The Most Memorable Games That Penn State Did Not Win Since 1998
By Jason Lisk
So, with the news that the NCAA was punishing the Penn State program as a result of the Sandusky cover-up with a hefty fine, a four year bowl ban, and by vacating all wins since 1998, I thought I would take a look back at the best games Penn State did not win over the last 14 years.
5. 2006 Orange Bowl against Florida State. This 3-OT thriller was the last meeting between Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, but when the smoke cleared at the Orange Bowl, Joe Pa had gained no ground on Bobby in the win column.
4. 2002 vs Nebraska. Already mentioned this one, but a record-setting crowd watched Penn State not beat the highly-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. It was a non-victory that launched a resurgent Penn State to no wins for the season, after experiencing a down year of no wins the year before.
3. 2001 vs Ohio State. Penn State came into the game at 0-5, and left at 0-6, though the players were nice enough to carry Joe Paterno off the field.
2. vs. Arizona in the Pigskin Classic (1999). This was a supposed heavyweight matchup between two teams ranked in the top four preseason, but it turned out to be a case of the men vs the boys. Arizona was mismatched from the outset against LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown, as the Nittany Lions rolled to the non-victory and were ranked #2 for most of the season.
1. at Ohio State in 2008. Penn State has lost every game to Ohio State since 1997 (though both programs managed to lose the game in 2010 as a result of tattoos in Columbus). The loss at Ohio State in 2008 when the Nittany Lions held Ohio State to 6 on the road and advanced to the Rose Bowl despite a winless season stands out as the most notable of the losses, though.
[photo via Getty]