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closeA LOOK BACK: OHIO STATE SERIES Lions-Buckeyes rivalry runs deep
Ron Bracken For the CDT
Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of their borders, or it could be that they had some history before Penn State joined the Big Ten.
AP file photo/Jay LaPrete
Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) fumbles the ball in the fourth quarter against Penn State last season — the turning point in the Nittany Lions’ 13-6 victory in Columbus.
Whatever the reason, Ohio State has emerged as Penn State’s true rival in the Big Ten.
The 24-game series is dead even at 12-12 which certainly feeds into the rivalry which really caught fire once Penn State became the unwanted stepchild in the conference. But the seeds of the rivalry were planted long before that union.
Three times between 1956 and 1964, Penn State upset the Buckeyes in Columbus, shocking the college football world in the latter when the 3-4 Lions jolted No. 2 unbeaten Ohio State 27-0. That game remains one of the greatest upsets in the history of college football.
But there was another game, one which hasn’t drawn as much attention, that was equally significant in the series, mainly because it thrust Penn State into the national spotlight in a year in which it would make its first serious run at No. 1.
In the fall of 1978, Penn State was ranked between first and third in most of the national polls, based on the fact that it had 40 lettermen back from a team that went 11-1 in 1977.
So as the 1978 season approached, it was clear that while the first two games were against Temple and Rutgers, Penn State’s season really began on Sept. 16 when it once again went to Columbus.
The Lions barely escaped ruin in the first game of the year when they needed a late field goal from Matt Bahr to hold off Temple 10-7 in old Veterans Stadium. They followed that with a less-than-comforting 26-10 win over Rutgers in their season opener in newly expanded Beaver Stadium.
Then it was time to get ready for the Buckeyes, who were somewhat of a mystery since Penn State would be their season opener.
Woody Hayes had something of a dilemma on his hands at quarterback. He had returning starter Rod Gerald, a waterbugquick, option quarterback. But he also had freshman Art Schlichter, who had been the object of a recruiting war between Paterno and Hayes. Schlichter, who was from Washington Court House, Ohio, had considered the Lions but eventually decided to stay home. He was a big, strong, traditional drop-back quarterback who, at first glance, didn’t seem to fit the Ohio State mold.
Penn State had begun preparations for Ohio State as far back as the summer, figuring it had enough horsepower to deal with Temple and Rutgers.
What it didn’t know was which quarterback it would face. And Hayes, being the wise old coach that he was, certainly wasn’t telling anyone that Gerald was injured and Schlichter would get the call.
It was almost unfair because he would be looking at a line of Matt Millen, Bruce Clark, Tony Petruccio, Joe Lally and Larry Kubin, with linebackers Paul Suhey, Lance Mehl, and Rich Milot behind them and a secondary of Pete Harris, Joe Diminick and Mike Gilsenan.
It was no way to start a career.
It was time to play “Get the Quarterback.”
“I was happy to see him in there,” Clark said of Schlichter after the game. “Then I knew we wouldn’t have to chase Gerald all over the field. I figured with him (Gerald), they would try to option us to death. But when they started Schlichter, I knew they’d have to pass a lot. Then all you have to do is beat your man and get to the passer. When I saw him come in I figured it was good times for Matt (Millen), Truc (Petruccio) and me. Larry Kubin did a great job in there too.”
Two plays underscored how bad Schlichter’s day was.
On one, Clark beat his man cleanly and leveled Schlichter just as he was releasing the ball, which fluttered into Mehl’s hands downfield.
Later, Kubin, one of the most underrated players of the Paterno era, was blocked, got to his feet and decked Schlichter, stripping him of the football. Kubin then recovered the ball.
“I was surprised they decided to use Schlichter,’’ Paterno said. “I thought they would go with Gerald. But Schlichter can do a lot of the same things Gerald can do. Schlichter is going to be a great quarterback. But I wouldn’t want anyone to underestimate the job our defense did today. They put on a tremendous pass rush.
“We didn’t think Ohio State could run on us. This is the strongest defense we’ve had since 1969. There are very few people who are going to block Clark and Millen. And if Ohio State decided to throw we felt it would be difficult for them to put together a precise passing game in three weeks.”
At halftime, the score stood at 3-0, thanks to a 30-yard field goal by Bahr in the first quarter.
During the intermission, the Lions, who had run the ball only 11 times in the first half, decided it was time to get as physical on offense as they were on defense.
“At the half, the kids came in and said we can block them, let’s run the ball,” Paterno explained afterward. “We tried on our first series in the third quarter and didn’t do too well but the second time we got some momentum going, took control of the line of scrimmage and got some big plays.”
Mostly, though, they got a lot of small plays on an 80-yard, 13-play drive. Matt Suhey, who Hayes had nearly talked into going to Ohio State and later said he was the best player on the field in this game, carried eight times for 43 yards. Guman chipped in with four carries for 20 yards and Fusina changed things up once with a pass to Bassett for 17 yards. Suhey went the final three yards, cutting into the end zone behind a block from Guman.
“That was just a good, solid win for us,” said Matt Suhey. “In the second half, we started moving the ball better. We decided at halftime that we could run the ball so we just pounded away, trying to control the clock and keeping good field position.”
Suhey finished the 19-0 win with 96 yards and the game’s only touchdown on 26 carries.
1956 Penn State 7, Ohio State 6
Ohio State was undefeated and ranked fifth in the country going into this game. Penn State was 2-1 and was regarded as an Eastern patsy.
One newspaper headline claimed, “Buckeyes in for Easy Time,” in advance of the game.
But behind the punting of Milt Plum, who was also Penn State’s quarterback, the Buckeyes were in constant trouble with field position. A 56-yard Plum punt pinned Ohio State on its own 1, and later he banged a 72-yarder that was downed at the Buckeye 3.
The game, which was witnessed by 82,584 fans and viewed by a regional television audience, was scoreless deep into the fourth quarter before Penn State’s Bruce Gilmore scored from inside the 1 and Plum kicked the PAT.
Ohio State then drove 80 yards and scored on a three-yard run by Don Clark. But a penalty on the PAT moved the ball back to the 12-yard line and Frank Kremblas missed the PAT, causing coach Rip Engle to say, “I’ve never had a bigger victory.”
1963 Penn State 10, Ohio State 7
Once again the Buckeyes were loaded, featuring future NFL stars Paul Warfield and Matt Snell in the backfield.
Warfield scored on a five-yard run just before halftime, but on the first possession of the second half, the Lions drove to the Ohio State 18 from where Pete Liske connected with Bill Bowes for a touchdown. Later, the Lions added a 23-yard field goal from Ron Coates to once again shut down the Buckeyes.
1964 Penn State 27, Ohio State 0
This was the stunner. The Lions had lost three games in a row early in the season and were 3-4 going into the game. Ohio State had risen to second in the polls with a 6-0 record.
On paper, it was no contest. It wasn’t much of a one on the field either, as the Lions throttled Ohio State.
The defense, led by middle guard Glenn Ressler, held Ohio State to minus-14 yards rushing, no yards passing and no first downs in the first half. Meanwhile, the Lions were getting two touchdowns from reserve halfback Don Kunit to go with another from quarterback Gary Wydman and one from Dirk Nye, who recovered fullback Tom Urbanik’s fumble in the end zone.
At the end of the day, Ohio State had netted 60 yards in total offense and five first downs while losing two fumbles and being intercepted three times.
Later, Woody Hayes said, “That is the soundest trouncing we’ve ever gotten. How did that team lose four games?”
Back at Penn State, over 5,000 fans paraded down College Avenue and eventually threw a Volkswagen Beetle into the pond on the grounds of University president Eric Walker.
1994 Penn State 63, Ohio State 14
The Lions unleashed their high-powered offense on the Buckeyes, storming to a 35-0 lead at the half. For the game, Kerry Collins was 19-for-23 for 265 yards and two touchdowns, Ki-Jana Carter ran for 137 yards on 19 carries and four touchdowns and Bobby Engram caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
2005 Penn State 17, Ohio State 10
This was a critical game in the Lions’ bounce-back season. It was a night game in Beaver Stadium and at the time became the second largest ESPN audience of the regular season.
Penn State got out to an early lead as Derrick Williams went 13 yards for a score and Calvin Lowry’s interception set up Michael Robinson’s three-yard scoring run.
Ohio State came back to make it 14-10 on Troy Smith’s 10-yard run in the final minute of the first half.
But Penn State’s defense hung tough in the second half and Kevin Kelly gave the Lions some insurance with a 41-yard field goal that set the final score.
In Print
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