The Best and Worst of Penn State Homecoming

Among a slew of comfortable, forgettable wins against schools from Indiana, many Big Ten-era Homecoming games have found their way into Penn State history.

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For those fortunate few who call Happy Valley home, the rhythm of life – whether you like it or not – inevitably attunes to the ebb and flow of the campus calendar. As someone who very intentionally chose to take root in a college town, I love it.  There are two times of the year in particular – Commencement and Homecoming – that cause me to reflect on how my experience differs from most.

In mid-May, as I watch young graduates who’ve come to the end of their four(-ish) years in the Nittany Valley pack up whatever contents of their apartments won’t be left out on the curb and drive off toward whatever’s next, I always think to myself, “I wonder what that’s like.”

You see, many moons ago, I took a course taught by Steve Manuel, who some alums may remember from his teaching, and many football fans will recognize, even if they don’t realize it, from his years’ worth of game day photography, as featured by The Football Letter among others. Steve is a Marine. Smart, no-nonsense guy; good sense of humor, loves Penn State. In class, he told us Happy Valley was “the Good Ship Lollipop,” a fantasy land largely divorced from the harsh realities of the outside world. He drew the contrast to be instructive and always with an air of cynicism, but I also detected (or imagined I did) a hint of affection accompanying it.

It got me thinking. “If you find yourself lucky enough to be a passenger on the Good Ship Lollipop, maybe the savvy move is to just never disembark.” And so here I am, over 20 years later, and happy as a pig in slop.

As a result, however, there are two experiences I have never had (and never hope to): I don’t know what it’s like to leave, and I don’t know what it’s like to come back. I’ve often wondered about the experience of the returning alum making the trip back to Happy Valley for Homecoming. Maybe they’ve been gone for a year, or maybe it’s been a decade or more. What is the feeling as you drive Route 322 or I-80 and near the familiar exit? What goes through your mind as you walk down College Ave or across campus, noting everything that’s changed and struggling to remember how it once was? How do you handle that flood of concentrated memories hitting all at once? As a happily converted “townie,” I’m content to keep these questions as idle abstractions. Nevertheless, one of my favorite times of the year is this weekend set aside each Autumn for Penn Staters to reconnect with a place they love.

This weekly column seeks to place each Penn State football Saturday within the context of a season-long journey. Homecoming, the traditional celebration of our lifelong bond with Alma Mater, seems an appropriate occasion to expand that scope and orient this year’s journey in the broader, ongoing narrative of Penn State football. In order to help you, cherished readers, slot this weekend’s tilt with UMass among its counterparts, I’ve chosen to look back at the 29 Homecoming games played in Penn State’s 30 Big Ten seasons (no Homecoming game in 2020).

First, some fast facts about Penn State Homecoming in the Big Ten era:

• The Nittany Lions were ranked coming into 16 of those 29 contests with a record of 13-3. Penn State faced ranked Homecoming opponents only five times since joining the Big Ten, winning all five.

• The most frequently scheduled Big Ten-era Homecoming opponent is Purdue. Penn State has played the Boilermakers five times since 1993 and won them all. Other frequent flyers are Minnesota (3-1), Illinois (2-2), Indiana (3-0), and Northwestern (2-1).

• The earliest Homecoming game over the last 30 years was played on September 27, 2014, the only time it took place in September. It was held in November four times during that span (1993, 1999, 2001, and 2017).

• Family-friendly noon kickoffs tend to be the rule, as 19 of State’s 29 Big Ten Homecoming games have kicked at 12pm (including a 12:30 kickoff in 1996). This Saturday’s 3:30 kickoff will be the seventh since ’93. The remaining four games have started at 1pm (1993), 4:30 (2008), 5pm (2013), and 7:30 (2022), the only true “prime time” slot for a PSU Homecoming game.

Now let’s proceed with the list nobody asked for: my definitive ranking of every Penn State Homecoming game of the Big Ten era, presented here in descending order from worst to first so as to quickly dispense with the unpleasantness and then steadily progress toward the all-time classics. Thanks to my long-haul tour as a deckhand on the Good Ship, I have been fortunate (for the most part) to attend all but a handful of these. How many did you see in person? What memories – good or bad (mostly good, I hope) – do they bring back? As State prepares for its final tune-up before devouring the real meat of the schedule, enjoy this leisurely stroll down memory lane.

Fair warning: This does start out rather gruesome. If I were to make a list of the top 10 worst, most gut-wrenching outcomes in Penn State football history, upwards of 30% of the entries could be from Homecoming games. So stick with me through these first few, or if you’re feeling particularly squeamish, go ahead and skip ahead to at least number 25.

Les Misérables (#29-22)

Penn State has done plenty of winning on Homecoming, before and since joining a conference. But oh boy, when the Nittany Lions have messed it up, they’ve gone big. These are the seven losses (and one win) of the B1G era that spoiled Homecoming (and sometimes the entire year) ranked from most to least likely to instantly ruin my mood with the mere mention of them. These first few especially have achieved the rarest level of ignominy. You’ve been warned. Let’s get this over with.

29. November 6, 1999 (L): #2 Penn State 23 Minnesota 24 – There are those (your humble scribe among them) who claim this heart-rending defeat not only torpedoed a would-be championship season – previously 9-0 Penn State, a preseason favorite for the BCS title game, lost its next two afterward – but that it also touched off the prolonged stretch of losing often referred to as the Dark Years, in which PSU had one winning record from 2000 to 2004. The Gophers had kept things uncomfortably close all afternoon, but faced fourth-and-16 with just over a minute left in the game, trailing 23-21. What happened next lives in program infamy. A last-gasp pass tipped high into the air, an improbable catch off that deflection, and a game-ending field goal that instantly sucked all hope, health, and heart out of the Nittany Valley like a vortex from the tenth level of Hell. Fuck this game.

28. October 23, 2021 (L): #7 Penn State 18 Illinois 20 – If you read my column from Iowa week, you know I hold the somewhat controversial position that this preposterous Homecoming loss to the Fighting Illini narrowly outstrips the nearly-as-ridiculous, though still-unbearably-atrocious 6-4 Homecoming loss to the Hawkeyes (see No. 27). Nothing about this torturous affair was anything less than imbecilic. From Illinois lining up eight mammoth two-star offensive linemen to emasculate Penn State’s defense with an offense straight out of the original Roaring Twenties to the litany of failed plays on both sides during what many fans were discovering in real-time was the stupidest overtime system ever devised, this loss as the nation’s seventh-ranked team is, for my money, the dumbest of them all.

27. October 23, 2004 (L): Penn State 4 Iowa 6 – Straight from one clownish embarrassment to another, this turkey comes with a final result so absurdly distinctive it doubles as its own nickname, recognizable even beyond the confines of Nittany Nation. Mention “6-4” to any long-time Penn State fan and nothing more needs to be said. I’ve already recounted the particulars of this tragedy in excruciating detail once this season, and that’s more than enough. Very, very dumb. So dumb.

26. October 13, 2018 (L): #8 Penn State 17 Michigan State 21 – Sadly, there is fierce competition for the title of most frustrating, inexplicable, inexcusable loss of the Franklin era (including the aforementioned overtime travesty), but this last-minute, season-wrecking Homecoming collapse against a Michigan State team that finished 7-6 is a strong contender. For the second year in a row, the Nittany Lions followed up a maddening one-point loss to Ohio State by face-planting against Sparty.

25. October 9, 2010 (L): Penn State 13 Illinois 33 – The 2010 season is, in my opinion, one of the weirdest in program history. The team was not good, finishing 7-6, and yet they were often very fun to watch, like in a White Out win over Michigan in which Evan Royster set the career rushing record or the following week’s comeback win over Northwestern that gave JoePa his 400^th career victory. This Homecoming matchup with Illinois was pretty much the opposite of those. It was a hot, miserable day in Beaver Stadium as the decidedly mediocre Illini dominated a listless Lions team from pillar to post.

24. September 27, 2014 (L): Penn State 6 Northwestern 29 – This was the moment the debilitating sanctions handed down by the NCAA caught up with the Nittany Lions. Everything had been all fun and games for 4-0 Penn State in James Franklin’s first season, finding ways to win from the distant shores of Ireland to the reeking pits of Piscataway. The magic carpet ride came to an abrupt halt when the Wildcats spoiled Homecoming by smothering State in what began a four-game losing skid.

23. October 4, 2003 (L): Penn State 23 Wisconsin 30 – Just another loss in a terrible 3-9 season. Sophomore Michael Robinson, part of a two-player platoon with junior Zack Mills that year, took all the snaps at quarterback and put up an admirable stat line, completing 22 of 43 attempts for 379 yards with two passing TDs with no picks. The lack of a running game ultimately doomed the Lions, but as one of nine defeats on the year, this one ranks as the least offensive of the Big Ten era’s Homecoming losses.

22. October 18, 1997 (W): #1 Penn State 16 Minnesota 15 – A win that felt almost like a loss back then, and nothing has changed since. The top-ranked Nittany Lions were sleepwalking through most of this contest, perhaps a bit of foreshadowing for the Homecoming loss to Minnesota that awaited them two years hence. Penn State survived this time, but not unscathed. One of the only guys who came to play that afternoon was supremely talented running back Aaron Harris, who heroically sparked the offense, but then suffered a season-ending knee injury. The team’s title run ended two weeks later in Beaver Stadium when they were hammered by eventual national champion Michigan.

Hoosiermakers (#21-14)

A little bit of Southern Miss in my life. A little bit of Rutgers by my side. A little bit of Purdue’s all I need. A little Indiana’s what I see. A mostly interchangeable slurry of wins over mostly Indiana-based punching bags.

21. October 10, 2015 (W): Penn State 29 Indiana 7 – Maybe most remarkable as the fifth in a rare streak of five consecutive home games (all wins), another bit of trivia from this contest is that future defensive starter and NFL safety Nick Scott led the team in rushing with 57 yards on eight carries.

20. October 28, 1995 (W): #16 Penn State 45 Indiana 21 – The ’95 season was a bit of letdown after the highs of 1994’s undefeated Rose Bowl winner. The Nittany Lions couldn’t maintain their winning ways the next week in Evanston, where Northwestern’s win gave the Cinderella Wildcats the inside track to supplant Penn State as Big Ten Champions.

19. November 3, 2001 (W): Penn State 38 Southern Miss 20 – The previous week, new full-time starter Zack Mills had brought Penn State back against Ohio State, securing Joe Paterno’s record-setting 324^th career win. Number 325 didn’t involve as much drama. Fans were thinking about bowl eligibility after an 0-4 start to the year, but the squad fell just short and finished 5-6.

18. October 17, 1998 (W): #12 Penn State 31 Purdue 13 – Hey, a comfortable and generally unremarkable win against Purdue. More of this to come.

17. November 11, 2017 (W): #14 Penn State 35 Rutgers 6 – Getting the Scarlet Knights at home was a good way to get right again following the consecutive road losses to Ohio State and Michigan State that deflated the Nittany Lions’ playoff hopes. However, the o-line continued struggling, especially in the run game, and Saquon Barkley’s pedestrian 35 yards on 14 carries all but eliminated him from Heisman contention.

16. October 12, 1996 (W): #10 Penn State 31 Purdue 14 – After being pasted by the Buckeyes the previous week, PSU needed to get back to its winning ways. Old reliable Homecoming standby Purdue was ready to oblige.

15. October 15, 2011 (W): Penn State 23 Purdue 18 – Ah, mid-October of 2011. Those were simpler times. While the score was closer than you might like, an offensively-limited, but gritty Penn State team never trailed on the way to another Homecoming win over the Boilermakers.

14. October 5, 2019 (W): #12 Penn State 35 Purdue 7 – What have we here? A comfy win over Purdue? You don’t say. The Nittany Lions rolled to 5-0 in a year that ultimately ended with 11 wins and a victory in the Cotton Bowl.

Of Note (#13-11)

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Here are a few that aren’t quite top 10-worthy, but still deserving of some extra recognition.

13. October 14, 2009 (W): #14 Penn State 20 Minnesota 0 – One of only two Homecoming shutouts in the Big Ten era, this game stands out mainly for the bizarre weather that preceded it. A freak mid-October snowstorm had hit Happy Valley earlier in the week, wreaking havoc on the locals and complicating travel and tailgating for the weekend. Students who braved the elements somehow managed to restrain the impulse to throw many snowballs and instead decorated the bleachers with a snow man.

12. October 21, 2006 (W): Penn State 26 Illinois 12 – This one turned into far more of a nailbiter than it probably should have. Ron Zook, in his second year at the helm of Illinois, had his team playing scrappy football. The Nittany Lions only led 10-9 in the third quarter when a Tony Davis scoop and score seemed to put it away. The Illini later cut it to 17-12 with their fourth field goal of the afternoon, and it took a safety by current Defensive Analyst Dan Connor and an onsides kick returned for a TD by Anthony Scirrotto, both in the final 1:20, to produce the margin of victory.

11. October 21, 2000 (W): Penn State 39 Illinois 25 – A two-touchdown win over a bad Illinois team in the middle of a lousy 5-7 season ranks this high for one simple reason: This is the game where Rashard Casey did one of the damnedest things I’ve ever seen happen live in a football game. My words could never do the theatricality of his whirling dervish TD run justice, so just watch it and appreciate the wizardry (with due respect to Trace McSorley).

P.S. Peep the sick block by LJ on that run.

The Top Ten (#10-1)

Every one of these gems possesses qualities that stand the test of time, and the further you read down the list, the more deeply-ensconced they are in program lore.

10. October 22, 2022 (W): #16 Penn State 45 Minnesota 17 – In the first meeting between these teams since the Gophers devastating win over #5 Penn State in 2019, P.J. Fleck and Minnesota were owed a beating, and they caught one. Although the score was lopsided and the “revenge” factor was arguably nominal, separated as it was from the inciting incident by multiple years and a global pandemic, this contest represents the first and (obviously) only time the White Out has coincided with Homecoming as well as the only true night game on the list.

9. October 19, 2002 (W): #20 Penn State 49 Northwestern 0 – That little shoutout to Larry Johnson up above presaged the great running back’s star turn here. An otherwise unremarkable dismantling of a woeful Wildcats team rates so highly based entirely on Johnson’s superlative performance. In less than three quarters of game action, LJ amassed a Penn State record 257 rushing yards on 23 carries and added two touchdowns. He would actually break his own mark later in the year at Indiana (with 327 yards) and finish the season with over 2,000.

8. October 13, 2007 (W): Penn State 38 #19 Wisconsin 7 – In what has perhaps become something of a “lost game,” Penn State mercilessly annihilated a ranked Badgers team. Anthony Morelli’s tenure as starting quarterback is typically associated with unmet expectations, given the hype around his recruitment and the talent surrounding him on the roster. While it didn’t always work out for the Morelli-led Lions, everything clicked on this afternoon. The offense was balanced; the defense was suffocating, and fans were treated to a relaxing day.

7. October 29, 2005 (W): #11 Penn State 33 Purdue 15 – Homecoming staple Purdue makes another appearance, this time as a speed bump on the comeback trail for the legendary Big Ten Champions of ’05. A decisive Senior Day collision with conference title contender Wisconsin loomed the next week, and the Nittany Lions struggled to put the overmatched Boilermakers away. That’s when do-everything tailback Tony Hunt, among the more underappreciated players in team history, took over, toting the rock 24 times for 129 yards, burning minutes off the clock and grinding down the willpower of Purdue’s defense.

6. November 6, 1993 (W): #19 Penn State 38 #17 Indiana 31 – The transition from football independence to conference membership was jarring for many Penn State fans, so soothing the alums with a win on Homecoming in that first season of Big Ten play was important. That aspect alone probably warrants this game’s inclusion in the top 10, but it also registers for an extreme curiosity: There are only TWO ranked-on-ranked matchups on this entire list, and one of them involves Penn State beating… Indiana (??), in what amounted to the mildest of upsets?!? Early 90’s college football was something else, man.

5. October 8, 2016 (W): Penn State 38 Maryland 14 – A convincing and critical win for a team that was about to break out. The Nittany Lions badly needed this kind of domination over the upstart Terrapins at what history tells us was a crucial inflection point of a budding Big Ten title run. Sitting at 3-2 and coming off an emotional comeback win over Minnesota in overtime, Penn State caught fire in the second half after a sluggish start and carried their momentum into the following game – the famous White Out win versus #2 Ohio State.

4. October 6, 2012 (W): Penn State 39 #24 Northwestern 28 – For all the heartache and anguish surrounding it, the 2012 football season ranks among my very favorite of all time. The determination, camaraderie, and moxie of the Iron Lions inspired a downcast community and reminded us that, yes, Penn State was special, and we would endure. This Homecoming contest encapsulated everything great about that team. Falling behind a ranked opponent, O’Brien’s “bunch of fighters” never quit. Led by their seniors, the Nittany Lions treated their loyal fans to an entertaining comeback victory that spoke volumes about their will and spirit.

3. October 12, 2013 (W): Penn State 43 #18 Michigan 40 – With men’s hockey opening Pegula Ice Arena the night before with a win over Army, it was one of the great weekends in Penn State athletics. Kudos to Bill O’Brien for capturing two of the top three spots on this list in his only two seasons on the Beaver Stadium sideline. This wonderful game truly had it all: an electric White Out environment, an undefeated Michigan team about to see its season upended, multiple signature plays that still grace program highlight reels, and an unbelievable sequence of improbable events that resulted in one of the most memorable outcomes in Penn State history. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this past week, the 4OT thriller represents everything you could ever want in a college football experience. I will certainly take some flak for ranking this game outside the top two – and it’s a close thing! – but as far as I’m concerned, it still ranks a notch below PSU’s only other Homecoming clash with Michigan.

2. October 18, 2008 (W): #3 Penn State 46 Michigan 17 – If you weren’t there, you don’t understand it. If you didn’t actually endure a losing streak to the Wolverines that lasted over a decade and spanned nine demoralizing losses, then you can’t appreciate the frustration or feeling of hopelessness that accrued to the appearance of those damn winged helmets. Or maybe you’ve just forgotten. If that’s the case, then you have this game and the ’08 conference champions to thank. After watching their team lose every which way to these miserable bastards for years, the fans were treated to a beautiful catharsis that finally broke seal and reminded Penn State that Michigan was mortal.

1. October 29, 1994 (W): #1 Penn State 63 #21 Ohio State 14 – There’s what the 1992 Dream Team did to Angola. There’s what the Death Star did to Alderaan. And then there’s what Penn State did to a ranked Ohio State in their second season in the Big Ten (with both teams having a full complement of scholarship players, I’ll note). Even now, nearly 30 years later, the totality of this destruction is almost unfathomable. Yes, the 1994 Nittany Lions may have had the most efficient, potent offense in college football history, but even still… Ki-Jana Carter scored four touchdowns. The offense put up 35 points in the first half. Exuberant Penn Staters arrived to enjoy a visit back to the Valley, hoping for an entertaining, spirited contest, and instead they got the ’85 Bears versus Akron. While it may not have quite the cache of 48-14 (IYKYK), 63-14 comes awfully close.

That’s a pleasant – and appropriate – note on which to end, because this week’s mission is to go 1-0, stay healthy, and then focus all attention, energy, and effort on the monumental challenge awaiting in a Columbus, a game whose outcome will determine the way 2023 is remembered in Happy Valley. Happy Homecoming!

Three for the Road

1. Mount Nittany is one of the treasures of the Valley. The Mountain is a distinctive landmark beloved by Penn Staters, and for so many of us, the sight of her rolling slope confirms that we’ve come home. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Mount Nittany Conservancy, the Mountain remains – now and forever – preserved in its natural state, free and open to everyone. There’s a remarkable story behind a generational community banding together to purchase and steward this land for all to enjoy, and I’ll be humbled to become a small part of it when I attend my first meeting as a member of the Conservancy’s board of directors this weekend. This kind of organization just doesn’t exist everywhere. Penn State and the Nittany Valley are special. Don’t take that for granted.

2. Just like I did for Delaware, I’ll note that some former Nittany Lions ended their careers playing for this week’s opponent. Most notably, I think, is Adam Brenneman, who has emerged as an omnipresent media force this season. Adam chose to reinvigorate a playing career that once appeared over due to injury by joining the Minutemen. His commitment to Bill O’Brien amid scandal and controversy made a big difference for Penn State, and I’m glad he’s stayed close to the program. Others who arrived in Amherst by way of State College were backup QB Austin Whipple and former State High Little Lion WR Alex Kenney.

3. With gross weather all but certain for Saturday, I am less focused on what we might hope to see from offense – some different offensive line combinations (Caedan Wallace at guard?), crisper execution in the run game, integration of Harrison Wallace back at receiver, and yes, some deep throws – and more interested in seeing everybody take care of the football. It doesn’t expect to be a deluge on the order of last season’s Northwestern game, but that contest was a ball security disaster, and I’d love to see our guys cradling the program tight as the team preps for that trip to the Horseshoe next week.