Okay, so this is my first individual post in what seems like forever. Unfortunately, I still have another week of classes left but come December, I will have an exponential increase in free time for blogging. The timing couldn't be any more perfect either, given the Fighting DeChellises unprecedented 4-0 start to the hoops season.
I digress, however. Today, we're doing our season finale of 10 Minutes Or Less in the best way imaginable with another 1994-style beatdown. If you pay close enough attention, you'll recognize NFL receiving stud Derrick Mason tearing it up for Michigan State via a touchdown catch to give Sparty the early 7-0 lead and a 100-yard kickoff return that tied the game at 14. Alas, Mason's first quarter heroics could only delay the inevitable onslaught courtesy of the juggernaut Penn State offense which was led by Heisman candidate Ki-Jana Carter and his handful (literally, five) of touchdowns on the day. This was then followed by 96,000 freezing Penn State fans proclaiming "We're number one!"during the game's final minutes, realizing that those responsible for voting in the AP and Coaches polls were going to continue with their Tom Osborne pity party and keep Nebraska at #1. It also secured Joe Paterno's last undefeated regular season and PSU's first Rose Bowl trip in 72 years. Need I say more? Yeah, that's what I thought, now watch:
(FYI: We moved our YouTube account, so be sure to subscribe to our new channel, LBUvideos)
I realized I had an impossible act to follow from the previous 10 Minutes Or Less segment, thus the most logical choice was to do a video recap of the first game in the post-Kerry Collins/Ki-Jana Carter/Kyle Brady era. I'm talking of course, about the 1995 season opener against a Texas Tech team that resembled nothing like the Texas Tech everybody knows today (i.e. Mike Leach, Playstation offenses, pirates, and locking up spoiled brats with a sense of entitlement in closets). Back then, Texas Tech was a program wallowing in mediocrity, coming off a 6-6 season in 1994, which included being on the wrong end of a pure massacre laid upon them by USC in the Cotton Bowl. Naturally, a trip to Happy Valley in front of 96,000+ fans and facing a PSU team coming off an undefeated Rose Bowl season, trying to defend the nation's longest win streak at the time (17 games) was just what the doctor ordered.
Virtually nobody felt the Red Raiders stood a chance, as evidenced by the fact they were a three touchdown underdog...well, nobody except a worried JoePa who during the week of the game kept warning the media and fans that his team wasn't ready. Of course, everyone else dismissed the concerns as typical JoePa speak, as praising the opponent was a weekly ritual of his during press conferences. Suffice it to say, everyone else was in for a ride they didn't expect...
The offense struggled to find its rhythm, which led to the announcers repeating ad nauseam about how Collins, Carter, and Brady weren't around anymore. New quarterback Wally Richardson struggled mightily throwing the ball in a disastrous first half that featured three fumble recoveries by Texas Tech, each of them being attributable to Bobby Engram, and each of them leading to Red Raider touchdowns. Before anyone could soak it in, Tech had a 20-7 lead going into the locker room. Only through a near-perfect second half performance did PSU manage to escape, as the defense tightened up by only allowing a field goal, and Richardson completed all but one of his 12 passes: Most of them to Engram, who deserves the utmost praise for his unshakable confidence after arguably his worst half ever as a Penn Stater.
Still, the game came down to Brett Conway having to nail a 39-yard field goal with eight seconds left and PSU trailing 23-21. Despite having missed from 49 and 37 yards earlier, Conway was widely regarded as a clutch kicker and he showed exactly why by nailing the kick that mattered the most. I don't recall much from when I actually attended this game but one thing I clearly remember was the cheering after Conway's kick resembled something more along the lines of 'exasperated relief' than actual jubilation. It also proved to be a stark reminder to Texas Tech of how a missed extra point can come back to bite you in the ass, since we all know how much the football gods don't take kindly to underdogs who can't do the little things...
Mention "1994" to any long-time Penn State fan and immediately two things pop up in his/her mind:
The last undefeated season, featuring easily the most prolific offense in program history led by guys such as Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter, Kyle Brady, Bobby Engram, and Freddie Scott.
The absolute screw-job done against the program by the AP and Coaches' poll voters, both of whom chose Nebraska instead of PSU to finish the season #1 and be declared 'national champions.'
I'm not here to bitch about that second bullet-point, it's a horse that has been beaten to death and lit on fire in a pile of its own manure. The first bullet-point however, was on full display for a national TV audience when Ohio State came to Happy Valley on October 29, 1994. With a then-record crowd in attendance on Homecoming, no less, #1 ranked Penn State would go on to unleash a 63-14 beatdown that left the Ohio State fans and players stunned and left no doubt to the entire country (sans Nebraska fans and media voters) just who the top team in the nation was.
Prior to receiving the DVD for this game, I had only seen it once, which was in person at Beaver Stadium as a 10-year-old boy. Needless to say, I felt like the joyous child all over again when I popped in the DVD and watched PSU race out to a 35-0 halftime lead thanks to touchdown drives of 73, 96, 72, 60, and 57 yards, respectively. While I do recall our offense clearly dominating OSU's defense, I never realized the magnitude of it at the time. Can you imagine these two teams playing such a lopsided game nowadays? Of course, not. That's what makes this game particularly jaw-dropping, PSU didn't just dominate this game, they literally did whatever the hell they wanted.
It's not as if PSU had the Buckeye defense fooled in any sort of way either, the Buckeye players knew what was coming at them, but there wasn't a damn thing they could do to stop it. Want to focus on stopping the pass? Fine, Ki-Jana Carter, Mike Archie, and Brian Milne will be more than happy to run all over you. Trying to stop the run? No problem, Kerry Collins and his rifle-arm will fire perfect lobs and bullets towards his stud receivers in Bobby Engram, Freddie Scott, and Kyle Brady. Oh, and when PSU scored they did it quickly and efficiently, with the average scoring drive lasting less than 2 minutes (Quick - name something else that lasts less than 2 minutes and is anywhere near as satisfying...exactly, my point.).
Anyway, just watch the video. Words don't do it justice. Keep an eye out as well for a current College Gameday celebrity who back then was trying to work his way up the broadcasting food chain like everybody else.
