Penn State football had its second largest crowd ever in Beaver Stadium against Oregon.
The game had its fill of highs and lows between an epic fourth quarter comeback to the game being decided on three consecutive plays in overtime where Oregon scored twice and quarterback Drew Allar threw the game-ending interception that broke 111,015 hearts in Happy Valley.
The game ended in pain, but where does it rank in the Franklin era? Here is my Top 5.
Honorable Mention: 2023 Michigan
JJ McCarthy and the Michigan offense stare down a loud Penn State student section.
The Connor Stalions saga hits “Happy Valley” at an opportune time for a potential signature win for Penn State football coach James Franklin. Prior to Michigan’s arrival, head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended.
Why Did It Hurt?: Just a year prior, Manny Diaz’s defense gave up 418 yards rushing and he did an amazing job coordinating a defense that made Michigan one dimensional where quarterback J.J. McCarthy only completed seven passes for 60 yards.
It was the swan song for Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, who had an interesting two-point conversion attempt to try to make it a one possession game.
The offense’s inability to move the ball and capitalizing on a Michigan team that was in a bit of disarray was a giant missed opportunity.
Zakee Wheatley tackles Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson.
2024 was starting to give special vibes especially after the USC classic. With Oregon having just defeated Ohio State in a classic in Autzen Stadium just two weeks prior, it set the stage for Beaver Stadium’s first Top 4 matchup since 1999.
Why Did It Hurt? Zion Tracy’s pick-six electrified the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history to give Penn State football a 10-0 lead.
The vibe of the game changed when Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun made an incredible interception in the end zone at the end of the first half, something Ryan Day alluded to during his postgame about how this rivalry is so close and how these games change on strange bounces.
Penn State kept it to one possession in the fourth quarter when tight end Tyler Warren rumbled for a 33-yard run to the Penn State three-yard line.
The controversy for the ages is Penn State didn’t attempt to get Warren involved again, who already had 64 yards on the drive, in what would be Penn State’s final possession and be Ohio State’s first signature goal line stand of the season.
Ohio State would run out the final 5:13 of the game, leaving Penn State fans aghast once again.
#4 2018 vs. Michigan State
The Big Ten schedule makers had put Ohio State and Michigan State back-to-back with the Spartans getting Penn State football team that was reeling from an epic Ohio State collapse (more on that later).
Just a year prior, Michigan State outlasted Penn State in a weather delay in East Lansing, adding to the frustration the Spartans gave James Franklin.
This game, Michigan State was unranked and Penn State was in the Top 10, it should have been a game Penn State got back on track on.
Why Did It Hurt? Mark Dantonio owned James Franklin early in his time at Penn State football, winning four of their first five head-to-head matchups.
This one is by far the most frustrating loss of them all, because it was for a second consecutive season a bad hangover loss to Michigan State.
Michigan State dominated time of possession while seemingly was one-dimensional throwing 53 times.
Penn State had zero momentum in the second half allowing Michigan State to stay in the game until the end.
The soft zone the Penn State defense employed was picked apart by Spartan quarterback Brian Lewerke, who was five for eight for 76 yards passing on the final drive.
Lewerke connected with Spartan receiver Felton Davis III on a comeback route that turned Penn State corner Amani Oruwariye inside out, for his second touchdown reception of the day with 21 seconds to go.
#3 2025 vs. Oregon
The 2024 Big Ten Championship Game rematch. Penn State has rushed all over Tosh Lupoi’s defense for 292 yards, it still perplexes Franklin on how his team lost a game when rushing for nearly 300 yards.
After this game was announced, many pointed to this as when Penn State could take that next proverbial step for their national championship bid and change the narrative of Franklin’s big game failures.
Why Did It Hurt? It is still raw and there is still a lot to unpack. This game could be the turning point for the Nittany Lions bid for a national championship like how the Alabama loss was for the 1982 team, or it could be a sign of things to come for more big game failures.
Unlike other games where you can tell that story, for now we can’t with this one and take it in consideration.
Why it hurts is this team responded in a major way rallying from 14 points down late to force overtime and scoring on their opening possession.
It set up a potential to be one of the biggest wins in Beaver Stadium and how the game turned when Oregon got possession of the ball and on five consecutive plays.
If there ever was an example of the see-saw of momentum that demonstrated the late ABC Sports Jim McKay’s quote of “The thrills of victory and the agony of defeat,” this was it.
From when Oregon scored and tied it up on the extra point in the first overtime, then Oregon Dante Moore finding Gary Bryant Jr for a 25-yard touchdown pass, to Dani Dennis-Sutton intercepting the two-point attempt, then to the immediate end of Drew Allar’s interception – it was about as quick of an adrenaline rush to it coming to an end as any I have experienced.
It was the third consecutive ending of a loss that can be attributed to an Allar interception. Seeing how drained Franklin was at the end, coupled with him acknowledging it as fact of his big game failures stings hard, this may in time move up higher.
2021 seemed to be a season that could be special for Penn State after they got up to No. 3 in the nation.
In a Top 4 clash at Iowa, the 2021 season began to come off the rails. Quarterback Sean Clifford left the game with an injury and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher left with a season-ending injury.
The game was lost by Penn State when it didn’t have a proven backup and it all came crashing down.
While Mustipher was lost, Clifford was able to compete against a rebuilding Illinois team the next week.
Why Did It Hurt? There’s a debate of the worst hangover loss in Franklin’s tenure at Penn State football between this game or either of the Michigan State losses, but I feel the loss to Illinois was by far and away the worst.
This was Bret Bielema’s first season in Champaign, the transfer portal wasn’t to the extent as it is now where first year coaches can pull a Curt Cignetti.
Illinois entered the game 2-5 with wins against Nebraska and Charlotte.
Penn State was in the Top 10.
Outside of the 2022 Michigan game, the game where I feel Penn State got obliterated in physicality was this Illinois game.
20 of their 26 first downs came via the run and only had 3 first downs through the air.
Overall, Illinois had 357 yards rushing, which by itself outgained Penn State’s total offensive output of 227.
Much like the Iowa game the previous week, Penn State had a lead and simply couldn’t put Illinois away, so much so, it went to nine overtimes – the record in the FBS.
Any time a game gets past double overtime, this game is always mentioned.
Don’t get me started on my feelings of alternating two-point attempts, that to me isn’t football, which only adds salt to the wounds.
It seems like an eternity, but there was a time that the Penn State and Ohio State series where Penn State actually won these.
In the Urban Meyer/James Franklin duels, the apex of the rivalry was in the 2016 and 2017 games.
Franklin got the 2016 classic, his first signature win as Penn State’s head coach.
Meyer has often said the 2017 game, where Penn State allowed Ohio State to come back down two possession is one of his most satisfying victories.
The 2018 game would be the game that defined the current state of this one-sided rivalry.
Why Did It Hurt? Penn State dominated Ohio State through three-plus quarters and with 6:43 to go, was up 26-14.
It was at this point where all hell broke loose once again for Penn State.
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins connects with Binijimen Victor for a 47-yard touchdown, which Victor simply weaved through arm tackles.
On the ensuing possession, Penn State could not milk the clock and gave Ohio State nearly five minutes of clock to complete a second consecutive comeback, which they did on a 96-yard drive completed with a Haskins to K.J. Hill 25-yard touchdown.
Penn State had one final opportunity down one, which adds another layer to this game, on a fourth and five, Penn State opted to run the ball with Miles Sanders, who averaged under three yards per carry.
Sanders got stuffed for a two yard loss.
The controversy that ensued was the call taking the ball out of McSorley’s hands.
That night McSorley had arguably his best game as a Penn State quarterback passing for 286 yards, two passing touchdowns, to go along with 175 rushing yards on the ground.
If this game didn’t have enough between the consecutive season collapses and a bad decision to take the ball out of your biggest gamebreakers hands in the most consequential play, there was the now infamous Franklin post game “Good To Great To Elite,” coaching speech to the media following.
