’s the last time Penn State has won in Columbus. It’s still talked about as one of the greatest road wins in school history. The heroics of Pat Devlin and Lydell Sargeant in this game are 2 one game success stories that no one saw coming. Ohio State may be the best team in the BIG10 on paper, but a game like this proves that stats and reputation don’t matter. Your performance in this particular game does. I hope James Franklin and Manny Diaz can learn a thing or 2 from this game before Whiteout 2022. When you limit a top offense to just 6 points in their building it shows how strong your defense really is. Honestly it may have taken me much longer to publish this game than expected but hey it was worth it. I wonder what game is next in this series of great Penn State games. “Barkley, TOUCHDOWN! AND PENN STATE WINS!” Oh the 2016 epic against Minnesota, great selection, editors. Anyways that will do it for this week, I hope to put the next game out on schedule instead of a couple days late. Enjoy the rest of your week PSU! WE ARE! PENN STATE! WE ARE!! PENN STATE!! WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!! THANK YOU! YOU’RE WELCOME!!!
Bragging Rights Sports 