There are 86 days until college football returns. Today we look back at the ’86 National Champion Penn St Nittany Lions.
The Fiesta Bowl featured #1 Miami vs #2 Penn St. The Hurricanes boasted the Hesiman winner, QB Vinny Testaverde. However, the Nittany Lions were having none of that this day. The Penn St D force 7 turnovers, including 5 interceptions by Testaverde. The Miami offense outgained their counterparts in yard 445 to 162. That included a sizeable first down advantage of 22 to 8. However, the Nittany Lions defense carried them to the title, constantly harassing Testaverde, forcing him into mistake after mistake. The final nail in the coffin came when PSU LB Pete Giftopoulos intercepted Testaverde’s pass (his 2nd interception of the game) in the end zone with :18 left, sealing the victory 14-10, and giving Penn St their 2nd National Championship in 5 years.
