‘99 MINNY. [insert the face here] vs. Penn State on btn now.

[PSUForever]

Minny was brutal. I was there. You could hear a pin drop in that stadium. As you said, that team came into ‘99 with so much publicity and hype. Then when they dismantled Arizona the way they did to open the season, the belief that that team could be special was real. Minny was a gut punch, but there was still a slight glimmer of hope that maybe a one loss team with that much hype and talent would win out and still play for a natty. The following week’s debacle against Michigan was the kick to the nads that finished the season’s hopes off. Unfortunately, I witnessed that first hand also. Then they went to East Lansing and laid a giant egg again allowing TJ Duckett to rush for 159 yards and four TDs. They looked disinterested and unmotivated. It was my belief at the time, and still today, that Joe should have retired after ‘99.

Remember the '97 debacles versus both Michigans? All the hype for the scUM game and we get absolutely boat raced on national TV at home while building the case for Charles Woodson to win the Heisman as a 2 way player. Add insult to injury was the hit on our tight end, Bob Stephenson, that almost decapitated him. Lloyd Carr made a career of beating up on Joe late in Joe's career. We lost to them for a decade straight and many weren't close except the '02 robbery game of denying Tony Johnson's catch and then in '05 I think Carr weaseled his way to get more time on the clock to set up the ridiculous score with no time. Both games, of course, in Ann Arbor.

Then Sparty in '97 runs for like 400 yards on us up there blowing us out 49-14.. Every run play gained like 15 yards, miserable.

 

[PSUForever]

It was especially appalling because UCLA hadn't led for a single second all season up to that point. I was at the Rose Bowl for that game and when UCLA scored on the first drive, it was like, 'ok fine, nothing surprising that they'd come out flat in a west coast road game'. But when UCLA then got the onside kick and scored again, it was that feeling that it was going to be one of those Franklin games where they lose to a team they shouldn't, something they had avoided for 2 or 3 straight years.

I was at the Rose Bowl, too, for that debacle. Don't forget Franklin's butchery of clock management and game strategy at the end of the first half to give them a FG. Then the AK special deluxe super duper tricky play with the Allar keeper on 4th down to lose the game.

Looking back, Kraft should have canned Franklin, Kotelnicki and Knowles all at once in the lockeroom after that game and made them find their own way back. A complete an utter embarrassment for the ages.

 

[Connorpozlee]

The Northwestern game after the UCLA game was equally as bad; they were both listless, apathetic and pathetic performances, which I blame mostly on the head coach and staff, but also some on the so-called leaders of that team.

I didn’t watch the Northwestern game. I couldn’t put any more time into that team after UCLA.

 

[LB99]

Remember the '97 debacles versus both Michigans? All the hype for the scUM game and we get absolutely boat raced on national TV at home while building the case for Charles Woodson to win the Heisman as a 2 way player. Add insult to injury was the hit on our tight end, Bob Stephenson, that almost decapitated him. Lloyd Carr made a career of beating up on Joe late in Joe's career. We lost to them for a decade straight and many weren't close except the '02 robbery game of denying Tony Johnson's catch and then in '05 I think Carr weaseled his way to get more time on the clock to set up the ridiculous score with no time. Both games, of course, in Ann Arbor.

Then Sparty in '97 runs for like 400 yards on us up there blowing us out 49-14.. Every run play gained like 15 yards, miserable.

Oh. I remember. 97 Michigan was embarrassing. After such a great win against Ohio State at home that year, expectations were flying high. Up until that point, that was the best game I had ever been to. Curtis Enis with the emotional post game saying that game meant everything to him and revealing that when John Cooper and his staff were recruiting him that they sent him a letter with his name spelled wrong. You are right about the Sparty game. They had two rushers go over two hundred yards each. PSU couldn’t stop anything and they got blown out. Brutal.

 

[BobPSU92]

I didn’t watch the Northwestern game. I couldn’t put any more time into that team after UCLA.

Stupid me. I watched the northwestern game figuring, “We got this.”

 

[BCS PSU]

Oh. I remember. 97 Michigan was embarrassing. After such a great win against Ohio State at home that year, expectations were flying high. Up until that point, that was the best game I had ever been to. Curtis Enis with the emotional post game saying that game meant everything to him and revealing that when John Cooper and his staff were recruiting him that they sent him a letter with his name spelled wrong. You are right about the Sparty game. They had two rushers go over two hundred yards each. PSU couldn’t stop anything and they got blown out. Brutal.

The loss of Aaron Harris in the Minnesota game to a season ending knee injury really hurt the 97 offense; with Harris and Enis, that offense was formidable.

 

[BCS PSU]

Stupid me. I watched the northwestern game figuring, “We got this.”

The atmosphere outside of the stadium before that game was nothing that I ever had experienced at a PSU game. That's why I knew after that game that a coaching change was imminent.

 

[BobPSU92]

The atmosphere outside of the stadium before that game was nothing that I ever had experienced at a PSU game. That's why I knew after that game that a coaching change was imminent.

I can only imagine the atmosphere after the game.

 

[LB99]

The atmosphere outside of the stadium before that game was nothing that I ever had experienced at a PSU game. That's why I knew after that game that a coaching change was imminent.

The atmosphere of the 2011 Nebraska game was the most bizarre game day experience I have ever witnessed. Apocalyptic like.

 

[LB99]

The loss of Aaron Harris in the Minnesota game to a season ending knee injury really hurt the 97 offense; with Harris and Enis, that offense was formidable.

Very true, but clearly the defense struggled with a power run game that just lined up and ran it down your throat. That 97 Minnesota game was another lackluster performance by PSU and easily could have been a loss. Minnesota jumped out to a 15-3 lead before PSU woke up in the fourth quarter to squeak out a win over the 2-5 Gophers. I remember leaving the stadium that day thinking PSU probably deserved to lose that game. Even though PSU was ranked 1 or 2 for most of that season, it was evident they had some major deficiencies.

 

[BCS PSU]

Very true, but clearly the defense struggled with a power run game that just lined up and ran it down your throat. That 97 Minnesota game was another lackluster performance by PSU and easily could have been a loss. Minnesota jumped out to a 15-3 lead before PSU woke up in the fourth quarter to squeak out a win over the 2-5 Gophers. I remember leaving the stadium that day thinking PSU probably deserved to lose that game. Even though PSU was ranked 1 or 2 for most of that season, it was evident they had some major deficiencies.

That 97 Minnesota game was the classic massive letdown after the OSU win; that was very predictable.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Stupid me. I watched the northwestern game figuring, “We got this.”

My wife is still stunned that I didn’t watch. 3 games in a row, I didn’t tune in.

 

[CDLionFL]

I was at the Rose Bowl, too, for that debacle. Don't forget Franklin's butchery of clock management and game strategy at the end of the first half to give them a FG. Then the AK special deluxe super duper tricky play with the Allar keeper on 4th down to lose the game.

Looking back, Kraft should have canned Franklin, Kotelnicki and Knowles all at once in the lockeroom after that game and made them find their own way back. A complete an utter embarrassment for the ages.

Ha, I had forgotten about that end-of-half debacle. Allar got sacked and I was so disgusted that I figured with :27 left, UCLA would take a knee and I'd beat the rush to the outdoor concourse to get food. Got back to my seat, looked at the scoreboard, and turned to the person next to me and said 'how the f*$& did UCLA get a FG?'. I was joking with people around me after the game that they shouldn't let this coaching staff on the plane back to PA. The boos that rained down from the PSU sections as the coaches left the field at the end of the game were pretty loud.

 

[LB99]

That 97 Minnesota game was the classic massive letdown after the OSU win; that was very predictable.

Yeah. But #1 ranked teams in the country (if they are legit) don’t struggle like that at home against a 2 win team with little offense. That game was a red flag for the rest of the season.

 

[Zenophile]

The atmosphere of the 2011 Nebraska game was the most bizarre game day experience I have ever witnessed. Apocalyptic like.

The media had become so hyperbolically toxic towards PSU. It was as if we were waiting for permission to cheer.

 

[BCS PSU]

Yeah. But #1 ranked teams in the country (if they are legit) don’t struggle like that at home against a 2 win team with little offense. That game was a red flag for the rest of the season.

It's happened before to better teams than that 97 team. Also, as poorly as they played in that game and the fact that Paterno thought that Minnesota deserved to win, they still did enough to win.

Like I said earlier, the 96 team, which went 11-2 and beat Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, and the 97 team didn't have elite qbs like a Kerry Collins. The 96 team, despite their performance at OSU and losing the OT game to Iowa, was a really good team overall.

 

[pendal1]

Yeah. But #1 ranked teams in the country (if they are legit) don’t struggle like that at home against a 2 win team with little offense. That game was a red flag for the rest of the season.

The problem in 97 really started when Harris got Hurt. When Harris was healthy he and Enis in the backfield were incredibly dynamic. Both were studs with power and speed. You couldn't hang up on one guy because the other guy could kill you too as Harris did to OSU.
When Harris got Hurt you could focus on Enis which really hurt our run game and and the pass game couldn't fill the void.

 

[LionJim]

The loss of Aaron Harris in the Minnesota game to a season ending knee injury really hurt the 97 offense; with Harris and Enis, that offense was formidable.

My dad loved Harris. Dad wasn’t a Penn State fan per se, he and his brothers were Notre Dame fans. And Boston College (they were each born in Dorchester). I remember the three of them singing what they told me afterwards was the Boston College fight song while cleaning up the kitchen after an Eagles win over Alabama.

But back to Harris. Remember his first game, the Kickoff Classic against USC where he fumbled at the goal line early? My dad: “Just watch. Coach Paterno will give him another chance.” Sure enough, touchdown. Dad was tickled pink, such a sweet memory.

Soon after Aaron played his final game I opened a thread where I expressed my respect and admiration for him, the thread ended up becoming something holy. I recall it being MarshCreekEagle who said that Aaron’s parents attended his own church so he copied the thread and gave it to them. So I feel good about that, Aaron deserves the love.

 

[BCS PSU]

My dad loved Harris. Dad wasn’t a Penn State fan per se, he and his brothers were Notre Dame fans. And Boston College (they were each born in Dorchester). I remember the three of them singing what they told me afterwards was the Boston College fight song while cleaning up the kitchen after an Eagles win over Alabama.

But back to Harris. Remember his first game, the Kickoff Classic against USC where he fumbled at the goal line early? My dad: “Just watch. Coach Paterno will give him another chance.” Sure enough, touchdown. Dad was tickled pink, such a sweet memory.

Soon after Aaron played his final game I opened a thread where I expressed my respect and admiration for him, the thread ended up becoming something holy. I recall it being MarshCreekEagle who said that Aaron’s parents attended his own church so he copied the thread and gave it to them. So I feel good about that, Aaron deserves the love.

Unfortunately, he never was the same player after that injury. Without that injury, he probably would've been at least a second or third round draft pick. His td run in the 97 OSU game was special.

 

[PSUForever]

Very true, but clearly the defense struggled with a power run game that just lined up and ran it down your throat. That 97 Minnesota game was another lackluster performance by PSU and easily could have been a loss. Minnesota jumped out to a 15-3 lead before PSU woke up in the fourth quarter to squeak out a win over the 2-5 Gophers. I remember leaving the stadium that day thinking PSU probably deserved to lose that game. Even though PSU was ranked 1 or 2 for most of that season, it was evident they had some major deficiencies.

'97 and '99 had a lot of similarities. Starting with sub par quarterbacking, McQueary in '97 then Kevin Thompson in '99. That was a sure sign right there that Joe needed to retire since that is the best we could trot out at the most important position.

A big win early against a team we thought was better than who they really were that way over inflated our expectations. OSU in '97 and Arizona in '99. Then a lackluster game vs Minny that we should have lost in '97 and do lose in '99. Finally the awesome end to the season folding like cheap tents to the Michigans.

 

[PSUForever]

Ha, I had forgotten about that end-of-half debacle. Allar got sacked and I was so disgusted that I figured with :27 left, UCLA would take a knee and I'd beat the rush to the outdoor concourse to get food. Got back to my seat, looked at the scoreboard, and turned to the person next to me and said 'how the f*$& did UCLA get a FG?'. I was joking with people around me after the game that they shouldn't let this coaching staff on the plane back to PA. The boos that rained down from the PSU sections as the coaches left the field at the end of the game were pretty loud.

The team mailed it in after Oregon but even before Oregon and the Oregon game we were unprepared and coached horribly along with underperforming on field play.

I do think '25 was a blessing in disguise. Franklin needed to go before '25. After blowing the ND playoff game and really that '24 OSU game at home you knew he never was getting us over the top or was capable of winning a big game. We all knew before that and these games just firmly cemented the facts for the nation. You couldn't fire him after '24 but I think after '21 was the time and that would have saved us all some misery. Of course, that was never happening with the clueless field hockey coach AD we had.

 

[PSUForever]

The problem in 97 really started when Harris got Hurt. When Harris was healthy he and Enis in the backfield were incredibly dynamic. Both were studs with power and speed. You couldn't hang up on one guy because the other guy could kill you too as Harris did to OSU.
When Harris got Hurt you could focus on Enis which really hurt our run game and and the pass game couldn't fill the void.

McQueary at QB was a joke. Not winning a NC with that guy.

 

[PSUForever]

My dad loved Harris. Dad wasn’t a Penn State fan per se, he and his brothers were Notre Dame fans. And Boston College (they were each born in Dorchester). I remember the three of them singing what they told me afterwards was the Boston College fight song while cleaning up the kitchen after an Eagles win over Alabama.

But back to Harris. Remember his first game, the Kickoff Classic against USC where he fumbled at the goal line early? My dad: “Just watch. Coach Paterno will give him another chance.” Sure enough, touchdown. Dad was tickled pink, such a sweet memory.

Soon after Aaron played his final game I opened a thread where I expressed my respect and admiration for him, the thread ended up becoming something holy. I recall it being MarshCreekEagle who said that Aaron’s parents attended his own church so he copied the thread and gave it to them. So I feel good about that, Aaron deserves the love.

Harris and Kaytron have similarities. Whenever we can get a talented athletic power back and an elusive TB we are special or were special. Lydell and Franco. Not sure who paired with Cappelletti? Guman and Suhey. Curt and John Williams. DJ and Steve Smith. Kijana with Whitman and Milne. We had it with Singleton and Kaytron but Franklin and Kotelnicki managed to screw it all up.

 

[pendal1]

Harris and Kaytron have similarities. Whenever we can get a talented athletic power back and an elusive TB we are special or were special. Lydell and Franco. Not sure who paired with Cappelletti? Guman and Suhey. Curt and John Williams. DJ and Steve Smith. Kijana with Whitman and Milne. We had it with Singleton and Kaytron but Franklin and Kotelnicki managed to screw it all up.

Tom Donchez and Bob Nagle were fullbacks for Cappaletti. Don't forget Tim Manoa with Steve Smith. And of course there was the great Sam Gash who blacked for Blair Thomas and Richie Anderson.
Did you notice the running game and the passing took off with Terry Smith in charge. He finally made Allen the guy and used Singleton on the edge and gave him six to eight carries. And we threw the ball behind the linebackers. Franklin is a horrible offensive coach and can recruit but doesn't know how to best utilize talent.
Parsons was an elite attacker and edge rusher and he didn't use him that way until the end of his last season. Moronic.

 

[Binder74]

I didn’t watch the Northwestern game. I couldn’t put any more time into that team after UCLA.

I watch them all to the end no matter how awful. I guess I have a high pain tolerance. I even watch the replay hoping they won't screw it up this time.

 

[Connorpozlee]

I watch them all to the end no matter how awful. I guess I have a high pain tolerance. I even watch the replay hoping they won't screw it up this time.

These were the first games I can ever recall intentionally missing that I had access to seeing. It was just brutal. Still is.

 

[BobPSU92]

If I see the 2025 ucla or northwestern games on btn, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

 

[Nitt1300]

I was not a fan of Jay as a coach. And around this time he also became the program's recruiting director which led to the dark years.
Sometimes the son just doesn't measure up to the father and boy was that evident in this scenario.

I blame CJF

 

[PSUForever]

Tom Donchez and Bob Nagle were fullbacks for Cappaletti. Don't forget Tim Manoa with Steve Smith. And of course there was the great Sam Gash who blacked for Blair Thomas and Richie Anderson.
Did you notice the running game and the passing took off with Terry Smith in charge. He finally made Allen the guy and used Singleton on the edge and gave him six to eight carries. And we threw the ball behind the linebackers. Franklin is a horrible offensive coach and can recruit but doesn't know how to best utilize talent.
Parsons was an elite attacker and edge rusher and he didn't use him that way until the end of his last season. Moronic.

Good call out with Sam Gash with Thomas and Richie Anderson. Also Leroy Thompson was a player, we got him out of Tennessee I remember. Tony Hunt was a beast but didn't have a game breaker to team up with.

I think one of the biggest failures of the Franklin regime that led to a number of his big game losses was his inability to develop a physical team that we could really ground and pound with a power run game and weak/soft DLines that had the vulnerability to get manhandled with a lack of pressure and disruption from the interior. Then add to this a complete inability to develop a downfield passing attack.

 

[PSUForever]

I watch them all to the end no matter how awful. I guess I have a high pain tolerance. I even watch the replay hoping they won't screw it up this time.

Man I never can watch those brutal losses again. The only exception is the '79 Sugar Bowl thinking maybe one of these times Fusina will fake it to Guman and rollout to hit the TE for 6.

 

[Nitt1300]

Man I never can watch those brutal losses again. The only exception is the '79 Sugar Bowl thinking maybe one of these times Fusina will fake it to Guman and rollout to hit the TE for 6.

game day coaching

 

[pendal1]

If I see the 2025 ucla or northwestern games on btn, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Burn Bob down.

 

[nittanymoops]

If I see the 2025 ucla or northwestern games on btn, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

It must mean something else when BTN says that today is Penn State Day. Usually it’s a celebration.

2025 Oregon, Iowa, UCLA and Indiana are on today, as luck would have it. Iowa was earlier. For those sadists among us (and you know who you are, Bob et al), I suspect these games will keep this thread alive at least until Campbell’s successor.

 

[BobPSU92]

Burn Bob down.

…to the ground.

 

[STPGopherfan]

Very true, but clearly the defense struggled with a power run game that just lined up and ran it down your throat. That 97 Minnesota game was another lackluster performance by PSU and easily could have been a loss. Minnesota jumped out to a 15-3 lead before PSU woke up in the fourth quarter to squeak out a win over the 2-5 Gophers. I remember leaving the stadium that day thinking PSU probably deserved to lose that game. Even though PSU was ranked 1 or 2 for most of that season, it was evident they had some major deficiencies.

Glen Mason (Gophers coach at the time) had/ has great respect for Joe Paterno and Penn State. With that said, Mason made playing PSU the teams "Superbowl". Okay a very big game. With that said, even a glass jawed boxer has a chance if he can land a few lucky punches. The 97' loss and coach Paterno's gracious post game address to the Gopher team went a long way towards the team believing that they had a punchers chance in later game(s).

That and the way Minnesota ran the ball back then was very unconventional. Lots of cut blocks and schemes that had interior lineman blocking for backs downfield. That gave a team that didn't have a single player that Penn State would have traded for a very, very slim chance.