Penn State Football: A Season in Review

This season was a great season for Penn State. The Nittany Lions far exceeded the expectations of most people. Although it didn't end well, it was still a great season overall.

Penn State started out strong, got through tough tests, and then fell. However, the Nittany Lions picked themselves back up and finished strong, and got a trip to Pasadena, and above you can see the Penn State Blue Band playing in the Tournament of Roses. The roses weren't so sweet after the game, but there's always next year. Still, let's look at the Nittany Lions' football season.

Penn State CRUISES through non-conference games

Penn State started off strong, going 4-0 in its non-conference schedule. The Nittany Lions beat Coastal Carolina, a very good Oregon State team, Syracuse, and Temple. They won by an impressive average of 52.75-10. They blew out every team on their path to the Big Ten season.

Penn State Wins Big Ten opener at Home Against Illinois

Penn State had over 110,000 fans attend the tilt between the Nittany Lions and the Illini. All of them showed up in white, to make Beaver Stadium the "White House." Penn State and Illinois traded scores in the first half, but the Nittany Lions slowly pulled away in the second, winning 38-24.

Penn State Battles Through Tough Road Rests

After Illinois, Penn State had to go through the meat of its schedule. This started with a tough road game at Purdue, then right to Madison to face Wisconsin, then back home to try and break the Homecoming curse against Michigan. Then, to top it all off, the Nittany Lions went out to Ohio State in a showdown with the Buckeyes.

Penn State struggled offensively, but held of the Boilermakers, 20-6. The Nittany Lions destroyed the Badgers 48-7, even though some experts were picking them to lose that game.

Homecoming was special. There was the parade the night before the game, the alumni band playing at the game, and jets flying overhead. Although Penn State struggled, trailing 17-14 in the first half, the Nittany Lions came back and shut out Michigan in the second half, winning 46-17.

Finally, there was the showdown with Ohio State. Both defenses were overpowering, with Penn State holding Terrelle Pryor and Chris Wells to just over 60 rushing yards combined. Nittany Lions safety Mark Rubin forced the ball loose from Pryor's grasp on a third-and-one quarterback sneak, which ended up being the key turnover that let Penn State drive down the field and take the lead. The Nittany Lions eventually won, 13-6.

Penn State survived the toughest part of its season without a scratch, and was a perfect 9-0 going into a well-deserved bye week after this game.

Penn State Struggles After Bye, Iowa Pulls Miraculous Upset

Coming off of the bye week, Penn State was rusty. The Nittany Lions didn't play very well on offense or defense.

Joe Pa, the stubborn old man, also didn't bring heaters for the players, and you could see them freezing on the sideline. They were trying to move around and keep warm but they couldn't. This noticeably affected Penn State's performance.

Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions had the lead, 23-14, in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Lydell Sargeant missed an interception, and Iowa went on to score a touchdown later in that drive.

Iowa drove down the field late in the fourth after a Clark interception. The score was 23-21, and Penn State didn't take any timeouts so that the Nittany Lions would have time to drive down the field if the Hawkeyes made the field goal.

Iowa made the field goal with one second left, and pulled a miraculous upset. Give the Hawkeyes credit for hanging around in the game and winning it, but it really was a miracle, and a disappointing way for Penn State to ruin a perfect season, especially after taking out the hardest part in its schedule.

Penn State Demolishes Final Two Opponents, Secures Rose Bowl Bid

The Nittany Lions were pissed after their loss, and they took out their anger on Indiana and Michigan State.

All of a sudden, a great 9-0 start turned into a mediocre 9-1 start. Penn State was a bit rusty against the Hoosiers, but still went on to demolish them 34-7.

In the final game of the season, the Nittany Lions completely obliterated the Spartans. Although the seats and the field at Beaver Stadium were frozen, and snow was falling, Penn State played its best game of the season—with sideline heaters this time.

The Nittany Lions completely dominated the entire game, holding star running back Javon Ringer to just over 40 rushing yards as they beat down Michigan State 49-18.

The "Rose Bowl" chants started in the fourth quarter, as everyone knew we were taking a trip to Pasadena.

Disappointing Performance in Rose Bowl Gives Not-So-Happy Ending To Great Season

Penn State didn't really show up in the first half. The Trojans, being the great team that they are, took advantage of the Nittany Lions' first-half sloppiness, especially in the second quarter. Penn State may have had more mistakes in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl than it had all season.

USC was able to score 24 points in the second quarter, many due to mistakes by the Nittany Lions, and took a 31-7 halftime lead. Penn State knew it was nearly over, especially when it was still 31-7 after the third quarter.

Still, the Nittany Lions didn't quit, and they showed up in the second half. They went on to score a few times and actually threaten the Trojans, as they were driving deep into USC territory with about a minute left only down 38-24. However, the Trojans' defense held one more time, and Penn State lost the Rose Bowl 38-24.

Although this was not a well-played game by the Nittany Lions, and USC took advantage and outplayed us, the Trojans are still a great team. They even have a claim to the National Title. It may have been one of the worst Penn State losses in recent history, but it was a fun experience.

At least the Nittany Lions made it to the Rose Bowl, where no one expected them to be at the beginning of the season.

So, in conclusion, although the season didn't end well, Penn State still had a great one overall, and has next season to look forward to; hoping to build on it and possibly make a National Championship run in 2009.