College Football

Penn State is still looking to build on that 2016 magic

Updated Oct. 19, 2023 12:00 p.m. ET

College Football and College Basketball Writer

With wind gusts approaching 20 miles per hour, a temperature that hovered around 42 degrees and unexpected rain showers whipping through Beaver Stadium, the night of Oct. 22, 2016, was inching toward disaster for most of the 107,280 fans who had arrived for Penn State's annual White Out game hoping, praying and crossing their fingers for a monumental upset against No. 2 Ohio State.

Led by standout quarterback J.T. Barrett and a defense that would produce five first-round picks during the next three NFL Drafts, the Buckeyes graded their way to a 12-0 lead late in the second quarter and a 12-7 advantage at the half. They forced the unranked Nittany Lions to punt or turn the ball over on six consecutive possessions while limiting superstar tailback Saquon Barkley to three yards on three carries in the second stanza after he enjoyed some early success in the first.

"We assumed Ohio State was going to just open it up, and they were just going to run away with it," said Shawn Allen, whose son, Marcus, was a starting safety for Penn State.

Though he'd traveled to Beaver Stadium with Marcus' high school coach for one of the most anticipated games of Penn State's season, the unsavory weather conditions and lopsided nature of the first half sparked discussions about returning to the hotel early. The high school coach and his wife decided to bail. Marcus' father stayed as the Buckeyes stretched their lead to 21-7 by the start of the fourth quarter.

What happened over the final 15 minutes was equal parts unfathomable and inexplicable: a 90-yard touchdown drive from the hibernating Penn State offense; a blocked punt to set up a Nittany Lions field goal; a stunning 60-yard scoop and score by Grant Haley after Marcus Allen blocked an Ohio State field goal for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 4:27 remaining.

Seventeen unanswered points. Penn State 24, Ohio State 21. The biggest win of head coach James Franklin's career en route to his first — and only — Big Ten title.

"When we went to the Rose Bowl, and we won those eight straight games and beat Ohio State in the crazy-ass White Out game where we had a blocked kick," said Sean Spencer, who was Franklin's defensive line coach at the time. "That wasn't football, man. That was the f---ing culture we built, man. Them dudes believed that they could win, and at no point on that sideline did they ever waver."

What is the bigger picture for Penn State, Ohio State?

Seven years later, the pulsating win over Ohio State remains one of the high-water marks of Franklin's tenure in State College, where expectations have reached fever-pitch levels halfway through his 10th season. A string of high-level recruiting classes, shrewd staff additions and improved financial commitments from the university have propelled the Nittany Lions to an undefeated start and the No. 7 national ranking ahead of Saturday's showdown with No. 3 Ohio State, the second of the Big Ten's three national championship contenders in 2023. Whichever team prevails at Ohio Stadium will have an inside track toward both the conference title game and the College Football Playoff beyond.

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With the most talented roster he's ever assembled, Franklin is facing significant pressure to deliver another marquee win after spending the last few years mired in the shadows of Big Ten East rivals Ohio State and Michigan, against whom he's a combined 3-9 since the stunning upset in 2016, including zero wins over the Buckeyes. Franklin continues to face criticism regarding an unsightly 3-15 record against top-10 opponents as Penn State's head coach, and the Nittany Lions have lost 12 one-score games in the last six seasons alone.

The difference between winning and losing on Saturday might be another history-making moment — be it a blocked field goal or otherwise.

[Is No. 7 Penn State ready for its 'tremendous' opportunity?]

"It was a heavyweight battle in 2016," said former Penn State linebacker Brandon Bell, who made a game-high 18 tackles in that win over the Buckeyes. "But this is like prime time, two of the best boxers you can think of matched [against each other]. We're stacked, they're stacked.

"I'm excited to see how our team manages those big moments, those four or five plays that the game is going to come down to — the plays like we're talking about now from 2016 — what those plays will be."

Can the Nittany Lions pull off the upset?

During a wide-ranging interview with FOX Sports over the summer, Franklin was asked about what could be done to nudge the Nittany Lions over the hump, to push them across the finish line in tight battles or season-defining games against top-10 opponents. His answer stretched more than 400 words and included things like players having "two or three more championship-level workouts" in the offseason; one or two more recruiting wins that might net a prospect capable of changing games; and the idea that Penn State's coordinators can make "one better call" among the handful of plays that dictate the outcome.

The coordinator who fit that bill in the 2016 upset of Ohio State was 33-year-old Charles Huff, now the head coach at Marshall. Huff's special teams units were playing disastrously during an opening 45 minutes that saw the Nittany Lions have their first field-goal attempt blocked, a muffed punt from return man John Reid that was recovered by the Buckeyes, and a long snap that sailed over the head of punter Blake Gillikin for a 30-yard loss.

But Huff, who declined an interview request for this story, had been stressing the importance of blocked kicks for months, both in meetings and on the field. He demanded that the Nittany Lions practice field goal blocks with maximum effort — an uncommon choice for in-season practices given the potential for injury with players lunging and diving at their own teammates — but against the Buckeyes it finally paid off. Penn State blocked a punt to punctuate the team's first defensive possession of the fourth quarter and stuffed a 45-yard field goal attempt on Ohio State's next drive, with Haley returning it for the iconic score.

"There's a block plan each week," Haley said. "And I remember that week it was Marcus [Allen] coming kind of right up the middle. And it's kind of crazy to think about it in hindsight, but Marcus, he had a chance to block a kick earlier that game, and it went right by his fingertips. I just remember him going on the sideline and talking to Coach Huff saying, ‘Where's the block spot? Where do I need to be? Where do I need to be located, so I can get the job done?'

"And, you know, he executed his job perfectly."

Allen began the play four yards beyond the line of scrimmage, his stance in line with the long snapper's right shoulder. He charged forward four steps and launched into the air, soaring high above his teammate, defensive tackle Robert Windsor, in the trenches. Like a blocker in volleyball, Allen swatted the kick straight back in the direction it came, the ball careening into open space to the kicker's right. Haley scooped the ball in stride and narrowly outraced the galloping holder Cameron Johnston, whose diving tackle could only provide a glancing blow.

"I don't like to say it was a lucky bounce," Haley said, "but it was definitely a lucky bounce. It could have gone any other way, but it decided to land perfectly in my hands."

Sometimes those are the kinds of bounces teams need to secure a landmark victory, and nobody at Beaver Stadium cared enough to question the geometry of how the ball arrived in Haley's hands. Fans stormed the field after Penn State kneeled out the clock a few minutes later. The ensuing post-game fracas was one that several players, when asked about it this week, said they've never forgotten, from the hours it took them to get home to seeing fans celebrating on horseback in downtown State College.

Bell, who ignored a playing-time restriction to log 69 snaps in his first game back from a torn quad, addressed his teammates in a jubilant locker room. He wanted everyone to know that beating teams like Ohio State "should not be an irregular moment for Penn State," though no group of Nittany Lions has repeated the feat in six subsequent tries. Two of the last six defeats to Ohio State were by one point apiece, in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

"It's a blessing to be part of such a historic moment," Haley said. "But I'm kind of ready for Penn State to get that [next] win over Ohio State and just keep moving forward."

Until that happens, be it this weekend or sometime down the road, the 2016 classic will remain at the forefront for legions of Penn State fans. That game, along with the ensuing Big Ten Championship against Wisconsin, are the closest things Franklin has to legacy-defining wins.

Shawn Allen recognized the significance of that night from the moment his son blocked Ohio State's kick. He knew what he witnessed was special in a game most folks would never forget.

So he decided to collect the four total gloves worn by his son and Haley and turned them into cherished pieces of memorabilia. Two of the gloves — one from each player — were framed as a gift for Franklin, who cried when he received it and proudly displays the keepsake in his home. The others were framed individually and given to the families of the respective players.

"Every time that those teams get together," Shawn Allen said, "I think in the back of everyone's mind — on both sides — you think about that game and that night."

Perhaps the Nittany Lions can make a new memory this weekend.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.