College Football Old School Game of The Week: Penn State Wins in First Trip To Big House

 On October 15, 1994, the Penn State Nittany Lions made their first ever trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan and to the largest football stadium in America, Michigan Stadium or "The Big House" to take on the Michigan Wolverines.

Penn State entered the game 5-0 and ranked #3 in the country thanks to a high-powered offense featuring the trio of quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter, and wide receiver Bobby Engram.

Behind the trio of Collins, Carter, and Engram, the Penn State offense averaged 51.6 points per game and 557 yards of total offense though their first five games of the season with an average margin of victory of 24.4 points per game.

But Penn State's game with Michigan was going to be their toughest test yet as they would face their toughest test of the season as they traveled to Ann Arbor to play in front over 100,000 fans, most of them to cheer for the maize and blue.
Michigan entered the game ranked #5 with a 4-1 record, with that loss being the legendary "Miracle in Michigan" as the Wolverines lost to the Colorado Buffaloes on the final play of the game as Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart fired a 64-yard touchdown pass to Michael Westbrook as time expired.

Despite that gut-wrenching loss, the Wolverines still had dreams of winning the Big 10 and going to the Rose Bowl, as they were led by Heisman Trophy candidate, running back Tyrone Wheatley, who had rushed for over 1,000 yards the previous two seasons.
So, Penn State's historic first trip to the "Big House" was a very meaningful game for both teams and would live up to the billing of a top-5 college football showdown.
The Nittany Lions got the ball to start the game at were at the 50-yard-line in just two plays as Carter picked up 11 yards on a screen pass of the first play of the game which was followed by a 19-yard run.
Two plays later, the Nittany Lions would convert on 3rd-and-3 at the Michigan 43-yard-line as Collins hit Engram for 10 yards and a 1st down, which was followed by another 3rd down conversion as Carter picked up 13 yards on a screen pass, giving Penn State a 1st down at the Wolverines' 15-yard-line.
The third time would not be the charm for Penn State as they failed to convert on their next 3rd down situation, forcing the Lions to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Brett Conway to give them a 3-0 lead exactly five minutes into the game.
Michigan began its first posession of the game from its own four-yard-line, but were able to drive 87 yards in 10 plays, with the bulk of the yardage coming courtesy of wide receiver Amani Toomer, who caught three passes for 63 yards on the drive.
The Wolverines were poised to tie the game as Remy Hamilton set up to kick a 26-yard field goal, but his kick bounced off the left upright and was no good, giving the ball back to Penn State who took over at the Michigan 20-yard-line.

From there, the Nittany Lions drove 80 yards in 11 plays, with the drive culminating in a three-yard touchdown pass from Collins to tight end Keith Olsommer to increase the Penn State to lead 10-0 with 46 seconds left in the first quarter.

Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter would run for 165 yards on 26 carries.

As the game moved into the second quarter, Penn State was given an excellent opportunity to put more points on the board as Michigan running back Tim Biakabutuka lost the football when he was hit by strong safety Jason Collins, who recovered the fumble at the Wolverines' 39-yard-line.
The Lions appeared to have a 17-0 lead as Carter scored on a four-yard touchdown run on 2nd-and-goal, only to have the touchdown called back because of a holding penalty on offensive tackle Keith Conlin, pushing the Lions back 10 yards and eventually forcing them to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Conway to increase the Penn State lead to 13-0 early in the second quarter.
Then after forcing a three-and-out, the Lions got the ball at the Michigan 43-yard-line and were in the red zone again as Collins connected with tight end Kyle Brady for a 23-yard completion on the first play of the drive to give Penn State a 1st down at the Michigan 20-yard-line.
But once again the Wolverines' defense held to Lions to a field goal as Carter was stopped on 3rd-and-1 at the 11-yard-line by linebacker Steve Morrison, leading to a 29-yard field goal by Conway to push the Penn State lead to 16-0 with 5:49 left before halftime.
It looked like it was going to be 16-0 in favor of Penn State as the first half came to a close, especially when Michigan faced a 3rd-and-17 at their 38-yard-line with 20 seconds left before halftime when Todd Collins scrambled for 12 yards and a 1st down.
The 12-yard-play became a 27-yard play as Penn State linebacker Brian Gelzheiser was called for a late hit as Collins was going to the ground, putting Michigan at the 35-yard-line.
From there, Todd found Mercury Hayes for a 19-yard completion that put the Wolverines at the Penn State 16-yard-line with two seconds left, just enough time for Hamilton to come on and kick a 33-yard field goal as time expired, making the score 16-3 as the first half came to a close.

Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins would threw for 231 yards and three touchdown passes on 20-of-31 passing.

The Wolverines hoped to continue the momentum they gained the field goal as they got the ball first to start the second half.
Michigan was able to do that as on the second play of the second half, Wheatley, who had gained only 11 yards in the first half, burst through the right side for a 67-yard touchdown run to cut the Nittany Lions' lead 16-10 just one minute into the third quarter.
Michigan forced the Lions to punt on their opening drive of the second half, getting the ball back at their 49-yard-line when Todd Collins hit Amani Toomer for a 30-yard completion on the first play of the drive, putting Michigan at the Penn State 21-yard-line.
Then after an incomplete pass intended for Toomer, Collins tossed the ball to Wheatley, who ran around the right side for his second touchdown of the game, that with Hamilton's extra point put Michigan ahead 17-16 just 4:19 into the second half.
After allowing 17 unanswered points, Penn State responded with a 10-play, 86-yard drive that saw Engram pick up 29 yards on a reverse to put the Lions in Michigan territory at the Wolverines' 40-yard-line, which was followed by a 15-yard pass from Collins to Brady to give Penn State a 1st-and-goal at the 10-yard-line.
Then on 2nd-and-goal , Collins faked a handoff to Carter and found fullback John Wittman in the flat for a nine-yard touchdown pass.
Penn State decided to go for two after the touchdown and were successful on the two-point conversion as Collins found Freddie Scott in the right corner of the end zone to complete the two-point play and putting the Lions back on top, 24-17 with 6:27 left in the third quarter.
It was still 24-17 in the 4th quarter when Todd Collins connected with Toomer again on another 30-yard pass play that gave Michigan a 1st down at the Penn State 21-yard-line.
Six plays later, the Wolverines were in the end zone as Biakabutuka punched it one from one yard out.
With 11:37 left in the game, Moeller decided to go for the extra point(there was no overtime in FBS football until 1996)which was successful, tying the game at 24.

After running for only 11 yards in the first half, Tyrone Wheatley would run for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to finish with 144 yards on 19 carries.

A 24-24 tie seemed possible as both teams would trade punts until the Lions got the ball at their 45-yard-line with 4:46 to go in the game.
That is when Collins found Engram, who was able to a shoestring catch and get one foot inbounds, for a 14-yard reception on 1st down, which was followed by a 26-yard run by Carter to give the Lions a 1st down at the Michigan 15-yard-line.
Then after two straight runs by Carter lost a yard, Collins fired a pass down the middle for Engram who made the catch in the end zone that with Conway's extra point gave Penn State a 31-24 lead with 2:53 to play.
There was still plenty of time for the Wolverines to get back in the end zone and it seemed like it was going to happen sooner rather than later as Wheatley busted for 30 yards on the first play of the Wolverines' ensuing possession giving Michigan a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.
That is when Todd Collins tried to connect with Toomer on another deep pass, but this time they could not connect as the ball was just an inch too far for a diving Toomer at the Penn State five-yard-line.
Still, it seemed like the Wolverines were still in good shape after Biakabutuka picked up nine yards on 2nd down, setting up a 3rd-and-1, only to have Biakabutuka be stopped for no gain on 3rd down, setting up a 4th-and-1 at the Penn State 41-yard-line.
That is when Collins dropped back and fired a pass that was picked off by cornerback Brian Miller with 1:26 to go in the game.
Kerry Collins and the Lions were able to run out the clock and come out of Ann Arbor with a 31-24 win and a move to 6-0 while dropping Michigan to 4-2.

Bobby Engram(10) catches what would be the game-winning touchdown.

The rest of the season would be a roller coaster for Michigan as they went 3-2 over the second half of the season to end up in the Holiday Bowl where they defeated Colorado State 24-14 to finish with a 8-4 record and #12 ranking the AP and Coaches Poll.
As for Penn State, they would continue to win, but had to survive close calls against Indiana and Illinois to finish the season 11-0 to win the Big 10 championship in just their second season and earning the Lions their first ever trip to the Rose Bowl where they crushed the Oregon Ducks 38-20 to finish with a 12-0 season.
Despite finishing undefeated, the Lions did not finish ranked #1 in either the AP or the Coaches Poll as both polls ranked Nebraska in front of Penn State, giving the Cornhuskers their first national title in 23 years.
Even though they did not win the national championship, many Penn State fans consider the 1994 team as the greatest team in Penn State football history.