Penn State’s Greatest Seasons: 1982

Penn State finally reached the mountain top in 1982

Head coach Joe Paterno had many good teams in his career thus far at Penn State, but he had yet to win a national championship.  Despite having three undefeated teams, the pollsters still considered Penn State an eastern powerhouse, but not ready for primetime.  That all would change in 1982.

The Nittany Lions were coming off a 10-2 year in 1981 where they finished ranked third in the country.  After years of playing conservative football made up of a mostly ground attack, the Lions sported what some called “Air Paterno”.  Quarterback Todd Blackledge was exciting to watch and he threw for over 2,200 yards that year with 22 touchdowns.  In the backfield was Curt Warner, who would rush for over 1000 yards that season.  Warner left the school as the all-time leading rusher and the record would not be broken until 2010 when Evan Royster surpassed him.

The schedule that year was daunting, with the Lions eventually facing five ranked teams during the regular season.  If Penn State was going to be the best, they would have to beat the best.

Some home cooking and a road loss

Penn State took care of their first three opponents at home, but then came a late September test against the second-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.  It was a hard fought battle for both teams but the Lions saw themselves trailing 24-21 late in the fourth quarter.  Penn State started their final drive at their own 35 and systematically moved the ball down the field to the Nebraska 28.  On a fourth-and-11, Blackledge completed a first down pass to receiver Kenny Jackson to keep the drive alive.  Two plays later was the most controversial call of the game.  Fast forward to about the 2 hour 31 minute mark to see the the play(Video credited to Stephen Barnett)

Long before the days of instant replay, there was nothing Nebraska could do.   The Lions would go on to punch it in the endzone on the next play and win the ball game 27-24.

Jubilation turned to heartbreak after the bye week, as Penn State would travel to Alabama and lose to the Crimson Tide 42-21.  However the Lions would not stumble the rest of the season.  Along the way they would shutout 13th ranked West Virginia on the road, beat 13th ranked Notre Dame in South Bend, and finish off 5th ranked Pitt at home to finish 10-1 on the season.

A different outcome in New Orleans

Penn State would travel back to New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl where they suffered a bitter loss just four years previously.  This time their opponent would be Heisman winner Hershel Walker and the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Lions entered the game number two with the Bulldogs the top dog, pun intended.  This night would end different for Penn State than the last time they played in the Sugar Bowl.

The game would be another close affair.  The Lions main strategy on defense was to shut down Walker and for the most part they held him in check as he finished with 103 yards on 28 carries and a score.  Curt Warner outplayed Walker, rushing for 117 yards on only 18 carries and two touchdowns.

Early in the fourth quarter Penn State was clinging to a 20-17 lead, when Blackledge decided to air it out.  Fast forward to about the 2 hour 1 minute mark to see the the play (Video credited to Stephen Barnett)

Garrity’s 47 yard touchdown catch from Blackledge is an iconic play in Penn State lore and it even was the cover of Sports Illustrated the following week.  Penn State would salt the game away to beat the Bulldogs 27-23 and finally win their first national championship.  After all these years, Penn State was finally on top and king of the college football world.