Penn State Football: Ranking the top 20 wins in program history

1. 1987 Fiesta Bowl

No. 1 Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. No. 2 Penn State, a game that would go down as the best win in the history of the Penn State football program. Good vs. Evil, or whatever you want to call it, this was a game between what appeared to be an unstoppable Miami team, and a Penn State team that had looked beatable during the regular season.

However, while the Hurricanes offense was explosive, boasting the likes of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde and a future Hall of Fame wideout in Michael Irvin, this Penn State defense kept coming up with timely plays. While Miami outgained the Nittany Lions by nearly 300 yards, Testaverde had a hard time not completing passes to the Penn State defense.

In fact, turnovers we the key to the Penn State win, as they picked off Testaverde five times, including one to seal the game late in the fourth quarter. In fact, up until D.J. Dozier’s six-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions never held a lead, but they were able to hold on for a 14-10 victory.

For Penn State football, the win gave them their second national title in five seasons and was one of the more shocking defeats in the history of the Miami Hurricanes program. Miami may have had more talent on their roster than Penn State, but in the end, the Nittany Lions heart proved to be the defense.

That and five interceptions.