Penn State Football: Ranking the top 20 wins in program history
By Brad Weiss
16. 2001 Penn State football 38, Northwestern 31
The 2001 Penn State football team got off to a slow start, losing their first four games, including two against ranked teams. They lost the season opener to No. 2 Miami (FL), and also to No. 15 Michigan, so there was no real buzz surrounding this team as they traveled to play Northwestern on the road.
Northwestern went into this game as a ranked team, holding the No. 22 spot in the country. The game would prove to be the downfall for the Northwestern program that season, as the Nittany Lions beat them inside Ryan Field, and they would fail to win a game the rest of the way.
Down 21-14 at the half, the Lions got two Matt Senneca touchdowns in the third quarter, tying the game up heading into the fourth quarter. The game looked to be in Northwestern’s hands until under a minute left in the game when quarterback Zack Mills connected with Eric McCoo with 0:33 second left in regulation.
The win springboarded the Penn State program to a huge win against Ohio State at home the following week, and while they finished the season with a losing record, it set the stage for what would be a solid 2002 campaign.