Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
6 2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M land's number. The Lions went 6-0 versus their border rival from 1937-44. The Terps finally broke through on Nov. 4, 1961, when sophomore quar- terback Dick Shiner made his first col- legiate start in front of a homecoming crowd of 39,000 at Byrd Stadium. The Terrapins built a 21-6 halftime lead, then held on for a 21-17 victory. Maryland needed a defensive play to preserve the win. With Penn State threatening from the Terps' 4-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Harry Butsko sacked quarterback Galen Hall for a 5-yard loss. Between that victory and their next in 2014, the Terps went 0-28-1 against the Lions. Even the exception was mod- est: a 13-13 tie in Baltimore in 1989 in which sophomore quarterback Tony Sacca stumbled at the 3-yard line on a fourth-and-goal rollout that could have produced the winning points. If that result caught Penn State fol- lowers by surprise, it was perhaps be- cause the Nittany Lions always seemed to find a way to keep the Terps at arm's length. From 1984-87, Penn State won four games by a combined margin of 10 points. That included a 20-18 win in College Park in 1985 when the 19th- ranked Lions stunned the No. 7 Terps on opening day. Safety Michael Zordich set the tone when he returned an inter- ception 32 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game. "We felt we needed this game to re-establish ourselves as a defense," Zordich said, recalling the Lions' 6-5 finish the year before. "We went out and did that." While the Terps were coming close to ending PSU's Eastern hegemony, it was the Scarlet Knights who finally broke through. Rutgers had hired former PSU offensive line coach Dick Anderson, and he delivered a 21-16 road upset on Sept. 24, 1988. Quarterback Scott Erney connected with Eric Young on a 38-yard touch- down pass, and Mike Botti rushed for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns for the visi- tors. Rutgers then stopped Penn State near the goal line in the closing seconds to secure its first victory in the series since 1918. Because of injuries at quarterback, Joe Paterno had been forced to turn to Sacca, then a true freshman. Rutgers kept the PSU offense under wraps, prompting Paterno to say afterward, "They certainly deserve all the credit." Contentious Moments Rutgers hasn't beaten Penn State in 18 subsequent meetings, but there have been some noteworthy moments in the lopsided series. On Sept. 23, 1995, Penn State beat the Scarlet Knights 59-34 at Giants Stadium in a game that was less memorable than its aftermath. The Lions were already ahead by Jahan Dotson was unstoppable against Maryland in 2021, catching 11 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-14 Penn State victory. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL