Oftentimes the best moments in a great rivalry are the close games and last-second finishes, but some of the most satisfying are the blowouts, at least when your team is on the winning side. So, for a delicious trip down memory lane, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest blowout wins over rivals in Penn State football history.
For this list, we’ve opted to use only Pitt, Penn State’s longest rival, and Ohio State, its current biggest rival in the Big Ten. We could have also included West Virginia and Michigan, but those matchups are clearly secondary to the Panthers and Buckeyes and wouldn’t have tasted quite as sweet.
10. 1981 vs. Pitt 48-14
By 1981, Pitt had already won a national championship under Johnny Majors and become a fixture in New Year’s Six bowl games under Jackie Sherrell. Yet, after losing back-to-back matchups in 1979 and 1980 and falling behind 14-0 on the road while getting outgained 143 to -1 in the first quarter, Penn State steamrolled the No. 1-ranked Panthers in Pittsburgh, scoring 48 unanswered points.
It may be the most shocking result of the rivalry’s history, and in the final week of the regular season, it knocked Dan Marino’s Panthers from national championship contention. A year later, Penn State finally won it all.
9. 1967 vs. Pitt 42-6
An 8-2-1 1967 season gave Joe Paterno his first-ever top-10 finish in the AP Poll in just his second year. It also gave him one of his most lopsided victories over Pitt, trouncing the Panthers at Beaver Stadium. Pitt slumped to a 1-9 record, its second of three consecutive 1-9 campaigns under head coach Dave Hart.
T7. 1912 vs. Ohio State 37-0
1912 was a year of blowout victories for Penn State. Back then, Ohio State was not yet an in-conference rival and a long way from being a fixture on the schedule. This 1912 meeting was the first between the two programs, which would not play again until 1956.
The story goes that Ohio State actually forfeited midway through the game because of alleged rough play from Penn State.
T7. 1971 vs. Pitt 55-18
1971 was another 11-win season for the Nittany Lions and is most memorable for Lydell Mitchell’s dominance. Mitchell finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting that year after rushing for 1,567 yards and 26 touchdowns. Four of his 29 total trips to the end zone that year came against the Panthers as Penn State racked up 538 total yards of offense.
6. 1912 vs. Pitt 38-0
The 1912 Penn State Nittany Lions went 8-0, undefeated for the second straight year under head coach Bill Hollenback. The Nittany Lions have been awarded a retroactive national championship for both seasons, but in 1912, most selecting bodies recognized Harvard as the champion.
The blowout win, however, was not a sign of things to come as Pitt found its footing and rolled off 20 wins through the next 23 meetings. Penn State only managed one win over that stretch and two ties, both 0-0 in 1920 and 1921.
5. 1992 vs. Pitt 57-13
The highs of the 70s and 80s were a distant memory for Pitt fans by 1992, but Penn State was coming off a double-digit win season, a Fiesta Bowl win, and preparing to make the jump to the Big Ten. Though it wasn’t the strongest year for the Nittany Lions, the two programs were heading in different directions, and in a seven-win season, dismantling your rival by 44 points is going to stand out as a high point.
4. 2018 vs. Pitt 51-6
Pitt and Penn State renewed their in-state rivalry for four years from 2016-19 to get to 100 total head-to-head matchups, and Penn State won three of the four. The most resounding victory of the brief series came in 2018 at then-Heinz Field. The Kenny Pickett-led Panthers were helpless offensively, as he finished with 55 yards on 9/18 passing with an interception.
Penn State scored two touchdowns through the air, three on the ground, one from a running back, Miles Sanders, one from a wide receiver, KJ Hamler, and one from quarterback Trace McSorley, and DeAndre Thompkins returned a punt for a score. It was a comprehensive blowout and a satisfying one on the road.
3. 1994 vs. Ohio State 63-14
1994 was the most electric offensive season in Penn State history. In Year 2 of Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions got their second shot at the Buckeyes as in-conference foes and trounced them in Happy Valley, avenging a 24-6 loss from the year prior.
Already ranked No. 1 in the country, the Nittany Lions, led by a balanced attack with Kerry Collins and Ki-Jana Carter, ran for 286 yards and threw for 286 yards. They pulled away early with 28 unanswered points in the second quarter.
2. 1968 vs. Pitt 65-9
The third year of Joe Paterno’s tenure in Happy Valley was also his first undefeated season. It included this blowout victory as the No. 3 Nittany Lions rolled into Pittsburgh and stomped the Panthers. Running back Charlie Pittman and quarterback Chuck Burkhart led the way for the ‘68 Nittany Lions, which ended their season with an Orange Bowl win.
1. 1903 vs. Pitt 59-0
We’re going way back for this one. Penn State and Pitt first played in 1893, then again in 1896, and became annual opponents from 1900 on. The first six meetings all went the way of the Nittany Lions, including this 59-0 1903 blowout. It’s the largest victory in the rivalry's history.
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