The Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry is an American
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
match between the
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
Buckeyes and the
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...
. Ohio State leads the series 23–14.
The programs met eight times prior to the 1993 season when Penn State joined the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
. Since 1993, the teams have played annually, and the series continues as an annual Big Ten East division game. The rivalry is marked by several memorable games, including
Penn State’s blocked field goal return for a touchdown in 2016 and Ohio State’s fourth quarter comeback in 2017.
1912–1980: Pre-Big Ten era
Penn State won the first four meetings in the series, however the games were scheduled intermittently between 1912 and 1964. The first ever match-up was held in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
in November 1912. Penn State, coming off an 8–0–1 season in 1911, shut out Ohio State, 37–0. The game is officially recorded as a forfeit by Ohio State. The first contest held in
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is a home rule municipality in Centre County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a college town, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Sta ...
was in 1976 where Ohio State beat Penn State, 12–7.
In 1980, the two schools played in their first and only postseason bowl, the
1980 Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State's record was 9–3, and Penn State's 10–2. Penn State won, 31–19, at
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the southwestern United States, on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona. It is home to the ASU Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference. The s ...
in
Tempe, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Vale of Tempe
, image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg
, imagesize = 260px
, image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...
. Following the game, Penn State and Ohio State did not meet again until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993
1993–2000: Penn State enters the Big Ten
Following the Nittany Lions joining the Big Ten, the two programs met as conference foes for the first time on October 30, 1993, in Columbus. The No. 3 Buckeyes defeated the No. 12 Nittany Lions 24–6. For the following six matchups, at both teams were rated in the top 25 of the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
each year, with at least one team in the top five. In 1996, the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
compared the newly minted rivalry to
The Game between
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
and
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
when speaking of the magnitude, and also saying it had developed into one of the country's biggest rivalries in just six years.
Due to the competitive nature of the games, both teams began to realize that there was uniqueness in the matchup. After only three years in the Big Ten, Buckeye players were already comparing the game to the
Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry
The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, commonly referred to as The Game, is an American college football rivalry game that is played annually between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Michigan and Ohio State are two o ...
, with a player saying "Penn State's right up there with Michigan. It's definitely one of our biggest games. You can sense there was a rivalry from day one."
When the Buckeyes lost two games before meeting Penn State in 1999, one Lions player said, "It's Penn State-Ohio State. Records don't matter."
2001–2010: 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
Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...
, against Ohio State head coach
Jim Tressel
James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is an American college football coach and university administrator who is currently the president of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. Before becoming an administrator, Tressel was the ...
. Ohio State went 6–3
[This does not include the 2010 season, in which all wins were vacated by Ohio State in July 2011] 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. 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 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
Beaver Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. It has been home to the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference since 1960, though some parts of ...
. 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-yard line 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.
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 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
Terrelle Pryor Sr. (born June 20, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver and quarterback. Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was widely regarde ...
, received improper benefits. An investigation determined that Tressel had knowledge of the situation but failed to notify the University or the NCAA. Tressel resigned his position and Ohio State vacated all of its wins from the season, including its win over Penn State, its Big Ten Title, and
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
win.
The 2011 season began a new era in the rivalry with new additions to the
Big Ten conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
, as well as new head coaches for both teams. With the addition of
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
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
Luke Joseph Fickell (born August 18, 1973) is an American football coach and former player. He will be the head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers starting in December 2022. Previously he was the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati, ...
was named the interim head coach for the season after Tressel's resignation and
Tom Bradley after longtime Penn State head coach
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...
was fired 9 games into the season following the uncovering of the
Penn State child sex abuse scandal
The Penn State child sex abuse scandal concerned allegations and subsequent convictions of child sexual abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky, an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, over a period of at least fifteen years. ...
(Paterno died shortly thereafter on January 22, 2012). 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). 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).
2012–2018: Two fresh starts
Both schools had new head coaches for the 2012 season. On November 28, 2011, Ohio State hired former
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
head coach
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...
as head coach, beginning a new era in the rivalry. Meyer had been considered by many, including Paterno himself,
[ESPN The Magazine] as a possible replacement for Paterno at Penn State. Penn State eventually hired former
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
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
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
in 2014. O'Brien's Lions 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. Penn State would go on to win the conference championship. In 2017, the sixth-ranked Buckeyes hosted #2 Penn State. The Nittany Lions came into the game with best scoring defense in the country, allowing only 9.6 points per game, against an Ohio State team that led the Big 10 in scoring. Ultimately the Buckeyes overcame a 28–10 deficit to win, 39–38, scoring the winning touchdown with 1:48 in the game. In 2018, #4 Ohio State rallied from a 26–14 deficit to defeat #9 Penn State, 27–26. The loss ended Penn State's 16-game home winning streak.
Meyer retired from Ohio State in January 2019. Buckeyes
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
Ryan Day was announced as the next head coach. #2 Ohio State defeated #8 Penn State, 28–17, in Day's first game coaching against Penn State. The win clinched the Big Ten East Division for the Buckeyes for the 3rd straight year.
Game results
See also
*
List of NCAA college football rivalry games
This is a list of rivalry games in college football in the United States. The list also shows any trophy awarded to the winner of the rivalry between the teams.
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio State-Penn State football rivalry
College football rivalries in the United States
Ohio State Buckeyes football
Penn State Nittany Lions football
Big Ten Conference rivalries