In order to be excited about what is to come in the future, it is important to understand and appreciate the past. This coming Saturday marks the most anticipated contest to date in a new era of Penn State Football as the Nittany Lions take on the undefeated No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes. But big games against Ohio State are nothing new. Today, we are re-visiting the 1994 matchup with stories from Marty Valania (@EastRecruiting) and (@rowlffdogg).
This is the first installment of a five-part series that will take a look back at the most memorable Penn State-Ohio State games since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1993. Hopefully this serves as both an informative and entertaining way to get you pumped up for Saturday. Each day, we will provide a short recap of the selected game, and brief interviews with a few fans who were in attendance. Today, the 2001 contest in which the Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes 29-27, is featured.
The date was October 9, 1999 and most current members of the Penn State Football team were in their early years of elementary school when the Nittany Lions (4-2, 2-0) last defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-0) in Kinnick Stadium. While these players have only made one or two visits, they remember it well-- the screaming fans, the cold weather, and ultimately, the disappointing end result. Tomorrow night, they will try to change that.
Just six weeks ago, I was one of the biggest National Football League fans that you would ever meet. There was nothing that excited me more than the prospect of a new football season. I bled green and white as a die-hard New York Jets fan. But over the course of the last six weeks, a revamped Penn State football team led by Bill O'Brien has transformed into a huge college football fan.
Political filmmaker and radio host John Zeigler, who is known for his iconoclastic personality and projects in support of Sarah Palin and others, is making a documentary aimed at exposing the truth about Joe Paterno's role in the Jerry Sandusky scandal, according to Buzzfeed.
What more is there to say about this game? The last time Northwestern made their way into Beaver Stadium, the game day atmosphere was one of the best in recent memory for Joe Paterno's 400th win. Northwestern returned on Saturday, and once again had the place rocking from start to finish.