Penn State, Nebraska already have a history
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Penn State quarterback Kevin Newsome on Nebraska joining the Big Ten: "It makes the Big Ten look pretty good."
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Big Ten Conference's newest member is an old foe of Penn State.
Nebraska and Penn State have been involved in their share of controversy in the past -- on and off the football field.
In 1994, four years before the Bowl Championship Series system was put into place, the teams finished the regular season undefeated. But the Nittany Lions finished a distant second to the Cornhuskers in both national polls, handing former coach and current athletic director Tom Osborne his first national championship.
In '82, Penn State rallied for a stirring, 27-24 victory against Nebraska in one of the most exciting, yet disputed, regular-season games in Beaver Stadium history.
Todd Blackledge's 15-yard pass to tight end Mike McCloskey near the left sideline in the closing seconds was ruled a completion -- McCloskey later admitted he was out of bounds -- and placed the ball at the 2-yard line.
Blackledge then rifled a low throw to tight end Kirk Bowman, who cradled the ball just above the grass for his second touchdown reception of the game with four seconds left. That dramatic win helped serve as a springboard for the Lions' first national championship under coach Joe Paterno.
Penn State, the last team admitted to the Big Ten before Nebraska's acceptance earlier this month, leads the all-time series, 7-6.
The Cornhuskers, who defected from the Big 12, will begin Big Ten play in 2011. They have captured five national titles to Penn State's two and have crowned three Heisman Trophy winners while the Lions have had one.
Nebraska also is the fourth-winningest program in Division I-A history. Penn State is No. 7.
Penn State's current players, many of whom were not even in kindergarten in 1994, are excited about a potential Penn State-Nebraska matchup, if, and when, that transpires.
First Published June 24, 2010 12:00 am
