Since 1997, Minnesota has been a thorn in Penn State football’s side
Another sad episode for Penn State football in the battle for the Governor’s Victory Bell.
Two decades ago, undefeated and No. 2 ranked Penn State football fell short at home to Minnesota. That loss, which came off a last-second Minnesota field goal, ended Penn State’s dreams of getting to the 1999 national championship.
Twenty years later, almost to the day, the No. 4 Nittany Lions and the No. 17 Golden Gophers (based on the CFP rankings) followed the same script. This time, in Minneapolis. Just as in 1999, Penn State took their first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion and put their national championship hopes on life support.
On the flip side, in what wasn’t the case in 1999, Minnesota got the signature win they needed to give them a boost in polls and put them within striking distance of the Big Ten Championship.
Minnesota is never an easy game for the Lions and they always find themselves in competitive games, no matter how they compare on paper.
The average margin of victory in this series since 1997 is 9.6 points, and it seems that the side that loses the game does so in heartbreaking fashion each time.
This 2019 edition of the battle for the Governor’s Victory Bell was just the latest in a series of close games with high stakes. Penn State fans surely remember the overtime victory against Minnesota in 2016. Penn State had their backs against the wall and, if not for some Trace McSorley magic, the Lions would have lost that game.
In 2013, O’Brien’s Lions failed to score in the second half and fell to the Gophers in Minneapolis by two touchdowns. In 2006, Penn State won in overtime after a missed Minnesota extra point. That was followed by a controversial pass interference call that went in PSU’s favor.
dark. Next. Penn State drops out of top five after loss to Minnesota
From 1999 to 2004, Penn State played close, competitive games against decent Minnesota teams but dropped every single one. In 1997, Minnesota went in to Beaver Stadium and led the No. 1 Nittany Lions with four minutes to play. A Minnesota fumble set up a Curtis Enis touchdown and top-ranked Penn State beat unranked Minnesota by one point, 16-15.