Here is a look at the top 10 individual rushing performances in Penn State bowl history.
As we count down the days until Penn State kicks off against Ole Miss in the 2023 Peach Bowl, it’s fun to look back on some Nittany Lions’ bowl game history. Two standout backs, [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag], are expected to play in the bowl game this year so perhaps more memorable performances are on deck.
Penn State has had its share of quality running backs throughout its storied history, none more famous than [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] and [autotag]Franco Harris[/autotag]. Harris was a big and powerful runner who led the Nittany Lions to an undefeated season in 1971 as an All-American. He would go on to win four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Barkley broke several Penn State rushing records during his time in Happy Valley and showed the innate ability to break off highlight plays. He was one of if not the most electrifying players in Penn State history
Do either of these two backs make the list of top-10 rushing performances in Penn State bowl game history?
Remembering Tamba Hali’s iconic strip-sack that clinched a signature win over Ohio State in 2005.
Penn State has off on this October 8, but today marks the anniversary of one of the most iconic regular-season victories in program history. It was on this day in 2005 when Beaver Stadium had one of its biggest nights as Penn State upset Ohio State to announce to the college football world that Penn State was back from the dead.
Penn State won five games in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001 and then won three games in 2003 and just four games in 2004. It was the worst five-year stretch for Penn State under head coach [autotag]Joe Paterno[/autotag] of his career, leading to many wondering if the game had passed by Penn State and Paterno. But the 2005 season started with three straight wins in non-conference play and Big Ten play ignited with a wild comeback at Northwestern. Penn State then smashed No. 18 Minnesota at home, 44-14, to set the stage for a visit from College GameDay for a matchup between No. 16 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State. This was the game Penn State fans were waiting for as it presented the Nittany Lions a chance to make a loud statement about the status of the football program, and the students were all in with a student section whiteout, years before Penn State enacted stadium-wide whiteouts. Those who were at the game, including myself, may still say that was one of the loudest games ever witnessed in Beaver Stadium.
Penn State’s defense was impressive on that October night. Ohio State had just 230 yards of offense and turned the football over three times. The defense had to be that good, because Ohio State’s defense was also dominant all night long. Penn State managed just 195 yards of total offense.
[autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag] completed 11 of 20 passes for just 78 yards, but he ran for 52 yards and a touchdown. [autotag]Tony Hunt[/autotag] led all players with 64 rushing yards, each one as difficult to gain as they would come on this night highlighted by the defenses.
Ohio State struck first with a field goal in the first quarter, but Penn State scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-3 lead with a [autotag]Derrick Williams[/autotag] touchdown run of 13 yards and Robinson’s one-yard touchdown run midway through the quarter. Ohio State would close the gap with their final score of the night with a Smith touchdown run from 10 yards out in the final minute of the first half.
The only scoring in the second half came on the leg of [autotag]Kevin Kelly[/autotag], a 41-yarder early in the third quarter. From there, the defenses for both teams took control. Ohio State’s best chance to score in the second half came in the form of a missed 50-yard field goal.
[autotag]Tamba Hali[/autotag] put the game on ice when he easily got around his blocker on the edge and raced toward an unsuspecting Troy Smith, who would go on to win a Heisman Trophy the following season. Smith lost the football on impact and Penn State recovered. And Hali simply walked off the field as composed as they can come, as if it was just another play. Business as usual for a player who would go on to make a living in the NFL doing this very thing.
After the game, Kirk Herbstreit credited the Penn State student section by proclaiming them to be the best student section in the country.
Penn State was upset the following weekend at Michigan on a last-second touchdown by the Wolverines when Chad Henne found Mario Manningham in the endzone as time expired in a wild fourth quarter in Ann Arbor. Penn State trailed Michigan 10-3 going into the fourth quarter and exploded for 22 points, but gave up 17 to come up on the wrong end of a 27-25 final score. But that was the only regular season loss for Penn State in the 2005 season.
Penn State went on to win the remainder of their games, including a 35-14 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin as Penn State went on to win the Big Ten championship and advance to the Orange Bowl. The Rose Bowl was being used to host that year’s BCS National Championship Game between USC and Texas, which turned out to be one of the most epic games in college football history. Penn State’s Orange Bowl was also quite a memorable game, at least for Penn State fans.
In a season otherwise dominated by USC and Texas, who would go on to play for the BCS National Championship, Penn State was one play away from at least having an argument to being considered for the national championship. But none of it would have even be possible if not for that one night in October.
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Here are Penn State’s all-time rushing touchdown leaders heading into 2022. How long until Nick Singleton makes this list?
Penn State has a long list of successful running backs to its credit in both college and the NFL. So many names that college fans know and love are in the Penn State record books.
To round out our recap of the Penn State rushing records we look at the guys who always wanted to end a drive with six points. The guys who could be the work horse type back and finish things off in the endzone, the top rushing touchdown leaders of all-time.
There will be a lot of familiar names like [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] who lead the list but also players like [autotag]Franco Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Curt Warner[/autotag], and potential hall of famer [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag]. All of these players left lasting impacts and will be remembered for the foreseeable future at Penn State for their accomplishments.
For now, lets see who made it to the end zone the most with the blue and white on them.
Who is Penn State’s all-time leading rusher? It may not be who first think of.
Penn State has had a large amount of notable running backs step foot on Beaver Stadium’s grass, including several college hall of fame players. Of those notable men, none of them are actually the all-time leading rusher in the program’s history.
Names like [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag], and [autotag]Curt Warner[/autotag] are names you expect to see but none of them lead the list. Leading the list is a running back who was more than reliable during his tenure. Speaking of reliability, Penn State has strayed away from the run game but recent recruiting points to that aspect of the game making a grand return.
For the time being, while [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] decides what he wants to do with the offense, we can just hope that [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] joins this list one day. Until then, take some time to jump in the way-back machine in Penn State history.
Penn State bowl history: Sean Lee’s defining moment and Tony Hunt running wild in the 2007 Outback Bowl
A season removed from a run to a Big Ten championship, Penn State made a return trip to the Outback Bowl at the end of the 2006 season. And up against a Tennessee team that was ranked and believed to be the favorite, it was the Penn State fundamentals of a strong defense and dominant running game that led the Nittany Lions to pulling away for a double-digit victory against the favored Vols.
Head coach Joe Paterno watched the game from the press box as he was recovering from a broken leg suffered in a sideline collision earlier in the season.
Heading into the game, the popular suggestion was that Tennessee had better athleticism across its roster, and that would lift the Vols to a victory over Penn State. But Tony Hunt proved that sometimes it just pays to be bigger and stronger on the ground. Hunt rushed for 158 yards on 31 rushing attempts to pave the path to a 20-10 victory.
But this Penn State team was still very much reliant on its defensive successes. Against the Vols, Penn State forced three turnovers and Tennessee was held to a season-low 10 points in the game. After the game, Tennessee head coach Philip Fulmer noted Penn State played the exact kind of style you should expect against a team coached by Paterno.
“You play against Joe Paterno’s football teams, they’re going to be tough, they’re going to disciplined, they’re going to be able to run the football,” Fulmer said. “I knew that, having been there before. I learned some great lessons from him the last time. If we take care of the football better, at least it’s a more interesting game there at the end.”
For three quarters, it was a tight contest between the Nittany Lions and Vols. Tennessee opened the scoring with a field goal in the first quarter, and Kevin Kelly responded early in the second quarter to tie the game at 3-3-. Penn State took a 10-3 lead later in the second quarter when Anthony Morelli completed a short touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Quarless to cap a 92-yard drive.
Penn State’s lead did not make it to halftime, however. Out-muscling future NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Sean Lee, LaMarcus Coker sprung loose for a 42-yard touchdown run with a little over a minute before halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, Tennessee was marching into position for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, but Tony Davis returned a Tennessee fumble, which was forced by Lee, 88 yards for a defensive touchdown to put the Nittany Lions in front for good. Kelly would later add a field goal to extend Penn State’s lead to 20-10 to seal the deal against the SEC opponent.
“I didn’t want to let our seniors down, and I felt like I was letting the whole team down playing like that,” Lee said after the game, reflecting on his forced fumble. “I knew I had to come out in the second half and make a big play. I had to make up for that play.”
With the win, Penn State improved to 3-0 all-time in the Outback Bowl. But their next trip, four years later, would not go as well. But this was Paterno’s 22nd all-time career bowl victory, extending his lead in the all-time bowl coaching victories list.
Where does Saquon Barkley rank among Penn State’s all-time leading rushers, including Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, and Ki-Jana Carter?
Maybe Penn State doesn’t have as strong a case to be made for Running Back U as some other programs, but the Nittany Lions have had their fair share of some of the best running backs in the game. From Lydell Mitchell to Franco Harris to Ki-Jana Carter and to Saquon Barkley, Penn State running backs have provided plenty of memories to fans over the years.
But who tops the list when it comes to Penn State’s all-time leading rushers list? Perhaps one of the more unassuming names to come through Happy Valley, Evan Royster. Royster may not have had the talent and skills of some of the others to suit up for the Nittany Lions over time, but his hard work and reliable performance stood the test of time. And having the opportunity to break into the offense early on and play his full four years of eligibility helped him continue to climb the ranks of Penn State’s all-time leading rushers.
With three 1,000-yard seasons, it has proven to be difficult to catch Royster, but his mark may not be untouchable. Saquon Barkley came close to catching Royster and would have easily surpassed him had Barkley remained at Penn State for one more season of eligibility instead of heading to the NFL. But as things stand now, Royster should feel pretty comfortable atop the leaderboard for a little while longer before anyone makes a run at his school record.
Here is a look at Penn State’s top 20 all-time leading rushers.
