Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry

Ohio State Buckeyes

Penn State Nittany Lions

First meeting

1912
Penn State, 37–0

Latest meeting

2016
Penn State, 24–21

Next meeting

October 28, 2017

Statistics

Meetings total

All-time series

Ohio State leads, 17–14

Largest victory

Penn State, 63–14 (1994); Ohio State, 63–14 (2013)

Longest win streak

Penn State, 4 (1912–64), Ohio State, 4 (2012–15)

Current win streak

Penn State, 1 (2016–present)

The Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions. Ohio State leads the series 17–14. Although both programs have been in existence since the late 1800s, the teams only met eight times before 1993 when Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference, the last of which being the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. After Penn State joined the Big Ten, the series continued as an annual conference game.

1912–80: Pre-Big Ten era

Penn State won the first four meetings in the series, however these meetings spread across 53 seasons, between 1912 and 1964. The first ever match-up was held in Columbus, Ohio in November 1912. Penn State, coming off an 8–0–1 season in 1911, shut out the Buckeyes, 37-0 (although the game is officially recorded as a forfeit by the Buckeyes).^[1]

It would not be until 1956 when Penn State made a return trip to Columbus, however when they won the second meeting between the schools, 7–6. Penn State would win two more games at Ohio Stadium before Ohio State won a game in 1975. The first ever match-up of the two held in State College, Pennsylvania was in 1976 where Ohio State beat Penn State 12–7. Penn State won in 1978 back in Columbus.

In 1980, the two schools played in their first and only postseason bowl, the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. The Ohio State Buckeyes were 9–3, while the Penn State Nittany Lions were 10–2. The Penn State Nittany Lions won at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona 31–19. As Ohio State and Penn State now play in the same conference, it is unlikely for the two schools to face off in another bowl game.

1993–2000: Penn State enters the Big Ten

Following the 1980 Fiesta Bowl, Penn State and Ohio State did not meet again until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. From 1993 to the present, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have played annually. Ohio State won the first conference meeting, 24–6 after a close 7–6 first quarter. From 1993 through 2000, Ohio State won 5 of the 8 matchups. The largest margin of victory for either team came in 1994 when Penn State beat Ohio State 63–14. Interestingly, following this defeat, an Ohio State sportswriter dropped Penn State from #1 to #2 in the AP Poll. In 1995, the Nittany Lions were the losing team, losing 28–25 to Ohio State. In 1996, the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 38–7 in a game that some picked Penn State to win. The Nittany Lions got revenge next year as Penn State, ranked No. 1 at the time and into November before losing to Michigan, came back from 27–17 to win 31–27. The two teams split the next two, and Ohio State won in 2000 45–6. This was the most lopsided Ohio State win over Penn State and the second largest margin of victory for either team.

2001–10: Paterno vs. Tressel

The 2000s saw several close games between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions, as they put long time Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, against Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Ohio State went 6–3^[2] during this period. What would have been the Buckeyes' seventh win in 2010, along with that entire season, was vacated as a result of players receiving improper benefits. The two teams were perennially near the top of the Big Ten standings. Ohio State won seven Big Ten titles, either shared or outright, in 2002 and 2005 through 2010, although Ohio State vacated the 2010 title due to improper player benefits. Penn State shared titles in 2005 and 2008 with Ohio State.

The 2001 game gave Paterno his 324th career win and the record for most wins by a coach in NCAA history. Penn State was suffering through a dismal season with a 1–4 start with Matt Senaca leading the way. Senaca was soon benched in this game where Ohio State climbed to a 27–9 lead and promising freshman Zack Mills helped Penn State come back and nearly saved their season (Penn State finished 5–6). The following year, Penn State would very nearly beat Ohio State in the Horseshoe, only losing 13–7 to the eventual national champions.

In 2005, Penn State was an underdog despite trouncing then-No. 18 Minnesota 44–14 the week before and being undefeated. However, Penn State played defense and shut down the Buckeye ground game. With the help of a loud and boisterous home crowd, Penn State upset the then-favored Buckeyes 17–10 in State College. The noise level of the stadium as a factor in Ohio State's defeat gained national attention and respect for the Penn State student section, giving birth to the "Whiteout" tradition at Beaver Stadium. The following year, the Lions were able to get on the board first and maintained a 3-0 lead at halftime. Penn State fumbled while driving for another score in the third quarter and, after a missed Penn State field goal that would have given the Lions a 6-0 lead, the Buckeyes were able to score the game's first touchdown and gain a 7-3 advantage going into the 4th quarter. Ohio State went up 14-3 when QB Troy Smith, attempting to avoid a sack, threw downfield into coverage. Wide Receiver Brian Robiskie was able to catch the pass and avert a Penn State interception. On the next drive Penn State, starting from its own 20, was able to take the ball to the Ohio State 1-yardline before being pushed back and kicking a field goal to cut the OSU lead to 8. Ohio State was able to score twice in the final two minutes of the game on a pair of interceptions thrown by Penn State QB Anthony Morelli that were returned for touchdowns to secure a 28-6 victory. ^[3]

Ohio State entered the 2007 edition at Happy Valley undefeated and ranked #1 in the country. Despite the loud Penn State "whiteout" planned by the Lions' student section, the Buckeyes were able to overcome an early 7–3 deficit to win 37–17. The 2008 meeting saw Penn State prevail 13–6 at Ohio Stadium, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the Shoe. The Buckeyes would go on to win in 2009 and 2010, going on to win the Big Ten title each year, but the 2010 victory was later vacated.

2011: Rivalry hit by scandal

After the 2010 season, it was revealed that several Ohio State players, most notably QB Terrelle Pryor, received improper benefits. An investigation determined that Tressel had knowledge of the situation but failed to notify the University or the NCAA. This resulted in Tressel resigning from the program. As part of a self-imposed sanction, Ohio State vacated all of its wins from the season, including its win over Penn State, its Big Ten Title, and Sugar Bowl win.

The 2011 season began a new era in the rivalry with new additions to the Big Ten conference, as well as new head coaches for both teams.^[4] With the addition of Nebraska into the Big Ten, the conference split into two six-team divisions. Both Ohio State and Penn State were placed in the "Leaders" Division and will continue to play each other annually. The 2011 season also marked a new era for the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions, as Luke Fickell was named the interim head coach for the season after Tressel's resignation and Tom Bradley after longtime Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was fired 9 games into the season following the uncovering of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal (Paterno would not have made it to 2012 in any event, as he died on January 22, 2012).^[5] Both schools were ultimately handed postseason bans for the 2012 season (Penn State's ban was slated to extend through 2015, it was lifted on September 8, 2014^[6]).Ohio State vacated its wins from the 2010 season, while Penn State was forced to vacate all of its wins from 1998-2011 (although these wins were later restored in 2015).

2012–present: Two fresh starts

Both schools had new head coaches for the 2012 season. On November 28, 2011, Ohio State hired former Utah and Florida head coach Urban Meyer as head coach, beginning a new era in the rivalry. Meyer had been considered by many,^[7] including Paterno himself,^[8] as a possible replacement for Paterno at Penn State. Penn State eventually hired former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to succeed Paterno as head coach.

The O'Brien Era at Penn State lasted only two seasons, as he was hired as to be the head coach of the NFL's Houston Texans in 2014. O'Brien's teams lost twice to the Buckeyes, with the 63-14 result in 2013 representing Penn State's worst loss, and most points scored against the team, since 1899. O'Brien was replaced by former Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin in January 2014. Ohio State won in Franklin's first two seasons, but in 2016, a blocked punt and blocked field goal helped Penn State upset the #2 ranked Buckeyes, 24-21.

Game results

Ohio State victories	Penn State victories

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	1912	Columbus, OH	Penn State	37–0
2	1956	Columbus, OH	Penn State	7–6
3	1963	Columbus, OH	Penn State	10–7
4	1964	Columbus, OH	Penn State	27–0
5	1975	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	17–9
6	1976	State College, PA	Ohio State	12–7
7	1978	Columbus, OH	Penn State	19–0
8	1980	Tempe, AZ ¹	Penn State	31–19
9	1993	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	24–6
10	1994	State College, PA	Penn State	63–14
11	1995	State College, PA	Ohio State	28–25
12	1996	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	38–7
13	1997	State College, PA	Penn State	31–27
14	1998	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	28–9
15	1999	State College, PA	Penn State	23–10
16	2000	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	45–6
17	2001	State College, PA	Penn State	29–27

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
18	2002	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	13–7
19	2003	State College, PA	Ohio State	21–20
20	2004	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	21–10
21	2005	State College, PA	Penn State	17–10
22	2006	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	28–6
23	2007	State College, PA	Ohio State	37–17
24	2008	Columbus, OH	Penn State	13–6
25	2009	State College, PA	Ohio State	24–7
26	2010	Columbus, OH	Ohio State^*	38–14
27	2011	Columbus, OH	Penn State	20–14
28	2012	State College, PA	Ohio State	35–23
29	2013	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	63–14
30	2014	State College, PA	Ohio State	31–24
31	2015	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	38–10
32	2016	State College, PA	Penn State	24–21
33	2017	Columbus, OH
Series: Ohio State leads 17–14

¹ 1980 Fiesta Bowl
^* Vacated win by Ohio State

References

↑ http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2008/10/22/637430/a-lesson-in-penn-state-ohi
↑ This does not include the 2010 season, in which all wins were vacated by Ohio State in July 2011
↑ http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/310625.html
↑ http://ohiostate.247sports.com/Article/Changes-For-OSU-Penn-State-Rivalry-48667
↑ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/.../Penn-State-Ohio-State.../1
↑ Moyer, Josh (September 10, 2014). "Penn State's postseason ban over". ESPN. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
↑ http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/report_urban_meyer_hired_as_oh.html
↑ ESPN The Magazine

Ohio State Buckeyes football

Venues	Recreation Park (1890–1897) Ohio Field (1898–1921) Ohio Stadium (1922–present) Woody Hayes Athletic Center (practice)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Illinois (Illibuck) Michigan (The Ten Year War) Penn State

Culture & lore	History Brutus Buckeye "Across the Field" "Buckeye Battle Cry" "Carmen Ohio" Neutron Man Marching band Snow Bowl (1950) 1969 Michigan game 1973 Michigan game The Kick "Holy Buckeye" 2006 "Game of the Century" Block O "Hang On Sloopy" The Ten Year War WBNS-TV WBNS WBNS-FM Ohio State IMG Sports Network

People	Head coaches All-Century Team Yearly statistical leaders NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

National championship seasons in bold

Penn State Nittany Lions football

Venues	Old Main lawn (until 1891) Beaver Field (1892–1908) New Beaver Field (1909–1959) Beaver Stadium (1960–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Maryland Michigan State Minnesota Ohio State Pittsburgh Syracuse West Virginia

Culture & lore	Nittany Lion "Fight On, State" Penn State Blue Band Uplifting Athletes Joe Paterno statue Something for Joey 1982 Nebraska game child sex abuse scandal

People	Head coaches All-Americans Statistical leaders NFL draftees

Seasons	1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Big Ten Conference football rivalries

Conference	Illinois–Northwestern Illinois–Ohio State Illinois–Purdue Indiana–Michigan State Indiana–Purdue Iowa–Minnesota Iowa–Nebraska Iowa–Wisconsin Maryland–Penn State Maryland–Rutgers Michigan State–Penn State Michigan–Michigan State Michigan–Minnesota Michigan–Ohio State Minnesota–Nebraska Minnesota–Penn State Minnesota–Wisconsin Nebraska–Wisconsin Ohio State–Penn State

Non-conference	Alabama–Penn State Colorado–Nebraska Illinois–Missouri Indiana–Kentucky Iowa–Iowa State Johns Hopkins–Maryland Kansas–Nebraska Maryland–Navy Maryland–Virginia Maryland–West Virginia Miami–Nebraska Michigan State–Notre Dame Michigan–Notre Dame Missouri–Nebraska Nebraska–Oklahoma Nebraska–Texas Northwestern–Notre Dame Notre Dame–Purdue Penn State–Pittsburgh Penn State–Syracuse Penn State–West Virginia

Penn State Nittany Lions rivalries

Football	Alabama Maryland Michigan State Minnesota Ohio State Pittsburgh Syracuse West Virginia

Basketball	Bucknell Pittsburgh

Other	Bucknell (Lacrosse) Lehigh (Wrestling)

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