Penn State football: Best wins over 2024 opponents – Washington

Penn State football will try to bounce back Saturday night after losing against Ohio State last weekend. The Nittany Lions welcome Washington to Beaver Stadium for the first time, and what a welcome it will be in front of a primetime White Out crowd.

But what about previous matchups against the Huskies? What has been the Nittany Lions’ best win over the Pacific Northwest’s college football program?

Penn State vs. Washington: The start of something new

Until Washington’s move to the Big Ten this offseason, there hasn’t been much history between the two schools. Penn State football won all three previous meetings. The first occurred over a century ago, a 21-7 victory for the Nittany Lions in Seattle in 1921.

Fast-forward to Boxing Day 1983, when the two faced off again in the Aloha Bowl. The Nittany Lions had won their first National Championship the season before, so a trip to Honolulu to cap off an 8-4-1 season was a bit of a step back. Nevertheless, Penn State won the matchup 13-10 to end the year on a high note.

But for the best win of the series, we must look at the most recent matchup between these two teams: the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.

Season expectations reach a fever pitch

© Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

After a Big Ten Championship in 2016, expectations for Penn State football were sky-high in 2017. The Nittany Lions returned many starters from the previous season, including Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley. Many thought the team had a legitimate shot at making the College Football Playoff for the first time.

The team rattled off victories in its first seven games, including a come-from-behind win at Iowa on the game’s last play and a rout of Michigan in the annual White Out. The Nittany Lions rose to No. 2 in the polls.

Then came the disaster at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions controlled most of the game only to allow the Buckeyes to score 12 points in the final five and half minutes to lose by a point.

The following week at Michigan State put the final nail in any playoff hopes. After a three-hour-plus weather delay, Penn State fell to the Spartans 27-24.

Despite dashed postseason hopes, Penn State finished the regular season strong with three straight wins. At 10-2, the Nittany Lions would be chosen for a date with Washington in the Fiesta Bowl.

Undefeated in the desert

While this was Washington’s first appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, it was Penn State’s seventh. The Nittany Lions had won all six previous appearances, including their second National Championship in the famous 1987 matchup against Miami.

The Nittany Lions started the game hot, taking the opening kickoff and driving eight plays for a touchdown pass from McSorley to DaeSean Hamilton. Another touchdown late in the first quarter would make it 14-0 after 15 minutes of the game.

Washington would get on the board on its next possession. But Penn State answered with another touchdown to make it 21-7. After a Huskies punt, Barkley hit the highlight of the game on the drive’s second play.

Up 28-7, it seemed Penn State was in complete control. But Washington would not bow out quietly. Near the end of the first half, the Huskies cut the Nittany Lions’ lead to 28-14. They then opened the second half with another touchdown after a long 13-play drive.

Penn State would answer that touchdown with another McSorley to Hamilton connection. After the teams traded a few punts and McSorley threw his second interception of the game, the Huskies reduced the deficit to 35-28 with just under seven minutes to play.

On the next drive, Penn State attempted to put the game out of reach, but missed a field goal. Washington would have one last chance to tie the game, but its drive ended on a fumble recovered by the Nittany Lions.

After the previous season ended in heartbreaking fashion in the Rose Bowl against USC, Penn State football was able to celebrate a New Year’s Six Bowl victory, the first under James Franklin. It was not a playoff game, but still a satisfying ending to a good season.

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