Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 19 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M FIVE YEARS AGO, 2018 Trace McSorley became Penn State's all-time leading passer when he threw for 192 yards against Michigan State, raising his career total to 8,610 to eclipse his immediate predecessor Christian Hackenberg (8,457). But for the Nittany Lions, that was one of very few pieces of positive news to come out of their game against the visiting Spartans on Oct. 13. PSU fell to Michigan State 21-17 on a 25-yard Brian Lewerke touchdown pass with 19 seconds to play. It was the second consecutive come-from-ahead loss by the Lions, who had ended September by failing to hold onto a 12-point fourth-quarter lead in a 27-26 setback against Ohio State. In the loss to the Spartans, which followed a bye week, PSU had 2 turnovers, gave up 3 sacks and committed twice as many penalties as its opponent. In addition, cornerback Amani Oruwariye dropped a potentially game-clinching in- terception on what would turn out to be Michigan State's winning drive. "We had a chance to put away a proud program and a good program and a very good football coach," James Franklin said afterward, referring to his MSU counterpart Mark Dantonio. "We had a chance to put them away several times on offense, on defense, and on special teams, and we didn't do it. We let them stay in the game." The Lions did eventually regroup with wins over Indiana and Iowa to end October, but their hopes of contending for the Big Ten Championship Game ended when MSU's Lewerke found Felton Davis in the end zone in the game's closing seconds. 10 YEARS AGO, 2013 Unlike many of Penn State's games against Michigan over the years, there wasn't a whole lot at stake when the teams met 10 years ago at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions were unranked and banned from postseason competition, while the Wolverines were 18th in the Associated Press poll and were approaching the end of Brady Hoke's disappointing tenure as head coach. And yet, the White Out clash turned out to be one of the most wildly entertaining games in the history of the series. PSU was trailing by a touchdown when it took possession at its own 20-yard line with 50 seconds left. Undaunted, true fresh- man quarterback Christian Hackenberg needed only 29 seconds to engineer the tying drive. His 36-yard throw to a leaping Allen Robinson at the 1-yard line was the game's signature moment, setting up a Hackenberg sneak for the score. Michigan took the lead twice in the four overtime periods that followed, but Penn State answered both times. The second time, Bill Belton rushed for a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Lions a 43-40 win — arguably the high point of the Bill O'Brien coach- ing era. "It just says a lot about our kids, a very resilient bunch of kids that care about each other and really love playing for Penn State," O'Brien said. "They love this place. It means a lot to them and their lives, and they just keep fighting hard for this place." 25 YEARS AGO, 1998 In the third quarter of an otherwise forgettable game against Il- linois, linebacker LaVar Arrington sailed over the Illini's offensive line and into Penn State immortality. With the visitors looking to convert on fourth-and-1 at the Penn State 31-yard line, Arrington timed his blitz perfectly. He took a running jump and flew over the line of scrimmage just as the ball was being snapped, landing on running back Elmer Hickman in the backfield. In 2023, that play might well draw a penalty. Arrington made an uncontrolled descent into the Illini backfield, and his helmet crashed into Hickman's helmet just before the two fell to the turf in a drive-ending tackle for loss. But in 1998, it was simply a savvy read — Arrington anticipated that the Ilini were going to use a quick count — followed by an act of extreme athleticism. The play quickly came to be known as the "LaVar Leap" and is now an indelible part of Penn State's football lore — a much bigger part than the game that produced it, a 27-0 Nittany Lion romp. Even the Illini were dazzled. Said then-Illinois coach Ron Turner, "I'll remember that when I'm 85." — Matt Herb This Month In Penn State Athletics History Trace McSorley broke the school record for career passing yards during Penn State's loss to Michigan State in 2018. He threw for 192 yards against the Spartans, raising his three- season total to 8,610. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL TixManJim@gmail.com www.TixManJim.com at