Penn State’s Plays of the Decade

After reading Lou Prato’s book “Game Changers: the Greatest Plays in Penn State Football History,” (available at a bookstore near you) I thought I would try and rank Penn State’s ten greatest plays of the past decade. I used a lot of the same criteria as Lou did in his book. The plays had to be memorable or significant or both. Jordan Norwood’s juggling touchdown catch against Buffalo was an amazing grab, but what impact did it have?

I also prefer to remember things fondly. Why dwell on painful memories? For that reason, there will be no mention of Mario Manningham anywhere in the list.

Two of my favorite memories this decade were not plays. One was the triumphant return of Adam Taliaferro to open the 2001 season. It was one of the most chilling moments in Beaver Stadium history, and it was followed by one of the worst shellackings I’ve ever sat through.

Speaking of Adam, one of the greatest PSU football games I have ever attended was the 22-20 upset of Purdue in 2000 the week after his injury. It also did not make the list because there was no signature play in that game that stood out to me.

I only selected one play from any one game. If I had allowed for more, only three or four games might have made a top ten.

The 1980s had Gregg Garrity’s diving TD catch in the Sugar Bowl. In the 90s, it was Ki-jana Carter’s 83-yard TD run on the first offensive play of the 1995 Rose Bowl. What was the play of this decade? Let’s start the countdown. Here are my selections for Penn State’s top ten plays of the decade. Oh yeah… in honor of the mathematically challenged conference PSU plays in, my top ten list has one extra entry.

#11 – The Goal line stand that got it started – The 2004 Nittany Lions were 0-6 in the Big Ten and had lost six straight games. They were assured of their fourth losing season in five years. To make matters worse, they were in danger of losing for the first time to perennial doormat Indiana. With PSU leading 22-16, the Hoosiers had a first and goal at the Lion one. Defensive Coordinator Tom Bradley would later admit he considered telling his team to let IU score to preserve clock for a potential game-winning drive. However, he decided if he didn’t show confidence in his team, they would never believe in themselves. After three unsuccessful attempts, the Hoosiers gave the ball to tailback Chris Taylor on 4^th and goal, but the defense stuffed him to protect the lead. PSU would win 22-18. After rolling thru Michigan State the next week 37-13, the Lions would go 11-1 in 2005 and return to prominence in college football. Many believe it was the goal line stand in Bloomington that turned the tide.

#10 – M-Rob goes Carl Spackler on a gopher – I think we all remember Carl Spackler. He was the goofy greens keeper that was trying to eliminate the gophers at Bushwood Country Club in the movie “Caddyshack.” He tried to shoot them, drown them and even blow them up. Those attempts could be considered humane compared to what QB Michael Robinson did to Minnesota safety Brandon Owens in 2005. With PSU leading 10-0, Robinson dropped back and with no one open, took off towards the right sideline. With Owens converging on him, Robinson did not try to juke him or dance out of bounds. He lowered his head and ran him over, knocking Owens out in the process. The heavy hitter of the Gophers secondary would never play football again. As for Robinson, his late game heroics the week before coupled with this hit (that he walked away from), cemented him as the leader of the PSU team.

#9 – Rich Gardner’s pick six – 2002 was going to be different. After suffering back-to-back losing seasons, PSU was ready for a bounce back year. With a 1-0 record they welcomed #7 Nebraska to Beaver Stadium for a primetime game on national TV. Leading 19-7 in the 3^rd quarter, the crowd was in a frenzy after an in-stadium replay showed that Husker QB Jammal Lord had fumbled on a play ruled an incomplete pass. Two plays later, Lord’s pass toward the PSU sideline went behind his intended receiver. Cornerback Rich Gardner made the easy interception and raced 44 yards down the sideline for six. The stadium was in chaos, and the rout was on.

#8 – Derrick Williams electrifies the White House – The nation was introduced to the Beaver Stadium white out in ’05. Two years later, PSU fans took it up a notch by asking the ENTIRE crowd to wear white for the match-up with Notre Dame. The Irish silenced the 110,078 in attendance when an Anthony Morelli pass was intercepted and returned for a TD. Derrick Williams would bring the crowd back to life with a spectacular 78-yard punt return late in the opening quarter. The fans would make things very difficult for Jimmy Clausen and the ND offense the rest of the night as the Lions rolled to a 31-10 victory.

#7 – Tony Davis turns around the Outback Bowl – The 2006 Nittany Lions were 8-4 entering a New Year’s Day match-up with the Tennessee Volunteers in the Outback Bowl. The speed of the SEC was expected by many to be too much for PSU. A few minutes into the 4^th quarter, the Vols connected on a 53-yard pass play and had a first and ten at the Lion 14. On the next play, RB Arian Foster got the carry and was hit by Sean Lee after a gain of a yard. As he was going down, the ball squirted out. CB Tony Davis scooped it up and raced 88 yards for the go-ahead score. PSU would add a Kevin Kelly FG to win 20-10.

#6 – Kilmer’s grab in Miami – The magical 2005 season ended in Miami with a marathon 3OT win over Florida State. The game is best remembered for the missed kicks on both sides that caused the game to drag on into the next morning. However, the play of the game occurred just before halftime. With FSU leading 13-7, the Lions had the ball at the Noles 25-yardline with only 12 seconds left before the break. Robinson took the shotgun snap and lofted one down the right sideline. WR Ethan Kilmer was well covered on the play but he leaped high in the air, reached over the FSU DB to make the grab and held on when he crashed to the turf. The spectacular grab and ensuing extra point gave the Lions the lead. They would never trail again.

#5 – 2K for LJ – In the regular season finale of 2002, RB Larry Johnson needed 264 yards rushing to reach 2,000 yards for the season. That milestone had been reached nine times in college football history. Late in the first half, Johnson was already at 241 yards and had scored three times. With the fans on their feet, Johnson took a short-side toss, broke through the line and was in the clear. I can still see the flashbulbs popping around Beaver Stadium as Johnson raced 38 yards for the TD. Every Penn State fan walked into the stadium that day hoping to see history. LJ did not disappoint and to make it more memorable, he did it in style.

#4 – Zack Mills jump starts a win for the ages – After an 0-4 start to the 2001 season, Penn State edged Northwestern on the road 38-35 when Zack Mills replaced an injured Matt Seneca and led a game winning TD drive in the final two minutes. It was the 323^rd victory of Joe Paterno’s career, tying him with Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most all-time. The next week, PSU hosted Ohio State. Early in the 3^rd quarter, the Buckeyes intercepted a Mills pass and returned it for a score. Now trailing 27-9, Mills ran an option play to his right. He leaped over a blocker and was hit by a Buckeye defender. Somehow, Mills bounced off the tackler, kept his feet and raced down the sideline for a 69-yard TD. The play pumped new life into the Lions. They would score on their next two possessions to take the lead and blocked an OSU FG try to preserve the victory 29-27. It was Mills long TD run that sparked the record setting win.

#3 – A wild scramble in Columbus – Since Penn State entered the Big Ten, they had never beaten Ohio State in Columbus. In fact, since becoming the eleventh member of the league, the Lions had scored a grand total of 51 points in seven games at the Horseshoe. In 2008, the 8-0 Lions were struggling to score once again. With OSU up 6-3 early in the 4^th quarter, the Buckeyes faced a 3^rd and one at midfield. The play call was a quarterback sneak by freshman Terrelle Pryor. The PA native took the snap, saw space to his right and tried to bounce the play outside. As he came around the edge, PSU safety Mark Rubin tried to wrap him up. In making the tackle, Rubin punched the ball loose into the Buckeye backfield. As OSU RB Beanie Wells went for the ball, PSU LB Tyrell Sales dove in and swatted the ball away from Wells and Pryor. The alert play by Sales kept the ball alive, until LB Navarro Bowman fell on it at the OSU 38. Penn State would drive it in for the go-ahead score en route to a 13-6 victory.

#2 – Fourth and 15 – After an ugly start to Penn State’s 2005 road opener, the Lions had fought back from a 23-7 deficit to lead Northwestern 27-26. However, a team that had spent the last two years finding ways to lose, quickly came up with another. A late hit on the Wildcat QB after a 7-yard gain on 3^rd and 13, allowed NW to keep a drive going. That drive would end with a TD allowing the Wildcats to retake the lead with 2:10 remaining. Penn State’s attempt at an answer looked like it was right out of 2003 or 2004… incomplete pass, sack with a Robinson fumble recovered by a PSU linemen and a screen pass to Tony Hunt for minus two yards. Following a time out, Michael Robinson dropped back, fired down the middle and in between four Wildcat defenders, drilled the ball between the 8 and the 1 on the uni of TE Isaac Smolko for a 20-yard pick-up. Five plays later Robinson would hit Derrick Williams with the game-winning TD pass. Why the Smolko catch and not the TD? The first sense I had that this team was different was the 4^th and 15 conversion. Other than Mike McCloskey’s controversial sideline catch versus Nebraska in 1982, is there a more famous non-scoring reception in PSU history than 4^th and 15 to Smolko in Evanston?

#1 – Hali puts PSU back on top – Two weeks later, with a raucous crowd in Beaver Stadium and a primetime, national TV audience watching, PSU led Ohio State by seven with less than two minutes to play. Facing a 2^nd and 7 at the PSU 45, OSU QB Troy Smith rolled to his left and looked downfield. Baring down on him from behind was PSU DE Tamba Hali. Smith never saw him. Hali ran through Smith turning him on his head and knocking the ball loose. Scott Paxson would dive on it to end the Buckeyes final threat and give Penn State a 17-10 victory.

One person has already told me the Smolko catch should have been #1 on my list because, in his words, “the win over Ohio State never happens if they don’t pull out the game at Northwestern.” That might be true, but the showdown with Ohio State was the game that showed the nation that PSU was elite once again. For that reason, I believe Tamba Hali’s sack and forced fumble on Troy Smith was Penn State’s play of the decade.