To a fairly large degree, Penn State football is in the midst of a semi-historic run. And that’s even before the College Football Playoff begins in December, very likely in Beaver Stadium.
In the 807 days that separate the bookends that were Penn State road games at Purdue — a last-minute 35-31 win over the Boilermakers on Sept. 1, 2022, and an overpowering 49-10 victory against them Saturday — the Nittany Lions have been 30-6.
And, if you white out games against Ohio State and Michigan in that time span, Penn State’s overall record over the past three seasons would be 30-1.
Think about that. Thirty-and-one. Wow.
(The six, which you already know: three losses to Ohio State, two to Michigan and one to Ole Miss. Average opponent ranking when they played Penn State? 4.6)
When it comes to 2024, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are one first-and-goal from the 2-yard line away from being undefeated and planning for the Big Ten title game, with a possible bye from the first round of the CFP.
As it is, if the Nittany Lions defeat Minnesota next Saturday in the Twin Cities and then lock down Franklin nemesis Maryland — where he was once head-coach-in-waiting and against whom he has won by an average of 38 points per game since 2016 — they will finish the 2024 regular season at 11-1 and be in the heart of a string that ranks among the best in PSU history. And that’s sans the ’24 postseason.
Here is their current place among Best Stretches in PSU football history:
| Years | Record | % | By year (some are partial) | National Titles |
| 1967-70 | 30-0-1 | .984 | 7-0-1, 11-0, 11-0, 1-0 | |
| 1985-86 | 23-1 | .958 | 11-1, 12-0 | 1 |
| 1970-74 | 39-3 | .929 | 5-0, 11-1, 10-2, 12-0, 1-0 | |
| 1993-95 | 25-2 | .926 | 10-2, 12-0, 3-0 | |
| 2016-18 | 24-3 | .889 | 9-1, 11-2, 4-0 | |
| 1980-82 | 31-5 | .861 | 10-2, 10-2, 11-1 | 1 |
| 2022-24 | 30-6 | .833 | 11-2, 10-3, 9-1 | |
| 2016-19 | 40-9 | .816 | 9-1, 11-2, 9-4, 11-2 |
The 2016 season, coupled with 2017-18, was a fine blip on the screen nationally for Penn State, winning nine in a row, including the Big Ten title game — before falling in the Rose Bowl and finishing the year ranked No. 7. It was a nice return to prominence for a program that had taken quite a hit.
But TBH, it’s been awhile since Penn State was in this rarified air. There was the 1991 season (11-2, No. 3); the historic 1994 campaign, PSU’s last undefeated record (12-0, No. 2) and the triumphant return that was 2005 (11-1, No. 3). This chart is eye-opening:
Days since Penn State was ranked No. 1 (Oct. 18, 1997) — 9,892
Seasons since Penn State was national champion — 37
Number of different Associated Press national champions since 1986 — 17
Those 17: Alabama (6), Miami (4), Florida (3), Florida State (3), LSU (3), Clemson (2), Georgia (2), Michigan (2), Nebraska (2), Ohio State (2), Auburn, Colorado, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, USC. Bluebloods, but no blue & white.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAY
I’ll say the quiet part out loud: Maybe, just maybe in this special, never-seen-before year of CFP second chances and broad NFL-like parity, this could be Penn State’s year.
A few weeks ago, after the Nittany Lions lost 20-13 in a heartbreaker (and goal line play-calling head-scratcher) to Ohio State, two seasoned and smart veterans, Kobe King and Dvon J-Thomas — really Penn State guys in every sense of the word — said postgame that a national championship was still the goal, and in reach, of Penn State. They’re old heads. It seems as if both have been at Penn State for a decade or so.
King: “We still have a national championship to go get.”
J-Thomas: “We’re still going to have an opportunity to possibly see them again and accomplish what we have been working for forever — since the last time we won a national championship. And that’s winning everything. There’s still a shot at that.”
On Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana, standing in the end zone of Ross-Ade Stadium, I asked second-year starting quarterback Drew Allar if he could sense a feeling of building momentum. He said yes.
“I’ve felt it since spring ball,” replied Allar, who was 17-of-19 with three TD passes, against the Boilermakers. “Right now, we’re starting to hit our stride offensively.” He later added: “I felt good in the spring about this team. We have to keep attacking it every week.”
The last offensive and defensive drives vs. the Buckeyes on that fateful — but not fatal — Nov. 2 afternoon in Beaver Stadium aside, Penn State is playing inspiring football right now, when it needs it most.
“That’s our goal. We want to be the most improved team in college football,” said Allar. Here’s a stat, suggested generally by Franklin after the game on Saturday, that I researched specifically: As a 19-4 starter in 2023-24, Allar has thrown 620 passes — 41 of them touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Penn State football is on a roll. Big Mo. Momentum. The players themselves feel it.
“Our confidence is building. With each win, we get a little more confidence,” said a grinning defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who is back and playing close to 100%. When paired with fellow D-end Abdul Carter they are transformational bookends that could support a storybook season.
Here’s the money line, from DDS, a thoughtful and positive leader: “We’re definitely getting on a roll now.”
Road wins in Morgantown, Madison and Tinseltown — though not against top-10 teams — came in top-10 locales, where it is tough for varying reasons to win on the road. Penn State led USC in the L.A. Coliseum for all of 15 seconds, before winning in overtime. They trailed the Badgers in the second half.
The Nittany Lions pulled out wins in each instance, as they did against Bowling Green in the second game of the season, after trailing 17-7 in the second quarter. Those victories, in trying conditions‚ some of them self-imposed, lengthened the Nittany Lions’ runway for success.
“We’re gritty, I think,” said the poster boy for gritty, backup QB Beau Pribula. “There’s been examples this season of things we haven’t had too much in the past.
“This season we’ve had adversity on the road and we’ve never blinked,” said Pribula, who had a sure TD pass dropped, but came right back to score on a 49-yard keeper vs. Purdue. “In the past, we didn’t have the number of tests we’ve had this season. That’s really big for a team’s character, I think. We’ve continued to get tested and I’m really proud of how we’ve reacted. Wisconsin was one, USC was one. I also think Bowling Green was one. It’s taking the punches and staying calm and punching back. I think it will pay dividends in the long term.”
TO BE FRANK(LIN) WITH YOU
After a crummy 11-11 stretch with 4-5 and 7-6 seasons in 2020 (COVID) and 2021 (six losses in the final eight games, punctuated by that 9-OT loss to Illinois), Penn State is back on track. And if Franklin bears the brunt of the blame for that .500 run, this stretch is his as well.
That’s what Carter said on Saturday.
“It all starts with Coach Franklin,” said Carter, who had a challenging offseason that included a position change and a fight with a tow truck driver. “It’s the way he coaches us, the way he teaches us. That’s our mentality. Whatever he says, that’s what we’re going to follow.”
So, on to Minnesota, where the Nittany Lions lost 31-26 on their last visit in 2019, when they were ranked No. 5 and the Gophers were No. 18. Could be a trap game, though I doubt it.
The sting of losing to Ohio State is still strong, and will linger for a while longer. When it comes to the hated Buckeyes, Franklin’s players are chips off of the old block.
“Now,” said DDS, “we have even more of a chip on our shoulder after losing to Ohio State a couple of weeks ago. I definitely see it in practice and when everyone is walking around the building. Everyone is more confident and has a little more swag coming to end of the season.”
