Penn State Football

Back in 2013, I did a series of posts on my favorite sports teams.  I neglected college sports at the time; this post amends that omission.  Today, I look at Penn State football.

Origin of Fandom

Penn State football holds a special place in my heart for two reasons:

1. I attended school there, along with my wife and many family members.
2. As reflected by their uniforms (simple with no 'brownie points' on the helmet or names on the jerseys), they focus on the concept of team over the individual.

I grew up cheering for Penn State, as many of my family were alumni long before I was.  It was easy to root for this down-to-earth team, known for excellent running backs and linebackers.

It hasn't all been good.  In 2011, hearts were broken as the Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked the university.  Penn State owned up for its share of the wrongdoing, however, and actively worked reconciliation.

Recent History

I don't remember the 1986 championship team, but my parents sure do.  Three teams stick out most in my mind:

1994's undefeated team
Kerry Collins (QB), Ki-Jana Carter (RB), Bobby Engram (WR), Joe Jurevicius (WR), Kyle Brady (TE), Joe Hartings (G) all played in the NFL after school, most of them for many years.  They dominated opponents all year long and made up for an unusually-lackluster defense.  Though they ended the year undefeated, in these years before the College Football Playoff they were obligated (as Big Ten Champions) to play in the Rose Bowl.  They'd win, but it wasn't enough to convince the pollsters to place them above Nebraska.  They'd finish number 2 in all polls except one- the NYTimes computer-generated poll- where they were top dog.  We'll always wonder how a PSU-Nebraska game would have ended that year.

1999's defense
After opening the year with nine straight wins and beating four ranked opponents along the way, the second-ranked Nittanly Lions lost three in a row to close out the regular season, redeeming themselves with a bowl-game shut-out.  LaVar Arrington (LB), Brandon Short (LB), Courtney Brown (DE), and David Macklin (CB) stood out on an outstanding defense that was a thrill to watch.  As I was in school there at this time, I remember it well- especially the 'LaVar leap' seen below.



- 2016's offense
Stuttering to a 2-2 start, the team would win nine in a row, including two wins over teams in the top six (Ohio State and Wisconsin) to earn the Big Ten Championship.  The offense was amazing.  Trace McSorley (QB), Saquon Barkley (RB), Chris Godwin (WR), and Mike Gesicki (TE) made mincemeat of teams.  Their specialty was second-half play (they'd go into a hole in the first half, then come out swinging in the second) and a home-run offense, nowhere better exemplified than by their come-from-behind win against Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Championship.  The video with those highlights is below.  They ended up losing a thrilling Rose Bowl to USC, but not before another impressive comeback put them in position to win.




Final Thoughts

Of all the good players, I remember Penn State's notable linebackers, running backs, and quarterbacks the most. Linebackers like:

Tamba Hali, Paul Posluszny, Sean Lee, LaVar Arrington, Dan Connor, NaVorro Bowman, Cameron Wake, Aaron Maybin, Shane Conlan, Michael Mauti, Gerald Hodges, Brandon Short

Running backs like:

Ki-Jana Carter, Curtis Enis, Larry Johnson, Saquon Barkley, D.J. Dozier, Blair Thomas, Tony Hunt, 

Eric McCoo

Quarterbacks like:
Kerry Collins, Michael Robinson, Matt McGloin

Lots of good memories here.  Go Penn State!