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12 Seasons on the Beat (and Counting): The Top 12 Penn State Games

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I started covering Penn State athletics in 2011, which, to say the least, was not a totally normal time to do that sort of a job. That year was a blur of which I only kind of remember the finer details.

But I do remember a lot of games since then. Tons of games. I’ve covered just about every Penn State men’s hockey home game, more Penn State men’s basketball games than is really healthy and just about every home and road Penn State football game.

There has been women’s volleyball, wrestling, lacrosse and a fair share of other sports over the years. There have been other games that don’t make this list too; great bowl games, NCAA tournament games, wins and losses. It’s impossible to really cover everything that has happened over the past 12 seasons because so many games have meant so many different things to different teams. (The 2014 Penn State women’s volleyball win over Stanford comes to mind here.)

So this list — the 12 best games I’ve covered in-person over the last 12 seasons — is inherently incomplete. For example, I didn’t really find the 2016 Ohio State game to be all that good until the very end. But obviously that is a memorable one for plenty of people for good reason.

In turn, take this all with a grain of salt. Aside from the Rose Bowl, these games are in no real order because ranking good sporting events is like ranking good slices of pizza. You don’t do it, because they’re all great.

2016-17 Rose Bowl (52-49 loss to USC)

It’s going to take a lot to unseat this game from the top of the list. It simply had everything. Big plays, comeback efforts, a last second field goal. You could write an entire book on this game if you really wanted to. From Saquon Barkley’s unbelievable touchdown run to Chris Godwin catching everything thrown his way, Penn State’s stars came to play under the LA lights. The Nittany Lions didn’t win, but if there was ever a game for Penn State fans to remember fondly even in spite of losin, it’s this one. Until further notice it’s the best football game I’ve seen in person.

2013 Penn State football vs. Michigan (43-40 win in 4 OTs)

People think about this game because of the overtimes but this was a classic before regulation ever ended. Penn State went behind 10-7 at the end of the first quarter only to put up 14 in the second. Michigan then responded with 17 in the third and Penn State managed just enough in the fourth quarter to tie things up. You already know about the Allen Robinson catch, but most people don’t remember the quintessential Bill O’Brien decision in the fourth overtime to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Michigan 16. A few plays later Bill Belton was across the goal line. You couldn’t ask for much more out of a college football game than this.

2016 Big Ten Football Championship (38-31 win over Wisconsin)

Penn State had gone down big all year, but this one felt different. Wisconsin was moving the ball, the Nittany Lions couldn’t do much on offense and Trace McSorley was getting unloaded on in the backfield. A desperation fourth-down attempt backfired and Penn State was suddenly down 28-7 with just over five minutes to go in the first half. A Saeed Blacknall 40-yard score at the end of the half gave Penn State life and that was all the NIttany Lions needed. The second half was as 2016 as it could get for this Penn State team, turning on the switch, outscoring Wisconsin 24-3 in the final 30 minutes. That wheel route to Saquon Barkley from McSorley to give Penn State the lead was as good of a pass as you’ll ever see. Wisconsin went driving late, but a fourth down stop won the Nittany Lions the game. A classic comeback victory was complete.

2017 Penn State football vs. Michigan (42-13 win)

A 21-13 halftime score is a reminder that this game was a lot closer than the final, even though Penn State appeared poised to run away with it early. This game isn’t on this list so much for the quality of the contest as much as it is for what it represents. This was Penn State football at its best under James Franklin. The crowd showed up early, stayed late, Penn State opened the game with a huge score by Saquon Barkley and the show was on. If you want to point to a moment in the last 12 years that is Penn State football flexing its muscles it was this game.

2020 Penn State basketball vs. Iowa at the Palestra (89-86 win)

This game was the vision Pat Chambers had for Penn State basketball. A packed house, an involved crowd, talented players and solid basketball. It was so hot in the Palestra that day and it only added to the atmosphere. Add in the fact it had a high-scoring 89-86 final and you couldn’t have asked for more out of these two teams or the atmosphere. Maybe the best basketball game I’ve covered. Certainly the most entertaining.

2017 Penn State football at Iowa (21-19 win)

This was basically every Penn State/Iowa game. Hard hits, hard earned yards and great defense. In many ways it’s a shame that Penn State didn’t end up doing a bit more with this season because the comeback drive to win the game on the final play was worthy of all the lore that “The Drive” in 1994 gets. Juwan Johnson snagging a pass out of the air and shushing the crowd was the final stroke to a Saquon Barkley masterclass. The ending, the hurdle and the final drive really makes this one, and hat tip to the Iowa crowd that night as well.

2017 Penn State hockey vs. Minnesota (4-3 loss)

You could pick a lot of Penn State men’s hockey games — and wins — to put on this list, but an eventual 4-3 loss to Minnesota in overtime had everything. Penn State was on the verge of its first NCAA Tournament berth, clawing tooth and nail against a Minnesota program that represented some of the best college hockey has had to offer. This game was back and forth, and a Denis Smirnov penalty shot and goal with just over a minute to go blew the roof off Pegula Ice Arena. The bad news: Minnesota would score with just 3.5 seconds to go to tie the game, eventually winning in overtime. Penn State would go on a historic Big Ten Tournament Championship run and make the NCAA Tournament, but this was one of those nights that Penn State felt like a hockey school, even in defeat.

2014 Penn State hockey vs. Michigan (4-0 win)

This game isn’t on here so much for the quality as it is the novelty. Penn State was still just in its second year of existence as a Division I hockey program, hosting a Michigan team with a handful of future NHL players on the roster. Blink and suddenly Penn State is up 3-0 in the first period against the No. 10 ranked team in the country. Matt Skoff would post a 32-save shutout in the win for Penn State’s fifth victory of the season. The Nittany Lions would go on to play better hockey down the road and beat Michigan in far less surprising fashion in the process, but this was a big win for a program that wasn’t sure how many wins it would get in the early going.

2013 Penn State basketball vs. No. 4 Michigan (84-78 win)

Penn State only trailed 39-36 at the half and the upset felt real for a program still figuring out the early stages of the Pat Chambers era. Jermaine Marshall scored 25 in the winning effort while DJ Newbill added 17 as Penn State snapped an 18-game losing streak against the most unlikely of opponents. Michigan would go on to lose in the national title game against Louisville while Penn State would finish… a bit shy of that mark. Despite the record, this game was an early indication that Chambers could get his guys to fight no matter how the season was going. Attitude indeed.

2014 Pinstripe Bowl (31-30 overtime win vs. Boston College)

Sam Ficken going from his days of struggling to making winning kicks against UCF and Boston College at each end of the season really was the perfect narrative arc. The crowd at Yankee Stadium was great as both teams landed punches and both teams took them. It wasn’t always a pretty game but nobody can say no to a 31-30 final. Chris Godwin’s 70-yard touchdown was a highlight introduction for him ahead of a long and successful Penn State career. This bowl was the first of the post sanction era, and it felt like Penn State hitting the reset button, trying to pick up where it left off.

2017 Penn State football at Ohio State (39-38 loss)

You could really pick any of these Ohio State games to put on this list. The only reason the 2016 game isn’t on here is simply because the ending was good but the rest was kind of bad. The 2017 edition had a little bit of everything: big plays, a comeback and a dramatic ending. Penn State lost, but this game was great from start to finish. To be honest there have been very few bad games in this series as of late, but this one is a bit better than the rest. If you want to squint and pretend this is the 2016 game instead, that’s fine. 2019 and 2021 gets a nod here as well. The near 2013 upset wasn’t half bad either.

2018 NIT Championship (82-66 win vs. Utah)

This game gets a note for atmosphere as much as anything else. There have been better Penn State basketball games, but Madison Square Garden really cared about this one and while the NIT might be forgotten by most, this game really mattered to the Nittany Lions too. Tony Carr had one last dance for Penn State before heading to the NBA Draft process and Pat Chambers got to cut down some nets to validate a long few years of efforts.