Biggest game in Happy Valley? Maybe, but it’s still playoff time | News, sports, jobs

Photo courtesy of JUSTICE SHEAFFER
Saturday’s first-ever College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium will be played under White Out Game conditions. The first White Out game shown here was played on November 9th.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Biggest game ever at Beaver Stadium? Er, no doubt. Penn State die-hards proclaimed a top 10 matchup between then-No. 7 Nittany Lions and no. 2 Miami Hurricanes in 1992.

A decade before that – September 25, 1982 – no. 8 in Penn State moved the no. 2 in Nebraska when coaching legends Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne matched wits in a game the Nittany Lions won, 27-24. It remains quite special.

Now we’ve entered a new era as the 12-team College Football Playoff debuts and the revamped Pony Express of Southern Methodist University gallops into Happy Valley to battle Penn State and what is sure to be a capacity crowd of hungry fans after the season.

“It’s one of the biggest” said longtime Penn State fan Brian Heckert of Reedsville. “Nebraska in ’82 is my No. 1 big game.”

Overall, Heckert believes the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, when Penn State was crowned its second national championship after beating Miami, still ranks No. 1 on the list.

CPF is uncharted territory for Heckert and other fans.

“You bet I’m excited,” Heckert explained. “Another game in Beaver Stadium and a playoff game! I am like a child at Christmas.”

He hopes the Nittany Lions find a way to tear through the Mustang defense like a child leaving his wrapped presents empty on Christmas morning. Paper and bows all fly as each gift is opened one by one.

Playing its first-ever College Football Playoff game, Penn State hosts the SMU Mustangs today — the weekend before Christmas. The first round match starts at Beaver Stadium at

Heckert will be in the stands watching with his usual group of family and friends. And white out conditions are expected as Penn State will host its second White Out game of the season.

Is there snow in the forecast? It’s almost too much to hope for, with visions of sugar plums and a Nittany Lion victory dancing in most fans’ heads.

After a decade of near misses and disappointments, the Nittany Lions were almost a lock to make the new, expanded 12-team format this season. The only question was, would they play?

After a loss to top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, Penn State dropped just one spot in the penultimate playoff rankings (now No. 4) and seedings (now No. 6) after losing by a touchdown.

The winner of the Penn State-SMU tilt earns a trip to the aforementioned Fiesta Bowl to play Boise State in the CFP semifinals.

The Nittany Lions and Mustangs certainly don’t have a history. In fact, they’ve only met twice before: Penn State won 26-21 in 1978 at Beaver Stadium; and they tied 13-13 in the 1948 Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Greatest game ever? Brian Rothrock of Lewistown isn’t sure.

“So many great, important games played at Beaver Stadium,” Rothrock explained. “I mean, I like our path to the finals. It would shut up the (coach James) Franklin haters and put us back near the top of college football after where we were in 2011. I’ll take it .”

That year was a turbulent one as Paterno coached the Nittany Lions for the first nine games until he was fired in the wake of the sex abuse scandal at Penn State, with defensive coordinator Tom Bradley taking over as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

The Nittany Lions won eight of their first nine games, but Paterno’s firing sent them reeling to a 1-3 finish. The program took years to rebuild due to the sanctions.

Ray Hoppel of Lewistown will also be there. Games in 2005 and 2016 rank there in Nittany Lion lore. Both were Penn State wins.

In 2016, it was “Block Six” was a blocked field goal by Penn State that resulted in a touchdown in the final minutes of a dramatic upset for the Nittany Lions, who were unranked and 19.5 point underdogs.

With just over four minutes left in the game and Ohio State leading 21-17, the Buckeyes lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt. However, the kick was blocked by Penn State safety Marcus Allen and knocked into the hands of cornerback Grant Haley, who raced 71 yards for a Penn State touchdown, giving Penn State an improbable 24–21 victory.

It is considered by fans as one of the best plays in Penn State football history and marked the program’s return to national relevance after the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Hoppel also considers the Sept. 1, 2001 game against Miami in which Adam Taliaferro returned to Happy Valley for the first time since suffering a serious neck injury.

We will see how today’s competition ranks. Hopefully it has a happy ending for the Happy Valley faithful.