We are now 44 days away from Penn State football, which gives me another opportunity to relive one of my favorite Penn State games: Minnesota 2005.
To set the stage, my *first* memory of Penn State football is the 2000 season. I only knew the “dark ages” during my formative years, with the only the 2002 team and Larry Johnson giving me any reprieve from absolute suck. So going into the the 2005 season, there was some hope the Nittany Lions would get back to semi-decent form — they signed a strong
recruiting class, headlined by the No. 1 player in the country, Derrick Williams — but my only real experience with Penn State was them losing.
To my surprise, the Nittany Lions started the year strong, beating South Florida, Cincinnati, and Central Michigan. No world beaters on that stretch but 3-0 was 3-0. Then came the game against Northwestern, where Penn State completed a 4th-and-15 to Isaac Smolko to keep the eventual game-winning drive alive.
Still, despite the 4-0 start, a No. 18 ranked Minnesota team was the first real test for the Nittany Lions. And man, did they ace the test. Penn State’s offense showcased the speed of Derrick Williams and Deon Butler, mixed with the power running game of Tony Hunt and Michael Robinson. Meanwhile, the defense — led by Tamba Hali and Paul Posluszny — never let All-American Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney get going. It was the true definition of a complete ass kicking, and fittingly on a bright sunny afternoon in Happy Valley, it served as an announcement to the fan base that the dark days were over. This was a new era of Penn State, and it foreshadowed what was to come the following week when the Ohio State Buckeyes came to town.
Here’s to more sunny days in Happy Valley this fall. Just 44 days.
More from blackshoediaries.com:
- Three Takeaways From Penn State’s 45-14 Win Over Indiana
- The Tale of a First Quarter: Penn State 45, Indiana 14
- A Special Defensive Performance Leads The Way For Penn State Football
- Creeping the B1G: Wisconsin Escapes, Maybe
- Position Grades: Indiana
- Saquon Barkley Can Literally Do Everything
- Saquon Barkley Continues To Amaze
