In 1982, Penn State had a down to the wire game against Nebraska at home, winning 27-24.
In 1986, Penn State had to convert a long 4th down to Blair Thomas to beat Cincinnati 23-17. Later in the season, they held on to beat Maryland 17-15 and beat Notre Dame 24-19.
In 1994, Penn State had to rally to beat Illinois on the road after falling behind by 21 points.
In 2005, Derrick Williams made a great catch and run against Northwestern to pull that game out in the final moments.
In 2008, Penn State went on the road to defeat OSU 13-6 at the Shoe after Pryor's big fumble.
In 2016, Penn State had to beat Minny in OT and had the blocked FG for a touchdown against OSU.
In 2017, Penn State dominated Iowa 29-11 in first downs, 579-273 in yards, and 39:39 to 20:20 in time of possession. Iowa is not a very good team, yet we still needed a miracle final drive to win due to some big plays by Iowa and timely calls by the BIG referines. As shown above, crazy things happen in CFB.
But this team feels a lot more like the 1982, 1986, and 1994 teams than it does the 1999 Penn State team that needlessly played close games all season until Minnesota got a miracle win of its own. This year's team has the best player in college football, good coaching, depth, and fewer weaknesses than the remainder of its regular season opponents. There are no guarantees, but this is going to be a fun ride.
In 1986, Penn State had to convert a long 4th down to Blair Thomas to beat Cincinnati 23-17. Later in the season, they held on to beat Maryland 17-15 and beat Notre Dame 24-19.
In 1994, Penn State had to rally to beat Illinois on the road after falling behind by 21 points.
In 2005, Derrick Williams made a great catch and run against Northwestern to pull that game out in the final moments.
In 2008, Penn State went on the road to defeat OSU 13-6 at the Shoe after Pryor's big fumble.
In 2016, Penn State had to beat Minny in OT and had the blocked FG for a touchdown against OSU.
In 2017, Penn State dominated Iowa 29-11 in first downs, 579-273 in yards, and 39:39 to 20:20 in time of possession. Iowa is not a very good team, yet we still needed a miracle final drive to win due to some big plays by Iowa and timely calls by the BIG referines. As shown above, crazy things happen in CFB.
But this team feels a lot more like the 1982, 1986, and 1994 teams than it does the 1999 Penn State team that needlessly played close games all season until Minnesota got a miracle win of its own. This year's team has the best player in college football, good coaching, depth, and fewer weaknesses than the remainder of its regular season opponents. There are no guarantees, but this is going to be a fun ride.
