College Football Old School Game of the Week: Penn State Completes Undefeated Season with Rose Bowl Triumph

Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter ran for 156 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns.

The 1995 edition of the Rose Bowl featured two teams that had not been there in generations as the Penn State Nittany Lions faced off with the Oregon Ducks with an undefeated season on the line for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State was led by head coach Joe Paterno, who in his 29th season as the Nittany Lions' head coach, had led Penn State to the Rose Bowl in just their second season as a member of the Big 10 conference and playing in Pasadena for the first time in 72 years after the Nittany Lions played in the ninth edition of the "Granddaddy of Them All" as they lost 14-3 to the USC Trojans.

The Nittany Lions in 1994 were an offensive juggernaut as they averaged 47.8 points per game and 520 yards per game with quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter, and wide receiver Bobby Engram leading the way for Penn State.

Penn State won all 11 of its regular season games which included a 31-24 win over Michigan in the "Big House"(To read about that game click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/college-football-old-school-game-of_18.html) and a 35-31 win over Illinois to clinch the Big 10 title where the Nittany Lions drove 96 yards in 14 plays for the game-winning touchdown(To read about that game click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_13.html).

If the Nittany Lions, who were ranked #2 in the country, could knock off Oregon in the Rose Bowl, many felt that Penn State should at least share the national championship with #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who had completed a 12-0 season the night before with a 24-17 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl.

Standing in their way were the Oregon Ducks, who had stunned the college football world by winning the Pac-10 championship to earn their first trip to the Rose Bowl in 37 years.

The Ducks were led by head coach Rich Brooks who in his 19th season as the Ducks' head coach had led Oregon to a 9-3 regular season after Oregon got off to a 1-2 start to start the '94 season.

While the Nittany Lions' strength was their offense, the Ducks were led by their defense, the "Gang Green" defense which gave up 17.6 points per game and helped secure a 31-20 upset win over Washington with "The Pick" a 97-yard pick-six by cornerback Kenny Wheaton in the final seconds(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/college-football-old-school-game-of_10.html).

On offense, the Ducks were led by quarterback Danny O'Neil, who threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Dino Philyaw in the fourth quarter of Oregon's 17-13 win over Oregon State in the regular season finale to clinch the Ducks' spot in the Rose Bowl(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_11.html).

If the Ducks were to have any chance of upsetting the Nittany Lions, they would need a big day from O'Neil as Penn State came into the game as a 17-point favorite.

Oregon got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 19-yard-line to the Penn State 49-yard-line before punting the ball to the Nittany Lions who would take over at their 17-yard-line for their first drive of the game.

That is when Collins pitched the ball to Carter, who ran to his right and broke a tackle from Ducks cornerback Herman O'Berry at the line of scrimmage as the Heisman runner-up would outrun the rest of the Oregon defense for an 83-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 7-0 lead.

Oregon would begin its ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as O'Neil would hit tight end Josh Wilcox for 18 yards, then complete a 28-yard screen pass to Philyaw, and then a 33-yard pass to Wilcox to put the Ducks at the Penn State one-yard-line.

O'Neil would find Wilcox in the back right corner of the end zone for the one-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at seven just 45 seconds after Carter's touchdown run.

The "Gang Green" defense would force the Nittany Lions to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 42-yard-line as O'Neil continued his hot streak as he completed three straight passes to put Oregon at the Penn State 34-yard-line.

However, O'Neil would throw an interception as he overthrew Cristin McLemore as Penn State safety Chuck Penzenic would make the pick as his 14-yard return would give the Nittany Lions the ball at their 23-yard-line.

The Nittany Lions would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Ducks who took over at their 49-yard-line as the Ducks would drive to the Penn State six-yard-line to set up a 24-yard field goal attempt by Matt Belden that would give Oregon the lead.

But Belden's kick would sail wide right to keep the score tied at seven as Penn State would take over at their 20-yard-line with 2:29 left in the first quarter.

Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil set numerous Rose Bowl records as he completed 41 of 61 passes for 456 yards and threw two touchdowns.

Penn State would then drive 51 yards in 10 plays to set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Brett Conway, which would fall short of the uprights as the game remained tied at seven as Oregon would get the ball back at their 29-yard-line with 12:26 left in the second quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until 5:54 left in the second quarter when Oregon linebacker Reggie Jordan knocked the ball loose from Carter as defensive end Troy Bailey recovered the fumble to give Oregon the football at the Penn State 33-yard-line.

However, the Ducks could not pick up a 1st down as Bolden would come to attempt a 44-yard field goal which like his earlier miss would sail wide right as the Nittany Lions would take over at their 27-yard-line.

From there, Collins would complete back-to-back passes to Engram that totaled 30 yards before an incomplete pass and a two-yard-loss by fullback Jon Witman set up a 3rd & 12 situation when Collins hit wide receiver Joe Jurevicius for a 44-yard gain to give Penn State a 1st & goal at the Oregon one-yard-line.

After Witman was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Collins handed the ball off to fullback Brian Milne who would punch it in for the one-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 14-7 lead with 1:26 left before halftime.

The Ducks would start their ensuing possession at their 18-yard-line with one timeout in their pocket and 86 seconds left in the first half for Oregon drive down the field and pick up some points.

O' Neil would complete four straight passes to four different receivers for a total of 58 yards before scrambling for one yard to go out of bounds at the Penn State 23-yard-line with 30 seconds to go in the first half. 

O'Neil would then hit Wilcox for 12 yards before spiking the ball at the Penn State 11-yard-line as O'Neil would then complete a two-yard pass to McLemore, causing the Ducks to spend their final timeout with 11 seconds to go.

Instead of sending in Belden to attempt a field goal, Brooks decided to get one more play off as O'Neil would complete a four-yard pass to McLemore, who was tackled inbounds at the Penn State five-yard-line as the Ducks could not stop the clock as the first half came to an end with the Nittany Lions on top 14-7.

Following an exchange of punts to start the second half, the Nittany Lions got the ball at their 40-yard-line as Collins completed two passes to Mike Archie for 28 yards to help set up a 42-yard field goal attempt for Conway which would sail wide right to give Oregon the ball at their 25-yard-line.

The Penn State defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 21-yard-line as three completions by Collins for 29 yards plus a three-yard run would put the Nittany Lions at the Oregon 47-yard-line when Collins was intercepted by Jordan, whose 38-yard return gave the Ducks offense the ball at the Nittany Lions' 17-yard-line.

After Dwayne Jones was stopped for no gain, O'Neil threw a pass toward the left corner of the end zone where McLemore made a leaping catch for the 17-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 14 with 4:54 left in the third quarter.

It looked like the Ducks had the Nittany Lions on the ropes until the ensuing kickoff when sophomore running back Ambrose Fletcher returned the kick 72 yards to the Oregon 21-yard-line as Carter would run for four yards on 1st down, then take up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 21-14 with 3:53 to go in the third quarter.

Oregon would start its next possession with a 20-yard pass from O'Neil to Philyaw to put the Ducks at their 40-yard-line when O'Neil overthrew McLemore and was intercepted by Penzenic, who returned the pick 44 yards to the Oregon 13-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Nittany Lions were back in the end zone as Carter ran it in from three yards out for Penn State's second touchdown in a span of 76 seconds and extend their lead to 28-14.

Now facing their largest deficit of the game, the Ducks would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Penn State 28-yard-line as O'Neil would complete five of nine passes for 52 yards on the drive to set up another field goal attempt for Belden, this time from 44 yards out.

The third time would not be the charm for Belden as his kick bounced off the right upright and no good to keep the score at 28-14 in favor of Penn State with 14:11 left in the fourth quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until the Ducks drove to the Penn State 35-yard-line when on 4th & 14, Brooks decided to go for the 1st down as his team needed two scores to salvage at least a tie.

However, O'Neil's pass for McLemore would fall incomplete to give the ball to the Nittany Lions who would take over at their 35-yard-line with 8:57 remaining in the game.

From there, the Nittany Lions would drive 39 yards in six plays to set up a 43-yard field goal attempt by Conway which me made to extend Penn State's lead to 31-14.

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is surrounded by his Penn State players including quarterback Kerry Collins(12) after the Nittany Lions' win in the Rose Bowl.

Oregon would take over at its 18-yard-line as three plays gained five yards to set up 4th & 5 when the Ducks again went for the 1st down and once again failed to convert as O'Neil was sacked by Penn State linebacker Phil Yeboah-Kodie for a nine-yard loss to give the Nittany Lions the ball at the Oregon 13-yard-line.

Wittman would then carry for four yards on 1st down then run it in for the nine-yard touchdown to push the game out of reach as Penn State now had a 38-14 lead with 4:24 to go in the game.

The Ducks would then drive 75 yards in 12 plays as O'Neil completed five of nine passes for 48 yards on the drive which was capped off with a three-yard touchdown run by Ricky Whittle to make it a 38-20 game as Oregon failed to convert on the two-point conversion.

The Ducks attempted an onside kick only for to Engram to recover it as the Nittany Lions ran the ball six straight times for 33 yards to run out the clock and come away with the 38-20 victory to complete the fifth undefeated season in Paterno's career.

Despite the loss, the Ducks would finish #11 in both the final AP and coaches polls with a 9-4 record as one month later, Brooks would resign as the Oregon head coach to become the head coach of the St. Louis Rams in the National Football League.

Brooks would be replaced with offensive coordinator Mike Belotti, who would lead the Ducks for 14 seasons as he would go 116-55 during his tenure as the Oregon head coach.

As for Penn State, their win over Oregon did not impress many voters as the Nittany Lions finished #2 in both the AP and coaches polls behind Nebraska, who would win its first national championship since 1971.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: "The Pick" Completes Oregon Upset Over Washington

Oregon defensive back Kenny Wheaton races toward the end zone to complete his 97 yard interception return for a touchdown that would become known as "The Pick" by Oregon fans.

Almost every major college football program has a play that shapes its history.
For Boston College, its Doug Flutie's game-winning 48-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Phelan as time expired to give them a win over Miami in 1984 and sealing Flutie's Heisman Trophy winning season.
For the Auburn Tigers, it's the "Kick-Six" where Chris Davis returned a missed field goal 109 yards for the game-winning touchdown as time expired to give Auburn a shocking win over Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl, propelling them to the national championship game.
But for the Oregon Ducks, they have a play that not only propelled to greater heights, it also changed the fortunes of their program.
Oregon entered their contest with the Washington Huskies unranked with a 4-3 record, but with a 2-1 record in the Pac-10, an upset over the Huskies could put the Ducks in the thick of the Pac-10 title chase and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
However, the Ducks had not been to the Rose Bowl since the 1957 season and had won only 42% of their games in the past 30 years.
The Ducks would coached by Rich Brooks, who had been the Oregon head coach since 1978 and had complied only six winning seasons during his tenure in Eugene.
Despite their bad history, the Ducks felt they had a good chance to pull off the upset thanks to a strong defense nicknamed "Gang Green" since the Ducks were green uniforms, that had held opponents to about 14 points per game entering their game with the Huskies which would be played at home in Autzen Stadium.
Washington entered the game ranked #9 with a 5-1 record which included a 38-20 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl ending the Hurricanes' 58-game winning streak at the Orange Bowl.
Despite having a strong team which featured quarterback Damon Huard and running back Napoleon Kaufman, who was averaging 167.3 yards per game up to this point, the Huskies were ineligible for the Pac-10 title or the postseason as players had received improper benefits during the 1992 season, leading NCAA sanctions that banned Washington from playing in a bowl and competing for the Pac-10 championship for the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
This led to the resignation of head coach Don James, who had lead the Huskies to six Rose Bowl appearances, winning four of them, and sharing the 1991 national championship with Miami, just weeks before the 1993 season began.
James was replaced by his longtime defensive coordinator Jim Lambright who directed the Huskies to a 7-4 season in 1993.
With nothing to lose, the Huskies hoped to squash Oregon's dreams of making a run to the Rose Bowl as they traveled to Eugene to take on the Ducks, a team that Washington had defeated 17 out of their previous 20 meetings.

Washington running back Napoleon Kaufman would carry the ball 23 times for 101 yards.

The Huskies got the first scoring opportunity of the game after forcing the Ducks to go three-and-out on their opening possession to get the ball at the 50-yard-line and drove to the Oregon 29-yard-line to set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by John Wales which sailed wide left, keeping the game scoreless.
Most of the first quarter would be a defensive stalemate as neither team was able to put together a drive into scoring position until Kaufman busted loose for a 37-yard run to the Oregon' 24-yard-line near the end of the first quarter.
The long run would set up another field goal attempt for Wales, which this time he made from 38 yards out on the second play of the second quarter to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Oregon running back Ricky Whittle give the Ducks a jolt as he returned the kick 88 yards to the Huskies' 13-yard-line, which two plays later would lead to the Ducks' first touchdown a eight-yard run by Dino Philyaw to give Oregon a 7-3 lead with 13:50 left in the second quarter.
Washington would return the ensuing kickoff to their 23-yard-line, but on 2nd & 9 Huard would be intercepted by Oregon cornerback Alex Molden who returned the pick to the Huskies' 19-yard-line.
Then after Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil hit wide receiver Dameron Ricketts for 17 yards to give Oregon a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line, Whittle punched it for the Ducks' second touchdown in 77 seconds to extend their lead to 14-3 with 12:33 to go in the first half.
It would only take the Huskies 31 seconds to make a one-score game again as Huard connected with wide receiver Eric Bjornson for a 51-yard touchdown to cut the Oregon lead to 14-10 with 12:02 left before halftime.
After both teams combined for 24 points in a span of 2 minutes and 48 seconds, things settled down a bit as both teams exchanged punts until the Huskies got the ball at their 44-yard-line midway through the second quarter.
Following two straight incomplete passes, Huard found Dave Janoski for a 43-yard gain to give the Huskies a 1st & 10 at the Oregon 13-yard-line.
However, the "Gang Green" defense held the Huskies to just one more yard and forcing a 29-yard field goal by Wales which he made to cut the Oregon lead to just one point, 14-13 with 3:19 left in the first half.
From there, the defenses would control the game as neither team would mount another scoring threat for the rest of the half leaving the game at 14-13 in favor of the Ducks after 30 minutes.

Washington quarterback Damon Huard threw for 254 yards on 20-of-39 passing and one touchdown, but was also intercepted twice.

The defensive stalemate continued throughout the second half with the exception of a short drive by the Ducks in the middle of the second quarter where they drove 24 yards in nine plays to set up a 45-yard field goal by Matt Belden to increase the Oregon lead to 17-13 with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter.
The Ducks kept their 17-13 lead going into the 4th quarter until O' Neil was intercepted when a pass intended for Dwayne Jones, bounced off his hands and into the arms of Washington cornerback Reggie Reser, whose 21-yard return gave the Huskies offense the ball at the Oregon 29-yard-line.
Washington would be able to convert the interception into points as fullback Richard Thomas punched it in for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 20-17 lead with 7:44 to go in the game.
It looked like the Ducks were going to get the ball at their 20-yard-line following the ensuing kickoff after Oregon defensive lineman Troy Bailey threw a punch following the extra point, drawing a 15-yard personal foul penalty, meaning the Huskies would kick from the 50-yard-line.
But the kick was short and caught by Pat Johnson, who slipped and fell at his two-yard-line, meaning the Ducks would have to drive 98 yards for a potential go-ahead touchdown.
That is when O'Neil, who had struggled mightily throughout the game as he had only completed six of 16 passes for 61 yards up to this point, dropped back and fired a pass toward Ricketts, who made the catch at the Oregon 18-yard-line and proceeded to run downfield until he was tackled 20 yards later at the Ducks' 38-yard-line for a 36-yard gain, the longest play from scrimmage for the Oregon offense.
Then on 3rd & 8 from the 40-yard-line, O'Neil connected with Johnson, atoning for his fall, for a 10-yard gain and another 1st down at the 50-yard-line.
On the very next play, O'Neil connected with Rickets again, this time for 21 yards to put the Ducks at the Huskies' 29-yard-line and another 1st down.
Then on another 3rd & 8, O'Neil used his legs to get the 1st down, as he scrambled for the eight yards to give the Ducks one more 1st down at the Washington 19-yard-line.
Following his scramble, O' Neil handed it off to Whittle, who picked up seven yards on 1st down, but was stopped for no yards on 2nd down, setting up a critical 3rd & 3 at the Huskies' 12-yard-line.
That is when O'Neil gave the ball to fullback Dwayne Jones, who went straight ahead for the 12-yard touchdown to complete the 11-play, 98-yard drive and gave the Ducks a 24-20 lead with 2:40 left in the game.

Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil completed all four of his passes for 68 yards and ran for eight yards on Oregon's 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive which gave the Ducks the lead.

After Kaufman returned the ensuing kickoff 15 yards, the Huskies had 75 yards and 2:33 left on the clock to drive for the winning touchdown and escape the upset.
The drive began with a seven-yard pass from Huard to wide receiver Eric Bjornson, which was followed by Huard avoiding a sack on 2nd down and completing a 23-yard pass to Bjornson to give the Huskies a 1st down at the Ducks' 45-yard-line.
But after Huard threw three staright incomplete passes, the Huskies were faced with a do-or-die 4th & 10.
That is when Huard found Bjornson for the third time on the drive, this time for 14 yards to give the Huskies a 1st down at the Oregon 31-yard-line with 1:49 to go.
Following two more incomplete passes, Huard would scramble for 11 yards and another 1st down at the 20-yard-line, which was followed by a 12-yard pass to tight end Mark Bruener to give the Huskies a 1st & goal at the eight-yard-line with 1:05 left to play.
With his defense on the ropes, Brooks called timeout in hopes of calming the "Gang Green" defense down and giving them a chance to rise up and keep the Huskies from breaking the Ducks' hearts with a touchdown.
That is when it happened.
Huard dropped back three steps and fired a pass toward the left side of the field, intended for Bjornson, only to have Wheaton jump in front of the Huskies wide receiver to make the interception at the three-yard-line.
Wheaton ran down the sideline until he made a cut at the Oregon 40-yard-line where he split though Huard and Bruener, who made a futile diving attempt at a tackle and ran untouched for the 97-yard touchdown to make a 31-20 lead with 49 seconds to go in a play that will forever be known by Oregon fans as "The Pick".

Washington would drive into Oregon territory in the final seconds but would not score again as Oregon fans ran out onto the field to tear down the goal posts at Autzen Stadium as the Ducks completed the 31-20 upset over #9 Washington.
Following the loss to Oregon, the Huskies would go 2-2 for the rest of the season to finish the season with a 7-4 record for the second year in a row and out of the final AP and Coaches Poll rankings.
With the sanctions lifted for conference championships and postseason play, the Huskies would share the Pac-10 title in 1995 with the USC Trojans, but would ended up playing in the Sun Bowl, instead of the Rose Bowl, thanks in large part to another loss to Oregon.
Lambright would be fired after the 1998 season complying a 44-25-1 record but a 1-3 record in bowl games which did not include the Rose Bowl.
As for the Ducks, the win over Washington spring-boarded the Ducks' run to the Pac-10 championship as they would win their next four games to win the Pac-10 title and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 37 years.
The Ducks' Cinderella season would come to a screeching end as they were steamrolled by the Penn State Nittany Lions 38-20 in the Rose Bowl, which was Brooks' last game as the Ducks head coach as he left to become the head coach of the St.Louis Rams as Oregon offensive coordinator Mike Belotti would become the Ducks' head coach.
But if ever one play changed a program's fortunes, "The Pick" did that for Oregon.
Since 1995, the Ducks have had only two losing seasons and have played in the postseason in 20 seasons, including three more trips to the Rose Bowl, including wins in 2011 and 2014.
Oregon has also complied 10 seasons where they won at least 10 games and have twice played in the national championship game(2010, 2014) and produced a Heisman Trophy Winner in quarterback Marcus Mariota in 2014.
Even today, "The Pick" is still celebrated by Oregon fans as video of the play is played on the jumbotron before every home game at Autzen Stadium.