penn state nittany lions history
penn state nittany lions history
Penn State Nittany Lions tickets have a long history of college football excitement, most of it created by head coach Joe Paterno. Paterno has been at the helm of the Penn State football program for over 40 years and is one of the most respected football coaches in the country with a record that includes over 350 wins as a head coach at Penn State. While Joe Paterno has certainly seen the ups and downs of football on the college level there are few seasons that can match the Nittany Lions 2005 season. What a ride for Nittany Lions ticket holders.
Head coach Joe Paterno was under fire from all directions heading into the 2005 college football season. The Nittany Lions were in a slump and had been for years with a string on non-bowl game seasons behind them. Detractors argued that Joe Paterno was washed up as a coach and held out little hope that the new season would pan out any differently. The cries for Paterno’s resignation were loud and constant but Papa Joe refused to step down.
Surprisingly, Penn State opened the season with a series of wins. Opening week saw the Nittany Lions take a 23-13 victory over South Florida. Not a spectacular performance but good enough to lower the volume on the criticism a notch. In Week 2, Cincinnati came to Beaver Stadium and got whipped 42-24. Critics complained that Penn State might be able to hang with the lesser programs but when it came crunch time the Nittany Lions would fold and the truth about Joe Paterno would be revealed. Paterno guided the Nittany Lions to a 4-0 record to start the season, adding wins over Central Michigan and Northwestern to the first two of the season. Then it was crunch time. Back to back games against Minnesota, ranked #18 in the country, and rival Ohio State, ranked #6 at game time.
Penn State took the Golden Gophers to the woodshed with a 44-14 whipping. Quarterback Michael Robinson passed for 175 yards while running for another 112. Running back Tony Hunt led the team with 114 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. But still, as significant a victory as it was, Ohio State was even bigger. One of the biggest rivalries in football, the Nittany Lions would need everything they had to beat the top ranked Buckeyes.
A packed house at Beaver Stadium witnessed one of the greatest victories of Joe Paterno’s long career. The Nittany Lions defense stifled the Buckeyes offense while outplaying the vaunted Ohio State defense. When all was said and done Penn State had risen from the ashes and re-established them as a program that could compete for a national title.
But from the high of a victory over Ohio State the Nittany Lions came crashing back to earth only seven days later. A loss to Michigan killed the dream of an undefeated season and eliminated the Nittany Lions from competing for a BCS Championship. But Paterno’s squad wasn’t done. Penn State would go on to finish the 2005 college football season at 10-1. A record that Nittany Lions ticket holders could be proud of
In a memorable finish to a memorable season Penn State met up with Florida State in one of the greatest Orange Bowl ever played. Across the field from Joe Paterno was Bobby Bowden, another legend of college football. The Seminoles and the Nittany Lions battled through four quarters and three overtime periods before Joe Paterno and his Nittany Lions emerged to win 26-23. For Joe Paterno it was just another year.
