Beaver Stadium is a place like no other. A place where greatness is found and champions are made. Let’s take a look at the most historic games played in Beaver Stadium.
7. November 11, 1969 – Penn State 13, North Carolina State 8
With just 44 seconds left in the game, Penn State stopped at fourth and goal at the one-yard line to upset No. 3 North Carolina State and give Coach Joe Paterno his first signature victory.
6. October 27, 2001 – Penn State 29, Ohio State 27
A game that initially began with Penn State behind in a 27-9 deficit ended with a victory for the Nittany Lions after rallying to defeat the Buckeyes. Not only did Penn State walk away with a victory, but Coach Joe Paterno moved ahead of Alabama’s head coach Bear Bryant as the winningest coach in college football.
5. November 18, 1995 – Penn State 27, Michigan 17
A game known best as “The Snow Bowl.” 18 inches of snow covered Happy Valley three days before the big game. 80,000 loyal spectators sustained the cold and watched Joe Nastasi score a touchdown off of the classic field goal fake with just 2:40 left in the game to lock in a victory for the Nittany Lions.
4. November 21, 1987 – Penn State 21, Notre Dame 20
30 miles an hour winds, snow flurries, and a wind chill ranging zero to 18 degrees did not stop 84,000 fans from cheering on the Nittany Lions. With just 30 seconds left, Notre Dame scored a touch-down and went for two. Luckily the two-point conversion was stopped dead in its tracks by Penn State linebacker Pete Curkendall. Penn State walked away with a victory, but a close one at that.
3. November 6, 2010 – Penn State 35, Northwestern 21
Beaver Stadium. The House that Joe Built. And on that night with the defeat of Northwestern came the victory not only for the Nittany Lions, but for head coach Joe Paterno. This game marked Paterno’s 400th career win. Paterno was the third head coach across the NCAA to achieve the 400-win total.
2. October 22, 2016 – Penn State 24, Ohio State 21
White shirts matter, and this game proved it. With just 4:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, Penn State’s Grant Haley blocked a field goal and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown. This was the first time Ohio head coach Urban Meyer lost on the road since 2012, and the first time an unranked Penn State team beat an opponent ranked in the top two.
1. October 21, 2017 – Penn State 42, Michigan 13
Beaver Stadium is the second largest stadium in the country, with capacity at 106,572. The only stadium larger than our own is Michigan’s stadium, at 107,601 capacity. On this night, Beaver Stadium’s Whiteout set a new attendance record. With the crowd noise level reaching 108 decibels, 110,823 fans of all ages helped to set this new record and make history.
But trust VALLEY when we say this won’t be the first, or last time history is made in Happy Valley.
