Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/399784
later come to be known as "The Snow Bowl," an unpredicted storm dumps 18 inches of snow on State College, requiring hundreds of paid volunteers to clear the stadium for the Michigan game. With many parking lots closed and snow piled around the seating areas, 80,000 fans still turn out in freezing weather and watch Penn State win, 27-17, on a 2-yard touch- down o> a fake =eld goal by holder Joe Nastasi with 2:40 le@ in the fourth quar- ter. OCT. 31, 1998 All-America linebacker LaVar Arrington will be forever known for his "LaVar Leap" in an oth- erwise forgettable 27-0 win over Illinois at Beaver Stadium. With Illinois facing fourth-and-inches at mid=eld early in the third quarter, the then- sophomore anticipates the center snap and with per- fect timing leaps over nose tackle Bob Jones and the o>ensive guard and smashes into tailback Elmer Hickman as he takes the ball for no gain. FEBRUARY 2001-NOVEMBER 2013 It may seem incongruous to cite a best mo- ment that lasted 13 years, but the hiring of Ron Vanderlinden as linebackers coach =ts my de=nition. Vanderlinden revitalized Penn State's reputation as "Linebacker U" with his coaching of such All-Ameri- cans as Paul Posluszny, a winner of the Bednarik Award and Butkus awards, Bed- narik Award winner Dan Connor and such All-Pros as Cameron Wake and NaVorro Bowman. SEPT. 1, 2001 In what may be the most emotional and electrifying Penn State football moment of all time, Adam Talia- ferro, paralyzed in a game at Ohio State the previous year, walks onto the Beaver Stadium =eld by himself before the opening game against Miami. A then-record crowd of 109,313 is on its feet in the newly ex- panded stadium, cheering for several min- utes in the nighttime glare, but the evening ends in a downer as Miami wins, 33-7. OCT. 27, 2001 Paterno passes longtime Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant as the winningest coach in major college football with his 324th win, but it takes a major comeback and blocked =eld goal to do it. With Penn State trailing Ohio State, 27- 9, early in second half, redshirt freshman quarterback Zack Mills, who did not start the game, directs a quick 20-point rally by running 69 yards for a touchdown and throwing two touchdown passes to give Penn State a 29-27 lead 13 seconds into NIGHT MOVES Hack- enberg lifted Penn State past Michigan last year in quadruple overtime in one of the most memorable games in Beaver Sta- dium history. Photo by Steve Manuel