Penn State's Greatest Games Of The Big Ten Era: 2005 Ohio State
by Adam Bittner on Jul 11, 2011 10:01 AM EDT
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BSD is chronicling 15 of Penn State's best games since joining the Big Ten in 1993. For more on the series, click here. Today, Tony Pittman and Lou Prato talk about Penn State's epic 2005 victory against Ohio State at Beaver Stadium.
Earlier in our "Greatest Games" series, contributor Adam Collyer said of the 2002 Nebraska game "You never forget the first time that college truly takes your breath away. Sure, the classes were tougher, the parties were ridiculous, and the girls were amazing. But Saturday, September 14, 2002, at 8:00 PM was the moment that the Penn State Class of 2006 arrived."
In the fall of 2005, I was neither in college, nor experiencing amazing women. Quite the contrary, actually. I was a high school freshman at a big public school, still adjusting to the move from a small Catholic grade school in suburban Pittsburgh. Most of my closest friends had gone to Catholic high school, and for the first time in my life, outside my family, I felt fairly alone in this big, cruel world.
As the warm September days faded to a cold, damp October, however, I found an upstart group of Nittany Lions offered a great escape from the turbulent reality that was my life at the time. Led by quarterback Michael Robinson, linebacker Paul Posluszny and a stellar class of freshman including Derrick Williams, Justin King, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood, Penn State had raced out to a 5-0 start and No. 16 ranking in the polls after four losing seasons in five years.
As No. 6 Ohio State rolled into town on October 8, the stage was set for the Penn State moment that first took my breath away.
After attending Penn State's 44-14 clobbering of Minnesota the week before, I practically begged my dad to take my back to Happy Valley for the Lions' clash with the Buckeyes. A few days of pestering later, he relented, and agreed to ride up early Saturday morning to catch College Gameday, live from the Bryce Jordan Center.
Without much traffic on the roads, we made the journey in record time and pulled into a misty State College just past 8:00 a.m. Pops swooped in on the first parking space in the lot and we walked over to the BJC to see the show. The crowd there was lively, and we had a great time until Lee Corso ruined the mood and put the Brutus headgear on.
With that, we stormed off to The Diner downtown, where I consumed my traditional steak and eggs meal topped off, of course, by a grilled stickie. It was about that time that we realized we still didn't have tickets for the game, so we began moseying back toward the stadium, holding two fingers high in the air.
It was one of the stiffest ticket markets I can remember. We walked around for a good 30-45 minutes before a gentleman finally stopped us and offered tickets for just over $60. Figuring that was reasonable for a game of this magnitude, we accepted to offer and headed off to a tailgate, where we hung around until just before kickoff.
Finally, around 7:00 p.m., it was time to head into Beaver Stadium for the game. To this day, I can't remember a crowd packing in the way it did that night. Just a flood of people decended on the building at exactly the same time. We were shoulder-to-shoulder with folks for a good half hour before we finally arrived at our seats on about the north 20-yard line on the east side of the stadium.
From the opening kickoff, the crowd was on its feet and the atmosphere was electric. Ohio State struck first with a field goal in the first quarter, but Penn State punched back hard when Williams finished off a long drive with a 13-yard touchdown run early in the second.
Then came a series of plays I'll probably never forget.
On the ensuing Ohio State drive, Tamba Hali sacked the Buckeyes' Troy Smith for a six-yard loss.
Zombie Nation blared.
On second down, Smith was whacked and threw and incomplete pass.
More Zombie Nation.
On third down, Calvin Lowry picked Smith off and returned the ball to the Ohio State two yardline.
At that point, pandemonium I've experienced neither before or since broke loose in the stands. Zombie Nation throbbed again, the entire crowd bouncing along. I stood still on the bleachers for a moment and felt the tin beneath me recede what had to have been at least six inches with each rhythmic pulse of the mob. I actually questioned whether I was safe for a moment before throwing myself head first back into the celebration.
A few plays later, Robinson punched the ball in for a score that put Penn State up 14-3. Ohio State answered with a touchdown before halftime, but the Lions added a Kevin Kelly field goad coming out of the locker room to set the score at 17-10.
The rest of the second half was classic Joe Paterno vs. Jim Tressel. The teams exchanged what seemed like and endless series of punts, playing things conservatively deep into the fourth quarter.
With 3:48 to play, Smith and the Buckeyes took the ball back for one final charge at a score to knot the game at 17. After Hali got to Smith for a sack on first down to pin Ohio State on its own five, the Buckeye quarterback rallied for completions of 27 and 20 yards to Ted Ginn Jr. and Santonio Holmes to get his team to midfield. A 3-yard completion to Roy Hall on first down got Ohio State into Penn State territory, but one 2nd down, the Penn State defense made perhaps the its play of a generation.
Hali broke free and pounded Smith in the backfield, forcing a fumble. Penn State's Scott Paxson fell on the ball to give the Lions possession and seal the victory. After a few team rushes, the whited-out Penn State student section stormed the field and cast off a half-decade of "Dark Years" anguish for good.
Penn State was back, with a vengeance.
The postgame stats weren't pretty. Robinson led Penn State in passing with just 78 yards on 11 completions in the sloppy conditions. Tony Hunt managed just 64 yards on the ground for Penn State on 16 carries and no receiver went for more yards than Norwood's 36. It was enough to get the job done, however, and move the Lions to 6-0 and sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
After the game, Paterno praised his defense.
"I thought the defense was absolutely superb," Paterno said. "There was a lot of pressure. One mistake and it's the entire ballgame."
Ohio State gained just 230 total yards in the game and averaged just 4.6 yards per pass play. The offense played a turnover free game, and it helped put the Lions over the top on this night, one few Penn State fans, including a 15 year-old from suburban Pittsburgh, won't soon forget.
When my dad and I got back to the car, I grabbed a permanent market from the glove compartment, flipped on the dome light and inscribed "PSU 17 OSU 10 10/8/05: inside my hat. To this day, no Penn State scores have joined it.
There's a chance none ever will.
Lou Prato
Nothing captures the heart and spirit of the Ohio State game in 2005 than the large color photo on display on the main floor of the Lasch Building football complex. The photo shows Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith frozen upside down in the split second after he was hit by Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali at midfield causing the fumble that clinched the emotional 17-10 victory with less and 1:30 to play. The play itself was spectacular, but it is the eerie, misty night time setting that gives the scene extra drama. Of course, it doesn’t show defensive tackle Scott Paxon falling on the ball, nor can you see or hear the pandemonium of the frenzied, near record crowd of 109,134. But anyone who saw the game will remember that play forever. The win by the then No. 16 Nittany Lions over the then No.6 Buckeyes thrust Penn State into the Big Ten Conference lead and told the college football world that Pernn State football was back among the elite after five years of almost hitting bottom.
However, what was equally memorable to me that week was the start of Paternoville and the national attention attracted by those ingenious students who spontaneously created a new and proud tradition by pitching their tents and camping outside the student gate of Beaver Stadium for nearly a week. Students had camped out before other games over the years but never en masse at that location. In fact, the downward losing spiral between 2000 and 2005 had sapped the spirits of the students—and older fans, too—and the lethargy often led to many empty seats inside what seemed like a mausoleum rather than the second largest football stadium in the county. Little did I know what was about to happen when I saw those first couple of tents outside the gate on Monday morning. I was then the Director of the Penn State All-Sports Museum, and shortly after we opened someone said they saw a couple of tents outside Gate A. I went to the the concourse near the student section and looked down and saw the tents with a couple of kids standing there. I don’t remember if there were two or four tents, but I remember hollering down and asking what they were doing and gave them a few encouraging words. I think they told me they had been there since Sunday night. As I watched the camping build up over the next few days I was even more and more amazed. I still remember when Jay Paterno and some football players made a visit delivering pizzas and the ESPN cameras shooting video for their pregame programs. Not even all the rain that week dampened the spirits of those dedicated students
Those pioneering campers carried that spirit into the stadium that rainy evening, and with some assistance from the Penn State sports marking arm, the students were decked out white shirts—with thousands of other fans following their lead—in what was declared a "whiteout." No one could recall anything like that being done by fans at any other college football venue in the country, and when the hyped-up crowd literally shook the foundation of Beaver Stadium that whiteout night, the entire nation saw it or heard about it. Paternoville was here to stay. So were "whiteouts," although the name had to be changed to "whitehouses" for legal reasons. There have been a couple of other games since they came close to the energy and pandemonium in Beaver Stadium that night. But, at least to me, none have matched the electricity and total spirit of that night. And thanks to Tamba Hali it is still an unforgettable night.
Tony Pittman
In my opinion, this is the game that truly vaulted Beaver Stadium to the level of being truly regarded as The Greatest Show in College Football. At the start of the 2005 season, nobody gave Penn State a shot being in a position to make that game against Ohio State meaningful in any way. We were coming off of one of the worst years in school history. But, 2005 would prove to be a very special year, and that night against the Buckeyes was truly magical.
I watched from the sidelines with many former teammates, including O. J. McDuffie and KiJana Carter. The game was close throughout, but after the late sack by Tamba Hali forced Troy Smith to fumble, the game was sealed, and Penn State was truly back. Just like that monumental collapse against Minnesota in 1999 marked the beginning of a difficult decline, the 2005 triumph over Ohio State really put Penn State back on the road toward once again becoming a perennial national power. It was an absolutely huge win.
Video Corner
Another from the "10 Minutes Or Less" series from our friends at Linebacker-U.
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I can still remember some parts of this game from the stands
I can vividly remember the Calvin Lowry pick, the Tamba Hali sack, Poz chasing down Troy, etc. Wonderful game.
"Go to Hell, Michigan Football"
by ICEICETHATGUY13 on Jul 11, 2011 10:04 AM EDT reply actions
I remember the Lowry pick
I spilled my nacho cheese all over myself and then threw the rest of the chips in pure, jubiliant celebration. I think that was my favorite moment from that game
I've spent most of my money and booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I wasted.
by psuphysicist on Jul 11, 2011 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
No coincidence that the Nestea - The Yes Tea - women have returned for this post.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 10:28 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
I was in the student section for this one
even though I had graduated the year before. I had friends with seats scattered around the stadium, but I REALLY wanted to be in the student section. And I will proudly say that I was the loudest guy in my particular section. I was so psyched for this game all week, I don’t know how I managed to focus on my first-year law school reading.
I stayed with a friend of mine who had been a die-hard fan; he didn’t want to go to the game. Like a fair number of students who were there from 2000 to 2004, the dark years had just crushed his spirit. This game, and the 2005 season as a whole, brought him back into it.
Being there was an incomparable experience. I had faithfully sat in the student section from 2001-2004. I was there for 2001 OSU and 2002 Nebraska. Those were the games that got me hooked, the games that kept me coming back for every damn game in 2003 and 2004, the games that kept me dragging friends from out of town to Beaver Stadium, hoping that they’d get to witness that kind of greatness. (Footnote: unfortunately, one of those friends got dragged to the 6-4 game. Yick). This was the game I had been waiting for. I don’t think it will ever be topped.
by newenglandnittanylion on Jul 11, 2011 10:47 AM EDT reply actions
I was sitting in the south end zone,
and I swear that Hali sack happened in slow motion in front of my eyes. Hali beating the tackle to the corner… Smith doesn’t see him… Smith doesn’t see him… Smith doesn’t…. UPSIDEDOWNFUMBLEPAXSONOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD (/commence pandemonium)
I also ended up getting on the field after that game WITHOUT getting pepper sprayed. There’s a picture of me and my friend on the 50 yard line somewhere… I’ll see if I can’t find it…
Anyone else remember the cops using that Facebook group “I rushed the field after the PSU/OSU game” to cite people?
That's like Sophie's Choice...
Step into the facebook spotlight to lock in your 15 minutes of fame (whether true or manufactured) and get whacked with a fine or maintain your facebook silence and recieve a chorus of “Yeah , sure you were{doubting eye rolls}” everytime you recant your 2005 PSU/OSU rushing the field story.
'Trivializing the "GREATEST RIVALRY OF ALL TIME" for a bunch of ghetto tats must have made them pee in their man-diapers.' Mr. Rosewater
Best pictures I have
The seats we were in:
Me and my friend Jared (okay, near the goal line, and not the 50, but I swear we were out on the 50 at one point)
I was also in the endzone about 20 rows up in the student section
And I remember that clearly remember that fumble. In my head, the ball bounced around the turf for what seemed like an eternity. I was actually surprised just now, watching the video. I can’t believe how fast it actually happened.
I've spent most of my money and booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I wasted.
by psuphysicist on Jul 11, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Wow.
I should edit before I post. I’m just excited remembering the game I guess.
I've spent most of my money and booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I wasted.
by psuphysicist on Jul 11, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
I didn't even see the fumble
As soon as I saw Hali come off the edge I started celebrating. It wasn’t until the second swell of crowd noise that I realized it wasn’t just a sack.
Yessssssssssss
by ChrisHarrell's_stache05 on Jul 11, 2011 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Just incredible
There are three days in my life where I’m able to chronicle every moment. What I ate. What I was wearing. Who I talked to and exactly what I said. One is that day. The others are the days of my baptism and my wedding.
I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is yes, those clothes do get their own drawer in my house.
is there anyway i can redeem myself, i was not sure if i should say "we" at that moment
by Skins4ever on Feb 2, 2010 7:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My roommate and I made sweet garbage bag ponchos for that game. We made them from white bags and used blue marker to make them look like PSU jerseys. He wore a 12 and I wore a 21. I still have it.
by ChrisHarrell's_stache05 on Jul 11, 2011 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
I have no idea whatever happened to the sign my roommate and I made for gameday
On one side there was Err from ATHF and the words “OHIO STATE IS FOR POOR PEOPLE”
On the other, there was a clock taped to the sign and it read, “IT’S [CLOCK] AND PITT STILL SUCKS”
I lost it. My only regret.
is there anyway i can redeem myself, i was not sure if i should say "we" at that moment
by Skins4ever on Feb 2, 2010 7:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
by ckmneon on Jul 11, 2011 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The clock sign was yours?
Awesome. Loved that.
I ain't from Dallas, but I D-Town boogie
@AdamCollyer
by Adam Collyer on Jul 11, 2011 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Haha remember the "OSU is for poor people sign" outside of Gameday.
I was standing a few feet from you and the ‘Tony Shaloub’ for PSU" sign
by Jared Slanina on Jul 11, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I loved the OSU is for poor people sign, too!
Way to go, ckmneon!
This is BSD, the crazy stirs itself.
Of course they do.
I have a closet with Penn State apparel that only gets worn during the season. Embroidered Blues for home games (unless it’s a whiteout), embroidered Whites for away games, various Blues and Whites to wear the Friday’s before and the Sunday’s after.
My wife says I’m a little nuts. But am I really if I know it?
Admitting you have a problem
is the first step to recovery TAKING IT TO A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL
is there anyway i can redeem myself, i was not sure if i should say "we" at that moment
by Skins4ever on Feb 2, 2010 7:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
by ckmneon on Jul 11, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Yeah, I have three drawers of just PSU shirts/shorts/dri-fit type clothes. I also have a closet full of jerseys and polo shirts as well as Rugby shirts. I think it’s safe to say that at least half to 2/3 of my entire wardrobe consists of penn state apparel.
Also, I’ve never thrown away a PSU shirt.
I've spent most of my money and booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I wasted.
by psuphysicist on Jul 11, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions
No. I've never thrown away any Penn State/Boston Celtics/Steelers apparel.
When it’s time for them to be retired, they get burned in the fire place in my sports den.
53 DAYS 22 HOURS 14 MINUTES 56 SECONDS UNTIL KICKOFF!!!
How old were you
when you were baptised? I’m guessing you’re not Catholic.
'Trivializing the "GREATEST RIVALRY OF ALL TIME" for a bunch of ghetto tats must have made them pee in their man-diapers.' Mr. Rosewater
10, and no
is there anyway i can redeem myself, i was not sure if i should say "we" at that moment
by Skins4ever on Feb 2, 2010 7:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I thought not...
The Romans like to indoctrinate you early.
'Trivializing the "GREATEST RIVALRY OF ALL TIME" for a bunch of ghetto tats must have made them pee in their man-diapers.' Mr. Rosewater
We were in my friend's seats in WJ
for that game. After Hali’s sack, I still remember looking at my friend and saying something to the effect of “Holy shit! We’re going to win this game!” It was almost unbelievable at the time (in a good way).
He died as he lived: soiled and splayed.
I never thought we'd lose
There was no way we were going to let them score in the 2nd half. Absolutely no way.
by OctaShields on Jul 11, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed
The way the defense was playing, the way Bradley was calling the plays, the way Joe took over the offense..wasn’t going to happen.
"I want to be remembered as an ambassador of Penn State University. I want people to remember me not only athletically but for my character too. It’s important that I play well, but I want people to remember me for who I was as a person." ~Silas Redd
The way we were playing, I didn't exactly expect us to lose.
I just had an irrational fear that some fluky play might happen in OSU’s favor to blow the game for us.
He died as he lived: soiled and splayed.
Anyone familiar with Penn State football,
often has that fear and ALWAYS has it during a Michigan game (I know we’re talking about Ohio State, but we regularly get screwed in Michigan games).
This is BSD, the crazy stirs itself.
Yeah, I pretty much have that fear during any big PSU game that's close in the 4th quarter.
He died as he lived: soiled and splayed.
And not just a fear of screw jobs by referines.
It’s also a fear of fluky 1999-Minnesota-4th down-hail mary-type of plays, too.
He died as he lived: soiled and splayed.
Best defensive effort I've ever witnessed in person.
Alford and Paxson were collapsing the pocket all night long. Posluszny was incredible, especially in the open field. Tamba just walked toward the sideline after that sack and fumble, too exhausted to even celebrate.
Agreed. That game was a hard-hitting defensive slugfest.
Ohio State’s defense was good, too, but ours was better that night. IIRC, neither team topped 300 yards of total offense for the game.
He died as he lived: soiled and splayed.
He wasn't exhausted.
He was awesome.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't see him as being exhausted,
just cool and low key. He took care of business. He didn’t need to show off.
This is BSD, the crazy stirs itself.
I don't believe it.
Tamba never celebrated that much to begin with.
Moreover, I refuse to believe it.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions
It's not meant as a PERSONAL ATTACK.
It’s a childish thing, but this game gives me childish memories because of its nature. I want to believe Hali was so nonchalant, so Penn State that he would just walk off the field….because.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Okay, thanks. Now I understand what you were saying.
FWIW, there’s nothing wrong with the memory of a weary-warrior who left it all out on the field.
I remember the entire weekend.
I got into State College around 11:30 Friday night. We went out and closed down The Gingerbread Man and another bar (well, maybe I don’t remember EVERYTHING from that weekend!). We went to bed around 3:15AM and were up at 7:30AM with a goal of parking in my reserved spots by 9:30. We didn’t get there until 9:45, but those 15 minutes didn’t hurt.
I remember walking up to game day screaming and cursing at Corso. He’s such a shit. I think, for being a Suckeye, that Herbstreit has been pretty objective and fair with us. I remember that game being one of the best drunks I ever had. I was totally gooned up beyond belief, but also totally coherent. I drank about 25 Miller Lites before, and about a pint of whiskey during the game.
While the Nebraska game in 2002 was louder in spots, the atmosphere for this game was absolutely loud and nuts from start unto finish. There were no lulls in the noise or intensity from the fans. I remember the people in my group of 6 just absolutely losing it on every possession. I mean, screaming, yelling, cheering. I don’t ever recall the stadium being that intense from start to finish. Ever.
That was an incredible game. An incredible night. A return to the big time. Putting the dark years behind. Several people in our group were in tears when it was over. We mattered again. You can’t win championships every year. You just can’t. But to at least be important, to be a factor, you can’t trade that.
The only thing that bothers me now is how the university keeps trying to force the same kind of atmosphere up there. I’m not saying we’ll never see that again. Let Nebraska come up here in some November with both of us in the Top 5, and you’ll see that again. Guaranteed. But you can’t just pick out a game a year and falsely hype it to give people an experience. The best experiences, the best parties, the best one night stands, etc. are the ones that happen unexpectedly.
54 DAYS 18 MINUTES 24 SECONDS UNTIL KICKOFF!!!
Every time I read one of these posts and the comments following it, I begin to wish I had gone to PSU for undergrad. It’s a shame I didn’t as this would have been one of my first games ever. Instead, I had to beg my girlfriend to let me watch the game instead of going out (at my suburban Greensburg undergrad…at the time I only knew Pitt fans). I think I scared her when I flipped out after Hali’s sack/Smith’s fumble, but it was worth it.
(I think) This game started the white out craze across other sports and stadiums. I now go to VT and every year freak out that VT has a whiteout, maroon effect, and orange effect game. The whiteout is usually for the cupcake of the year (JMU last year…that turned out awesome). These should be saved for important games, not random ones on the schedule. That said, PSU did a damn good job with the whiteout that year and the crowd was phenomenal. Absolutely crazy.
"When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth."
-Roberto
by blackjackfishtaco on Jul 11, 2011 11:45 AM EDT reply actions
That week was amazing
A bunch of guys from our floor and I set up our tent on Monday morning and took turns sleeping in the tent at night. From Monday thru Friday night we all made the trek from South Halls to sit, consume beverages, meet the visiting players and coaches, and enjoy the general exuberance of the situation. The night my roommate and I were supposed to sleep there, Thursday, I had pretty much given up on getting any sleep. I can still remember the Gary Glitter Rock’ n Roll Penn State chants continuing past 5 AM. Despite the cries of a few to cut the racket, people with drum sticks and rotten fists continued to pound trash cans, port-a-johns, and cowbells until the Cold Pizza Crew arrived in the morning. While Woody Paige woke us up with a megaphone, my roommate and I realized that the pillows that we got 15 min of sleep on were water-logged with remnants of the previous night’s rain.
On Saturday, we had to dismantle our tent at 6:00 AM and start piling into the cluster in front of Gate A. For 12 hours we stood, waiting for the gates to open. During this time, our group and those around us painted faces, started chants degrading Mrs. Tressel, and circulated signs celebrating the Americana that is bathroom art. I vividly remember the guy up on the concourse that resembled Steven Segal flashing us on numerous occasions. Like ckmneon said above, it was one of those days that you remember every detail.
After the Lowry interception, I remember looking at my friends and saying, “Wow, even the Alumni are bouncing.” Now that I have joined their ranks and have been to a few games seated in the sections opposite the students, I realize that that night will never be duplicated. From the whiteout to the Alumni jumping in Yellow Rainsuits, to the on-field police taunting the students to throw water bottles at their shields – it was all priceless.
I deserve a little credit for this win
To date we are 1-5 when I am within State College city limits for an 8pm start, and we’re something like 0-6 hosting Ohio State when I’m in town. In fact, I’ve never been within 100 miles of a Penn State victory over Ohio State as far as I know.
Sure most of the credit should got to Poz, MRob, and Hali, but I feel that my decision to pack up and head over to IUP for the weekend was certainly part of our success that night.
Anyway, the flashlights eat our human power grids, our souls if you will. So i destroyed them, and if a few precious panties were burnt or soiled in the reckoning then so be it
Hey Police Department
I stormed the field after the game! There, I said it. AND IT WAS AWESOME.
I grabbed a pinch of grass from the field. I put it on my desk in my room and I planned on keeping it, but it dried up and blew away or something. But it doesn’t matter – you’ll never need any physical proof to remember something that’s burned into your memory forever anyway.
by OctaShields on Jul 11, 2011 12:23 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
I wasn't there for the game
But I remember sitting on the edge of my bed watching the game with one of my college friends. We had started the day by working on some engineering project that was due that week or something, who cares, but we gave up after about an hour because we were too excited for the game. Then the game happened. I grew up in a house with a dad that was a big PSU fan but this was the game, the season, that officially grabbed me and will never let go. When Hali sacked Smith, those watching the game in the room all jumped up and gave a bro-hug while jumping around. Unforgettable.
"I want to be remembered as an ambassador of Penn State University. I want people to remember me not only athletically but for my character too. It’s important that I play well, but I want people to remember me for who I was as a person." ~Silas Redd
when I attend PSU games and other sporting event..
I have attended about 16 Football/Basketball/baseball games past 5 years including 6 PSU games.
the record of the teams I root for? 16-0
it is true whenver I go to the game my team always wins..and you know what I am going to the Bama game this year!!!!!!!!!!!
let’s beat Bama
If that's your record, then you better be there NO MATTER WHAT!
If somebody gets sick, the hospital will take care of them.
If your plumbing goes bad, open the windows and doors; the water will eventually run out.
If your home catches on fire, it will rain to put it out.
If somebody dies, put them on ice. There’s no more you can do for them anyway.
Yup. If Penn State’s undefeated with you in the house, you absolutely, positively must be there!
by Ab4PSU on Jul 11, 2011 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I just bummed you only posted this once
and you need to be at the Alabama game and root for PSU.
My grammer skills need improved.
I remember watching the game as a freshman in the student section
and when Hali hit Smith and we recovered the fumble, the jumping and celebrating caused rows and rows of people to fall backwards into the people standing behind them. A truly unforgettable night.
I like sports and I don't care who knows.
I spent most of the day
with John Black — of The Football Letter fame — the first and last time I’ve talked to him. (I went to the game with a friend of the Black family.)
Pretty damned drunk, right before we went into the game, I spent five minutes yelling at Mr. Black about how a Penn State “pick house” (aka pick six) was going to be a crucial play in the game. Calvin Lowry came within two yards of proving me prescient.
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
Upper North End Zone
… was shaking like crazy. And that’s where all the ol’ timers like me (mid 30’s) sit. My wife had bought the tickets and reaffirmed why I married her. If she would have snuck in a flask, I would have had to have impregnated her during zombie nation.
I just don't want to die without a few scars. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 6
by LB31Monster on Jul 11, 2011 12:48 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
That's hilarious.
Maybe you should buy her a flask and see what she does with it.
There’s nothing hotter and sexier than a woman who’s into sports and knows what she’s talking about.
I can't buy her a flask (not a full one).
She’s pregnant. Don’t blame me. How was I supposed to know the Pirates would be good this year?
I just don't want to die without a few scars. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 6
by LB31Monster on Jul 11, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 8 recs
Yes, there is.
A woman who can garden.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Everything has been said...
However, the post-game tailgating was the best I’ve ever been a part of. I was in that parking lot until 4 am running around in the mud replaying D-Will’s two arm finger point for hours and hours and hours
"That's why you don't play! 'Cuz you're no good!" -Joe Paterno
I have an awful, awful
memory for sports related stuff. While friends are talking about the shot they hit on the 3rd fairway at Awesome Golf Course 7 years ago, I vaguely remember being there. I’m a pretty decent bowler and have shot a few 300’s and a decent number of 700 series, but I couldn’t tell you which polyester shirt I was wearing or when or where it happened.
You would think when it comes to PSU games I could remember which Notre Dame game it snowed or rained so hard the trashbag I was wearing didn’t end up being very hefty.
I can only hope at some tailgate in the near future I have a Will Ferrell/Old School Debate-style revelation where all my sporting event experiences suddenly spring forth like Athena from Zeus’s head.
'Trivializing the "GREATEST RIVALRY OF ALL TIME" for a bunch of ghetto tats must have made them pee in their man-diapers.' Mr. Rosewater
My Freshman Year
As a lifelong diehard, I was a little sad that I would be attending school during a downswing… Then this season happened.
I was at paternoville most of the week. There were no classes, as far as I remember….right?
Ya’ll have said it all, but some personal memories of mine were:
- my buddy getting his acoustic guitar signed by M Rob
- meeting a hungover Woody Paige at about 5 am where he said “I think youll beat the shit outta them”
- banging on the trash cans every hour on the hour
- getting about 10hrs of sleep that week, running on mostly booze and adrenaline and the like
- snagging a chunk of turf which i still have in tupperware container on my shelf
- passing out right after getting back to east and slleping for literally 24 hours. Most spent id ever been.
Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Name. All Game.
"Let's go. We are Penn State. We are not normal, we are legends. People will tell their kids about us. We are not normal, we are Penn State. They don't have the tradition to hold our nuts. And they gonna flick us off on the way here? They gonna flick us off? F*** Me? No.... F**** You! Let's go."
by Roland86 on Jul 11, 2011 1:17 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I kind of doubt that that......
atmosphere of that night can ever be captured again….I thought at the time that the roar of the crowd was deafening, the play of both teams was remarkable, and I actually thought the “ole” Beaver was going to collapse at some point. Great individual plays and the final result made this game exhausting as well as thoroughly enjoyable. It was one for the ages, no doubt.
"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God." The Government is like the Mob, you can check out, but never leave.
Does your wife
know you call her the “Ole Beaver”? Ba dum bump.
'Trivializing the "GREATEST RIVALRY OF ALL TIME" for a bunch of ghetto tats must have made them pee in their man-diapers.' Mr. Rosewater
For 46 years now....
Let’s just say that for the past 40 she just gives me the “weak look”. She’s cool though….Hey she’s MrsPharmer!
"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God." The Government is like the Mob, you can check out, but never leave.
by DerryPharmer on Jul 12, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I will never forget this game...
Just before we started walking to the stadium, we were throwing the football around, and I went up for a catch and came down on my right ankle (a combination of the massive quantity of booze consumed before-hand and the ground being wet). After that fall I couldn’t walk on my right ankle, but no-one was stopping me from going to this game. I was a senior and made it through the dark years and wasn’t missing this. So somehow my friend found an ace-bandage and we wrapped it up and we made our way to the stadium with me hopping on one leg and holding onto my friend.
Another friend of mine worked in the ticket office, so we got hooked up with great seats a few rows below the S-zone. I was standing the entire game and jumping to zombie nation (i’m pretty sure they played that a million times that game). After the game was over most of my friends rushed the field, and couple of them was going to stay to help me out, but I told them to rush the field because that’s what I wanted to do, but I literally couldn’t walk anymore, let-alone trying to run down the bleachers jump the rail, all while avoiding being maced in the face.
I watched the excitement on the field for a while, but eventually needed to make my way down. I ran into a random friend from class and they helped me down. We got the concession area and we were about to steal the wheel barrel thing to carry me in, but the stadium dude stopped us and saw that I was injured and I was taken to the medical area of the stadium. I don’t know if any of you have been there, but it really is amazing how many people get injured in a stadium. The medical guys checked out my ankle, which was about the size of a basketball at this point, and I had to take the ambulance to the hospital. A lot of people also get sent to the hospital on a day like that, so in the ambulance with me was a drunk old dude with his face smashed in, and a guy in a full cow costume on a stretcher with a busted knee. The hospital was packed, and just about everyone there could blame alcohol for their reason for being there. I didn’t end up getting out of the hospital until about 4 or 5am, and returned home to all of my roommates still celebrating the victory.
haha
a guy in a full cow costume on a stretcher with a busted knee
awesome
I’m sorry, but blanket statements are proven false 99% of the time, and if you make a blanket statement about college football, there’s a good chance that one exception will be Joe Paterno. - AdamShell @ BSD
i literally cried
like many of you, i was there for most of the dark ages. and i kept telling everyone that 2005 would be special. so many nay-sayers before this game. even after the 4-0 start.
I had just returned from a stint in New Orleans cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina. I had missed the entire season to that point, with exception to maybe a sportscenter clip played in the mess tent one evening. I had friends with season tickets that weren’t going. Suckers. I sat “by myself” in the student section with the closest group of 60-minute friends that I could ever hope to meet.
I had never heard anything as loud as the crowd immediately following the Lowry interception. And for the first time, I felt like I was actually a PART of the game, as opposed to some by-stander. Just look at the false starts! When Hali made that sack, I just lost it. There was a moment of “holy nuts, we just pulled this one out!,” then unexplained raw sobbing for joy. I didn’t storm the field. I just stood there and watched, trying to take it all in.
Then I spent the rest of the night with a coed I’d never met. Good times.
"They stalk their prey to within two or three great leaps and then launch a lightning-fast charge, striking their prey. Victims are most often killed by suffocation with a prolonged bite..."--Hinterland Who's Who
@ Adam - In the fall of 2005, I was neither in college, nor experiencing amazing women.
How is this different than summer 2011? Except for the college part of course!
Sorry bro…couldn’t resist.
Next time up in SC, need to take you young bucks out for a few rounds on Uncle STL.
Hire Mike Pettine Jr!!!!!!!!
by SweepTheLeg on Jul 11, 2011 3:06 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Boom. Roasted.
I ain't from Dallas, but I D-Town boogie
@AdamCollyer
by Adam Collyer on Jul 11, 2011 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Remember this game quite well
I got to sit right smack dab in the Ohio State visitor section. It was quite satifying!
Dont know how to edit my post
but I rushed the field after which was quite the experience, but what was really cool is that right on the pristine Beaver Stadium grass there laid a Kennedy half-dollar on the field (we assasinated the OSU season, even though I believe they lost to Texas a week or 2 earlier?). I snatched it up and it has since become a good luck charm for PSU-OSU.
Wearing red made identifying targets
for my urine balloons much, much easier. (Joking, of course.) I took this climbing the never-ending switchbacks to the top of of the lower bowl. The crowd had a fluidity to it—slow but continual movement, just like water.
My fondest memory of this game was after Robinson scored on 3d and goal running option left. The crowd let out a cheer unlike anything I had heard in years—this deep, really deep, throaty road, as if it sensed a huge weight on the program had been lifted. Williams’ score was loud, but an almost surprised loud. Robinson’s… well, like I said, unlike anything I heard before, and haven’t heard it since.
"Is that a shot at me? 'cause that makes me want to read it all the less."
Yes.
And you have to look at the circumstances. First of all, Derrick looked like he was going to have a nice, short gain, nothing much more. The burst of speed was always surprising.
The Robinson run would have been stopped short in 2004. I really believe that, and I think the crowd understood it.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I sat in the North endzone in the lower section
I had brought 3 friends with me who had never been to a PSU game before and I remember yelling at them when they wanted to switch up the seating order after halftime. I said we’re sitting in the exact same order and they thought I was nuts. I also remember the older people behind me asking me to sit down after the Robinson TD and I just responded “No” and turned back around, I think they took the hint….I loved the video that they played on the scoreboard before the game the one with the Last of the Mohiccans soundtrack and Aerosmith, watching it on youtube still gives me chills
I remember feeling this sense of dread.
My memory of this is a little hazy, but just before the game started, a whole quarter of the stadium took off their outer shirts and everybody was wearing bright, blazing white clothing underneath. That’s the most intimidating visual I’ve seen in a stadium, and it affected the mentality throughout the game. I never got the impression that Ohio State would win after giving up the early lead, and never, not even during the final drive, did I think we’d be able to get the game-tying touchdown. There was more scoring in this game than in 2008, but the crowd noise and the defense and the whiteout just caused this sense of foreboding and doom that made it impossible to think that we could win. That’s what I remember from that game.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
by Semicorrect on Jul 11, 2011 6:35 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
*Generic best weekend ever title*
But seriously it was. Also watching that video, PSUs defense made OSUs offense look slow that night, and that was an offense featuring Ginn and Holmes. The linebackers attacked the ball instead of waiting for a move to be made. Definitely havent seen a PSU defense like that since.
Amazing weekend, dont have the time to express it’s awesomeness in a post, but it is a weekend I will tell my kids about for sure.
unfortunately
being a student at JMU (in VA for those of you who are unaware) I was unable to get into town that weekend, but I convinced my roomates and a few friends we needed to have a pregame keg for the game.
I remember tapping the keg about 9:30 am when my cousin called me and said he was pulling in the parking lot and opening a cold one….and while watching that night I was supposed to kegstand every time psu scored…which at halftime we realized wouldn’t be much so it became every time penn state stopped them with a sack or on 3rd down w/ the lead….to this day i regret not going up with my cousin and trying to find a ticket, which he told me i wouldnt find below 200!
This is one of those games
that I can’t quite remember where I was when I watched it. At home? Local bar? I think the bachelorette party I went to that year was during the Purdue weekend and I know the wedding was the Michigan State weekend. I also know I was home for Michigan that year because I broke my remote control. Since I don’t have very strong memories of this game, I must have just been watching by myself at home!
This is BSD, the crazy stirs itself.
I Remember...
having to pick up my son (15 at the time) at our HS following a rained out band competition. Of course I ended up missing both TDs!
I saw a replay of the game last year. Both my wife and I remarked how much younger Paterno looked just 5 years earlier. Hoping for something like that game on September 10th.
I was in section WCU for this game
huddled with my sister in the cold drizzle, under our ponchos, ketchup drying on my back (someone spilled it all down my white #7 jersey). The stadium was absolutely electric, with even all the old man Eulers around us bouncing during Zombie Nation (the first time I remember that song being played more than once). For all the big games, my sister and I now have to sit together in those same seats (they’ve been in my family for almost 40 years, and luckily I just got them transferred to me this year) in the hopes that we’ll get that same outcome. Hasn’t happened since. But that doesn’t mean we won’t keep trying…
Fire Dan Snyder
I was working a concession stand at this game. I didn’t have a ticket but I was determined to be there for that game. Best game of my life. Best decision of my life. Only thing that can even try to compare is when the Phils won the WS in 2008.
WE ARE!
"Want a donut go to dunkin donuts, want a linebacker go to Penn State."
- Cris Carter, NFL Draft, 4/25/09
twitter: @princessblueezy
My two most distinct memories from the game are:
1) Poz running down Smith for the sack along our sideline.
2) Smith’s fumble at the end and a guy behind me right after the play saying “We won” in a disbelief/relieved sort of way.
That was my freshman year and I had worked concessions for the first few games, so this was my first game in the stands as a Penn State fan. I’ve been a diehard since.
Poz running down Smith for the sack along our sideline.
Which won? He had two, and both were awesome. My favorite was the one where he bit on a Smith run fake. Being well disciplined, he understood that dropping back into pass coverage was now a worthless course of action, and so used that ridiculous, unsurpassed closing speed he possessed (I don’t think any PSU linebacker, including Arrington, closed as fast as Poz) to finish the play.
"Man, Oklahoma sucks." - Ki-Jana Carter
by ReadingRambler on Jul 11, 2011 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Poz
Yes, fastest LB I’ve ever seen. He also new where the ball carrier was going before the ball carrier did and beat him to a spot. I’ve never seen another LB do that as well as Poz.
I am epic win.
by Esteban d' Amur on Jul 12, 2011 7:44 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm refering to the one with about 5 minutes left in the game.
Which is I believe the one you described.
Here's my experience
Went to GameDay in the morning. Loved it. Especially the “Ohio is a fake state” and “AJ Hawk plays with My Little Ponies” signs.
Tailgated all afternoon and into the evening. Tried to get my three friends to stop drinking so that we could get in line for a somewhat decent seat. That didn’t happen. By the time we finally got in line outside Gate A, it was time for kickoff. There were still several hundred, maybe a couple thousand students outside the gate. I was frustrated because I didn’t want to miss a second of the game.
And then the senior gate closed. We all crushed over into the junior line. Then the freshman/sophomore gate closed. Pandemonium ensued. Everyone started pushing through the junior gate, fearing they’d close that too. Eventually the ticket people just started waving everyone in, and told us to go to the upper level of the student section.
When we made it to the concourse separating the upper and lower seats, it was packed with people. We could barely move. People needed medical attention because they were getting crushed. It was that bad, seriously. One of my drunk friends almost got into a fight with some girl who was sitting on a railing at the top row of ED (lower section) and who got upset when one of us accidentally bumped into her (despite there being no option to avoid her, she was leaning back into the concourse and the concourse was packed like sardines — she had no right to be upset, but my drunk friend wasn’t helping matters…).
O$U took a 3-0 lead at about this point.
Eventually we made it to one of the walkways up into EDU, but the usher there said all the seats were full and that we needed tickets, so he couldn’t let the four of us up there. He wondered how we got in without tickets, so we told him what happened at the gate. We showed him our vouchers for student section seats (ahh, the good ol’ days), but he said he couldn’t help us because they weren’t tickets. So he told us to go back to the ticket booths and see what they could do.
We weaved our way back down to the ticket booths, but they couldn’t help us — they said there were no more tickets and that they couldn’t help us. (Question: Just how in the world did they manage to oversell the student section by several hundred to a couple thousand seats??) They suggested we try watching the game from the picnic patio in the corner of the student section, at the top of the lower deck. We found a spot along the railing, stood and watched the rest of the game from there. By the point we got up to that spot, the 2nd quarter had started, however. Sooooo frustrating.
Frustration aside, I don’t think I’ve ever cheered louder in my life, and I certainly haven’t ever attended a more riveting or unforgettable sporting event. Many others have already said it, but the atmosphere in Beaver Stadium that night was ELECTRIC from start to finish. I’ve never heard a louder stadium (with the possible exception of the first play of the ND Whitehouse game in 2006, though, resulting in a false start for ND… and then it got even louder! a friend watching on TV in Wisconsin sent me a text saying, “Good God it’s loud there!”). When the ENTIRE stadium, alumni included, are jumping up and down, standing and yelling the ENTIRE game, you know it’s a special night. The Lowry interception and then that last drive for O$U in particular were so loud, especially the fumble caused by Hali and recovered by Paxson. I didn’t go rush the field, but instead stayed at my spot at the railing, soaking it all in for probably 15-20 minutes, listening to the Victory Bell ring, watching the students storm the field, and probably shedding a couple tears of joy.
I’ll never in my life ever forget PSU-O$U 2005. I’ll never get tired of watching those 10-minute replays of the game or the weekend experience either.
WE ARE!!
Let's Go State!
by Gopher Broke on Jul 11, 2011 8:10 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
PENN STATE!!!
This is BSD, the crazy stirs itself.
by Paige2PSU on Jul 11, 2011 9:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I saw that you said
“Ohio is a fake state” and I rec’d it.
"The friend’s husband was out of his mind drunk, on drugs, too, I think," Chambers recalls. "He thought I was hitting on his wife. He stabbed me twice with a broken vodka glass" BAMF
Follow me: @Ben_Jones88
Blogging at Victory Bell Rings and Black Shoe Diaries
Fickin Work
I had tickets to the game but had to go to a conference in NYC. The cable in the hotel went out (this is my life, people) and I ran in the pouring rain to the ESPN Zone. With two old guys I work with. We got a booth and across from us were four tourist ladies from Wisconsin who told me they were going to win it all that year. I had the pleasure of telling them they had lost that day (it may have been to jNW or Purdue, I forget). They didn’t even know who they were playing, damn casual fans.
I was so nervous I kept jumping up and down in our booth and screaming. I wouldn’t eat anything. My co-workers thought I was nuts and one told me it was unhealthy to be so invested in a game. The bar had “We Are” cheers going and more than a few sad Buckeye fans. We bounced to Zombie Nation and it was awesome.
My reactions were pretty much the same as everyone else. I had such a huge sense of relief after the sack.
Can’t wait to talk about 2008 Wisconsin, which I also had to watch in a hotel bar.
I wouldn’t eat anything. My co-workers thought I was nuts and one told me it was unhealthy to be so invested in a game.
I think many of us have been in this situation…I know I have :)
/cue Michael Jackson’s “You are Not Alone”
Fire Dan Snyder
by Cari Greene on Jul 12, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Mixed feelings
The 2005 Ohio State game was arguably the greatest and most important game in Penn State football since the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. It was a fantastic primetime game between two heavy weight programs and it catapulted Penn State back into the national spotlight. After the 2000-2004 debacle, it’s difficult to say where the program might be today had we lost the ’05 OSU game. That said, I also point back to this night when Penn State fell on its sword. Beaver Stadium becomes more and more commercialized with digital scoreboards for more advertising and soaring ticket prices. Gone are the grass parking lots and now the Blue Band has been drowned out by rap music like it was a Madden game. We used to embrace the tradition that was Penn State and that was enough. Now we have to be the “Greatest Show in College Football.” I reflect fondly on the passion and intensity from that night in October 2005, but my stomach churns as I assess what has happend to the Penn State football experience since.
You're not wrong about the experience changing
But I don’t think the OSU game is to blame for the commercialization of Beaver Stadium. I think pretty much all real fans want to hear more Blue Band and less canned music. Everyone hates those eye-frying LED advertisement banners running along the front of the two upper decks. And we’re all thankful that the 2009 “Every home game has to have a theme, no matter how stupid” experiment was short-lived. All of these missteps can be laid at the feet of Guido D’Elia. No single one of all the stupid little things he’s changed is big enough to generate any serious complaints or criticisms, but taken in aggregate, they have seriously diluted the gameday experience. But, as long as ticket sales and TV viewership stay high, he’ll keep his job.
The fans will continue to bring their passion. I was at the Michigan game last year, and the entire fan base was locked in and loud all night. Yes, those damn LED banners were almost bright enough to reflect off the grass, and the Blue Band was drowned out by The Black Eyed Peas. That kind of thing sucks, and I’d like to see it done away with, but as long as the football is good and the fan base keeps bringing their passion, the experience will be awesome no matter what. Of course, that also means that Guido has a lot of leeway to keep implementing stupid ideas without any serious complaints from me or fans like me.
by newenglandnittanylion on Jul 11, 2011 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that after a couple years of trying to force the atmosphere, that they are getting back to basics too.
Much more Blue Band last year. The crowd along with the team will bring the enthusiasm, it doesn’t have to be generated. Everything that just seemed to flow that OSU game was more spontanious than planned and someone did hit the right switch a few times. Great night.
My grammer skills need improved.
Absolutely right!
That night was not planned at all. Lowry picks off Troy Smith and runs it back inside the 5 and the place goes bananas. Somebody appropriately hits the zombie nation feed and the place nearly comes down. You’re right. Now, every sack has a song, every long completion has a song. There’s no need to play music after every damn play. I recently watched a tape of a game from 1997. It was wonderful to hear Fight On State after a big play.
Question:
When did Zombie Nation start and how? I was there from 92-94 and 1998 until 2001 and went to the Nebraska game in 2002 and we didn’t jump around to this. My first experience of seeing this in person was Northwestern 2006. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an awesome new tradition, but it’s still a pretty new tradition.
This is BSD, the crazy stirs itself.
I seem to remember Guido trying to break it out during the dark years
I vaguely remember it playing once or twice at 2004 MSU, and wasn’t met with much enthusiasm. I’m fairly certain it wasn’t used before that.
I do remember that during 03 or 04, Guido would celebrate big defensive hits by putting a strobe-ing black and yellow “SCHWACK” message up on the scoreboards. Someone in my building parodied this by having a “SCHWACK” sign up in his window all year; it always made me laugh. Throw that one on the pile of horrible Guido ideas. Eventually the “SCHWACK” message was replaced with “BOUNCE,” accompanied by Zombie Nation. After all the bouncing at 2005 OSU, they did away with the message, and greatly scaled back the use of Zombie Nation.
by newenglandnittanylion on Jul 12, 2011 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Correction
After all the bouncing at 2005 OSU ^reportedly caused structural damage to Beaver Stadium,^
by newenglandnittanylion on Jul 12, 2011 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I remember seeing pieces of bleacher passed up through out the student section. I can’t remember if it was OSU, or even if it was that season. But bouncing around definitely broke its fair share of seats.
I've spent most of my money and booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I wasted.
by psuphysicist on Jul 12, 2011 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
We broke several rows of Michigan Stadium
in 2005 by jumping around. And not purposely. I think they re-did most of the stadium, but their seats were apparently built for fat asses padded by fatter wallets and not passionate jumping and screaming.
by OctaShields on Jul 12, 2011 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Zombie Nation origination
It started during my years at PSU. I can recall them playing Zombie Nation after almost every play during the 2004 season. It may have started in 2003 but I dont really remember it until ’04. It was a little ridiculous that year. Remember that ’04 was the year of the first white out vs. Purdue.
My memory is bringing my neighbor, OSU fan (wife is a grad) he graduated from Ohio U.
It was his third time I brought him, ’94 and 324 the other two. We got there around 10 in the morning and Larry sported his OSU gear all day. Fans bantered with him but he was great. He got a sign at the book store that said WE ARE on one side and PENN STATE on the other. Anytime anyone yelled, he would hold up the sign. If someone got rude, he would get a can of beer out of his jacket pocket and hand it to them, and that would be the end of any serious stuff. We had a great time and he walked away from that game amazed at the crowd and tailgating, though not quite enough to switch aliances. I still feel that game was louder than the Nebraska game, especially when taken from beginning to end. Just incredible experience and after 53 yrs of games it is my favorite one I have attended, and there have been quite a few big games. I have had some funner tailgating games but just for the game itself, this one is tops.
My grammer skills need improved.
if those are the only games he's been to at Beaver
Methinks you should bring him to every home game vs. OSU
Fire Dan Snyder
The best part of the FUMBLE
was Hali’s complete lack of reaction. He just made one on the biggest plays in PSU football history and he wallks off the field like the defense just got torched for a long touchdown. No chest banging, no finger pinting, nothing. I guess thats another shining example of “Sucess with Honor.”
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