With the first 25 seasons of college football in the books, Penn State has left an indelible mark on the sport.
In this five-part series, Iโll be ranking the 25 best games Penn State football played in the first 25 seasons of the 21st century. Not all will be wins, there will be some heartbreak, but the overall greatness of the games are ones all Nittany Lions fans have a story about.
You can read Part 1 that examines 25 to 21 you can read HERE
You can read Part 2 that examines 20 to 16 you can read HERE
You can read Part 3 that examines 15 to 11 you can read HERE
You can read Part 4 that examines 10 to 6ย you can read
Without further adieu, the five greatest games Penn State has played in the 21st Century.
5. 2017 Rose Bowl
Heartbreak can happen in greatness, and that will be well represented in this top 5. If anything the 2017 Rose Bowl, while painful, was a catalyst for James Franklinโs programย to realizing its full potential.
It also didnโt hurt the game was a bonafide classic that many considered one of the greatest Rose Bowls ever played.
As Penn State made its first trip into Pasadena since 2009, the team felt someone shafted by the College Football Playoff Committee selecting Ohio State into the playoffs over a two-loss Penn State, along with selecting Pac-12 Champion Washington over Penn State at No. 4.ย
USC set the tone early behind a record day for Sam Darnold, who set a Rose Bowl record for total offense (473) and passing touchdowns (5).ย
In a similar fashion how the Big Ten Championship played out, the Nittany Lions were down early before Penn State roared back.
Down 20-7 midway through the second quarter, this is when Penn Stateโs offense began to take off when quarterback Trace McSorley connected with wide receiver Chris Godwin on a 30-yard touchdown.
After a Trojan response to make it 27-14, McSorley, much like his quarterback counterpart Darnold matched the most touchdowns responsible for with five (4 pass, 1 rush), connected with tight end Mike Gesicki to pull within six.
On Penn Stateโs opening possession of the second half, running back Saquon Barkley, arguably had his signature play at Penn State, when he invoked the ghosts of Ki-Jana Carter going 79 yards in a Barry Sanders style rushing touchdown to give Penn State their first lead of the day.
Barkleyโs touchdown was the first of a Rose Bowl record 28 point third quarter for the Nittany Lions.
At the start of the fourth quarter, with Penn State up 49-35, it seemed the avalanche happened and they would get their biggest postseason victory since the 2006 Orange Bowl.ย
That however did not transpire.
USC set a Rose Bowl record for largest fourth quarterback comeback, much of it fueled by Darnold.
If that 2016 Penn State team had a signature, it was behindโs aggressive pursuit of pushing the ball downfield. While it fueled an epic Big Ten Championship comeback and kept Penn State around against Ohio State, it cost them late against Pitt and it did again in the Rose Bowl when McSorley threw an ill-fated interception tied at 49 to Trojan defensive back Leon McQuay III.
USC kicker Matt Boermeester set a Rose Bowl record with three field goals on his deciding kick as time expired.
Penn State and USC combined for a Rose Bowl record 101 points total, only eclipsed since by the Oklahoma/Georgia Rose Bowl the very next season.ย
Take out the bitter ending, the 2017 Rose Bowl gave Penn State the momentum it needed on the national scene as being back. The game itself was a classic and stands the test of time, we only could have wished for a different outcome.ย
Over the years, FOXโs Gus Johnson has established himself as one of the more gregarious play-by-play announcers in sports.
One of Johnsonโs quips during the 2016 Big Ten Championship was Penn Stateโs โreturn to Camelot,โ essentially the story of the teamโs rise from the ashes of the sanctions to championship football.
Quarterback Trace McSorley would be anointed by Johnson as the โWizard of Camelot.โ
Before the euphoria could unravel, Penn State dug itself into a giant 28-7 hole midway through the second quarter.
It seemed throughout much of the first half, Penn Stateโs offense couldnโt launch. As the first half was ending, the offense ignited when McSorley located wide receiver Saeed Blacknall for a 40-yard touchdown to inch closer to 28-14.ย
This would be Blacknallโs biggest game at Penn State with six receptions 155 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Blacknallโs second touchdown was arguably the turning point. After Wisconsinโs opening possession stalled at the Penn State 30, Andrew Endicottโs 48-yard sailed wide giving Penn State an opportunity to make this a one possession game.
Penn State wasted little time as McSorley located Blacknall for a 70-yard touchdown strike to shell shock the Badgers.
If McSorleyโs now social media famous โHome Run GIF,โ which he did earlier in the game when he connected with tight-end Mike Gesicki for Penn Stateโs opening score, McSorley was grooving in the batterโs box.ย
After a Saquon Barkley touchdown tied it up at 28, Wisconsinโs offense stalled once again having to settle for a short Endicott field goal.ย
The ominous feelings Badgers had that the explosive Penn State offense began to set in.ย
The stage was set for Johnson to anoint McSorley as the โWizard of Camelotโ on the ensuing possession, which shaved less than two minutes on the clock, McSorleyโs signature throw happened when he connected with Saquon Barkley on a wheel route for the go-ahead touchdown.
Penn State would add another field goal to secure a 38-31. In the process Penn State set a Big Ten Championship Game record for largest comeback at 21 and enjoyed its best comeback victory in the 21st Century.
For a generation of Penn State fans, the 1979 Sugar Bowl was that giant pit in their stomach.ย
Whether it was Paterno second guessing himself on fourth down to run it behind Mike Guman, or Alabamaโs Don McNeal making a great stop on an out route to Penn Stateโs Scott Fitzkee, which Fitzkee 99 out of 100 would walk into the end zone.
Penn Stateโs mental mistake of having too many men on the field allowed Alabama to run the clock and win the national championship.
ABC Sports Keith Jackson, who called the game along with Frank Broyles, often said it was one of the greatest games heโs seen but the pain being so close yet so far stung a generation of Penn State fans.
The same sentiments can be equally said of the 2025 Orange Bowl.
Running back Nick Singleton had one of the greatest bowl performances, accounting for all three Penn State touchdowns and nearly had a fourth at the beginning of the game along with 117 yards of total offense.ย
There are two giant fourth quarter miscues that will forever haunt the fans.
The first miscue came with under five minutes to go, defensive back Cam Miller falls down while in coverage of Notre Dame wide receiver Jaden Greathouse who would go 54 yards to tie the game at 24.
The latter miscue would be Drew Allarโs unnecessary interception one that Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray would intercept. While Allar would say postgame he was trying to throw it in the dirt, that simply did not happen.
Much like the 2017 Rose Bowl, we saw the same script as Notre Dame bled the clock and got into field goal position to down the Nittany Lions.
What made the 2025 Orange Bowl arguably the best bowl game of 2024-25 cycle (you could debate the Peach Bowl as well with Cam Skattebo and Texas duking it out), it was a slow burn like a prized heavyweight fight and when it came time to decide the fight both combatants delivered jarring blows and was full of action.
In pro wrestling, many gauge a moment by a pop. A pop in wrestling terms is simply a reaction by the crowd.
In my time going to Beaver Stadium, there are two pops that will be my measuring stick and both occupy the top two spots.
What makes the Nebraska game my No. 2 game of the 21st Century is the build up and penting frustration PSU fans had on many fronts.
For starters – letโs just say 1994. How the young kids say today โif you know you know.โ I will die on the mountain firmly believing that team deserved a share of that 1994 championship.
When you consider how far Penn State had fallen, it was unknown what Penn State team would show up. After the shocker against Minnesota in 1999, Penn State was 12-16 in its previous 28 games – the worst stretch up to that point in Joe Paternoโs career at Penn State.ย
When you couple that with the way Penn State ย beat Central Florida 27-24 to open 2002, the frustration was ever so present.
You add in the fact Nebraska just a season prior played for a national championship, produced a Heisman Trophy quarterback and won 36 of its previous 41 games, you could see where this dynamic was going.
Penn State played arguably its most spirited game in quite some time and the fans executed โOperation Visineโ to a tee.
ย Nebraska ran into a buzzsaw in Penn State and the play that, in my mind, changed Nebraska forever came in third quarter.ย
On a play prior, Penn State was robbed of a scoop and score opportunity. There wasnโt replay back then to overturn what should have been a Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord fumble that defensive lineman Michael Haynes should have had a shot at a scoop and score.ย
Then the very next play, Lord – who was in his first road game as a starterโ was a true baptism by fire when Penn Stateโs Rich Gardner had a pick-six for all ages. That put Penn State up 26-7 and they wouldnโt look back in a 40-7 win.
When you consider that since that game, Nebraska has won only 55% of its games since and only appeared in one New Yearโs Six bowl – Penn State may have gotten its ultimate revenge for 1994 with this one.
When you consider where Penn State was as a program following the sanctions and Franklinโs struggles to rebuild the program, this is the turning point game for Franklin and Penn State.
When you consider where Penn State was at building the machine that could reload, it was still in its infancy. Franklin up to the 2016 Ohio State affair was 18-14 as a head coach, the notion of this program could go in any direction, both positively or negatively, truly was there because it wasnโt really known.
Penn State, even in its leanest years, played Ohio State tough – notably in 2014 going into double overtime.
The second quarter featured Ohio State asserting itself going up 12-0, and it looked like Penn Stateโs offense would fail to launch once again against the mighty Buckeyes.
As the first half came to a close, quarterback Trace McSorley connected with wide receiver Chris Godwin to close the gap to 12-7 giving some hope.
The third quarter belonged to Ohio State. OSU forced a safety to go up 21-7 against a Penn State team that only had 161 yards of total offense.
Entering the fourth quarter, Penn State forced a stop at its own 44 yard line but Ohio State pinned Penn State within its own 10.
It was a drive where Penn State had to respond and it went five plays for 90 yards that saw running back Saquon Barkley take off for 37 yards and wide receiver Saeed Blacknall take a McSorely pass to the Ohio State two-yard line.
The drive was capped off by a short McSorley touchdown to make it 21-14.
After a Tyler Davis field goal to cut it to four, Ohio State responded on a five plus minute drive intended to kill the clock and thwart a Penn State drive.ย
It partially worked getting to the Penn State 28 yard line setting up Tyler Durbin – who had missed an extra point earlier and was attempting a season long 45 yard field goal.
With 4:27 to go, Penn State safety Marcus Allen blocked Durbinโs kick, that was the loudest pop I can remember in Beaver Stadium and the crescendo of the fanโs euphoria only grew as Grant Haley, who returned the kick, approached the goal line.
When Haley stumbled into the end zone, you could feel the concrete of Beaver Stadium begin to crack. Ohio State was left looking for answers and didnโt find any as Penn State secured its biggest win against a ranked opponent at home since the 1982 Nebraska game, you might remember how that one ended with Kirk Bowman from Todd Blackledge and Penn Stateโs biggest upset of Ohio State since the 1964 when Ohio State was No. 2 as well.
