What were the five best/most exciting games at Beaver Stadium?

2016 vs. Minnesota - it got everything going that year A tremendous sense of relief.

1978 Pitt
1981 Domers
1982 Nebraska
1983 Bama
1983 Domers
1985 Bama
1997 OSU
2005 OSU
2016 OSU

Gun to my head, top five for excitement are Nebraska, the three vs OSU and 83 Bama. Cheers!

2005 vs Ohio State - I was there and have never experienced an environment like that in Beaver Stadium since. It was electric from start to finish. The other games mentioned had lulls in them if I recall.

One game I sort of remember was a last minute win over Notre Dame somewhere in the early 80s, I was very young and was probably my very first game but the atmosphere in the stadium(and around town) got me hooked on PSU.

saturdaysarebetter said:

In no order:
1982 vs Nebraska
2005 vs Ohio State
2016 vs Ohio State
2013 vs Michigan 4OTs
1978 vs Pitt for what was at stake

Others?

Click to expand...

2012 vs Wisconsin. Wisconsin was very good and this was our Bowl game due to the NCAA slander against us.
Also 2002 vs Nebraska. Stadium was shaking on our pick 6.
82 Nebraska, 05 Ohio st are best, though.
Had to watch Ohio St 16 on TV in Arizona with a bunch of Ohio St fans. My usual vertical leap of two inches went to two feet on the blocked FG and the Buckeye guys were speechless!

nittanymoops said:

1978 Pitt
1981 Domers
1982 Nebraska
1983 Bama
1983 Domers
1985 Bama
1997 OSU
2005 OSU
2016 OSU

Gun to my head, top five for excitement are Nebraska, the three vs OSU and 83 Bama. Cheers!

Click to expand...

That 1983 Alabama game sometimes gets overlooked since PSU came into it with a 2-3 record. I was there as a sophomore. It was a nationally televised game against the #3 team in the country. A big comeback by Alabama. A controversial no-catch on what really should have been a tying Alabama TD at the end. But a penalty gave Alabama another chance at tying it on the final play. They ran the ball but came up short. Students rush the field. Goals posts torn down. Etc. If they had a replay review system back then, we would have lost (assuming the extra point was good).

saturdaysarebetter said:

In no order:
1982 vs Nebraska
2005 vs Ohio State
2016 vs Ohio State
2013 vs Michigan 4OTs
1978 vs Pitt for what was at stake

Others?

Click to expand...

82 Nebraska, surreal
05 OSU
16 OSU
02 Nebraska
81 ND

saturdaysarebetter said:

In no order:
1982 vs Nebraska
2005 vs Ohio State
2016 vs Ohio State70oats
2013 vs Michigan 4OTs
1978 vs Pitt for what was at stake

Others?

Click to expand...

September 30, 1972, a 14-10, last minute, win over Iowa, and I was not there. I had tickets, but gave them up and listened to the game on my transistor radio while I sat in Three Rivers Stadium and watched Roberto Clemente get his 3,000th hit. This great man died in a plane crash 3 months later on December 31st while personally taking supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Rest in Peace.

82 Nebraska and 2005 OSU would top my list.

As an unmentioned underrated game:
1978 vs NC State.
A lot of interesting stuff there (good game against good team, some big game changing plays) and after the game PSU was ranked #1 for - IIRC - the very first time in school history. (Nebraska beat Oklahoma that same afternoon, elevating PSU to the #1 spot)

Those of a certain age remember in the pre-cell phone days:
When you were at the game - you were AT THE game. No outside distractions.
But the one thing you would get, during change of quarters breaks and what not - over the PA system (I can still hear this in the exact voice of the long-time PA guy. I bet other long-timers can too):

"In scores of other games....... "
And he would read off scores from around the country.
Late in the game, during a break, everyone heard "In scores of other games..." and he announced the Oklahoma-Nebraska score. That announcement get a very vocal response, and folks were certainly quite excited about it.
Meanwhile, on the field, PSU was locked in a could-go-either-way game w NC State (PSU may have been up by a FG or less), and just a moment after hearing the OU-UNL score, Matt Suhey busted loose on a punt return for a TD - and the crowd went bonkers (to a level I had never seen at Beaver Stadium - and wouldn't see again until the game vs Nebraska in 1982)

fairgambit said:

September 30, 1972, a 14-10, last minute, win over Iowa, and I was not there. I had tickets, but gave them up and listened to the game on my transistor radio while I sat in Three Rivers Stadium and watched Roberto Clemente get his 3,000th hit. This great man died in a plane crash 3 months later on December 31st while personally taking supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Rest in Peace.

Click to expand...

My dad's favorite baseball player, dad as a forever Pittsburgh fan

TheBigUglies said:

2005 vs Ohio State - I was there and have never experienced an environment like that in Beaver Stadium since. It was electric from start to finish. The other games mentioned had lulls in them if I recall.

One game I sort of remember was a last minute win over Notre Dame somewhere in the early 80s, I was very young and was probably my very first game but the atmosphere in the stadium(and around town) got me hooked on PSU.

Click to expand...

I think you are also a "local", and may feel the same way.

The thing that was absolutely UNIQUE about OSU in 2005 is that the entire town/campus was buzzing - it was palpable - for the entire WEEK leading up to the game.
Each day from Monday to Friday felt like a game day around town - with each day moving up a notch.
I never experienced anything like that (it was, of course, the perfect confluence of events that all came together that week - the Dark Years, top flight opponent, the complete rejuvenation of the program, the hated Buckeyes, etc)

When game day finally came? Absolutely, on game day, from well before kickoff until the final whistle and for the entire time in between:
The energy was off the charts. And it was REAL energy - not the electronic pumped-in psuedo noise that most games now - even the big games - substitute for real energy.

PSUFTG said:

I think you are also a "local", and may feel the same way.

The thing that was absolutely UNIQUE about OSU in 2005 is that the entire town/campus was buzzing - it was palpable - for the entire WEEK leading up to the game.
Each day from Monday to Friday felt like a game day around town - with each day moving up a notch.
I never experienced anything like that (it was, of course, the perfect confluence of events that all came together that week - the Dark Years, top flight opponent, the complete rejuvenation of the program, the hated Buckeyes, etc)

When game day finally came? Absolutely, on game day, from well before kickoff until the final whistle and for the entire time in between:
The energy was off the charts. And it was REAL energy - not the electronic pumped-in psuedo noise that most games now - even the big games - substitute for real energy.

Click to expand...

It absolutely was!! Thanks for bringing back those memories. Some guy at work sold me tickets way above cost because I wanted to take my dad. First time I experienced my dad getting that loud at a football game!! Also, it was the last time I went to a football game with my dad.

saturdaysarebetter said:

In no order:
1982 vs Nebraska
2005 vs Ohio State
2016 vs Ohio State
2013 vs Michigan 4OTs
1978 vs Pitt for what was at stake

Others?

Click to expand...

Add 97 Ohio State and 02 Nebraska for me.

Psu-cpa said:

2012 vs Wisconsin. Wisconsin was very good and this was our Bowl game due to the NCAA slander against us.
Also 2002 vs Nebraska. Stadium was shaking on our pick 6.
82 Nebraska, 05 Ohio st are best, though.
Had to watch Ohio St 16 on TV in Arizona with a bunch of Ohio St fans. My usual vertical leap of two inches went to two feet on the blocked FG and the Buckeye guys were speechless!

Click to expand...

agree with the 2012 Wisconsin game. 4 OT UM game is mine

Ohio State 2001 was special, one of the few times PSU played OSU when neither team was ranked... JoePa's 324, came back from down 27-9 in the 3rd quarter... The TD catch by McCoo to put us up, then the blocked field goal to keep the lead, then Zack Mills taking off to seal it.

Great game during a crappy year for both squads

A few others not yet mentioned...

'95 Michigan -- the Snow bowl!
'94 Ohio State --- 63-14
'97 Iowa -- Jurevicius!
'08 Michigan -- thumped the cheaters 46-17 after 9 straight losses

Psu-cpa said:

2012 vs Wisconsin. Wisconsin was very good and this was our Bowl game due to the NCAA slander against us.

Click to expand...

The Michigan game was one of the greatest sporting events I ever attended, but the Wisconsin game always comes to my mind first. It was not the best or most exciting game in the traditional sense, but it meant the world to me at that time. I've never wanted to see a bunch of kids be rewarded more in my life. It was an awesome experience.

saturdaysarebetter said:

In no order:
1982 vs Nebraska
2005 vs Ohio State
2016 vs Ohio State
2013 vs Michigan 4OTs
1978 vs Pitt for what was at stake

Others?

Click to expand...

Pitt getting their brains stomped out.

NittPicker said:

That 1983 Alabama game sometimes gets overlooked since PSU came into it with a 2-3 record. I was there as a sophomore. It was a nationally televised game against the #3 team in the country. A big comeback by Alabama. A controversial no-catch on what really should have been a tying Alabama TD at the end. But a penalty gave Alabama another chance at tying it on the final play. They ran the ball but came up short. Students rush the field. Goals posts torn down. Etc. If they had a replay review system back then, we would have lost (assuming the extra point was good).

Click to expand...

my freshman year!