Penn State Has Some Harrowing Memories of Minnesota

The Golden Gophers derailed Penn State's championship hopes in 1999 and 2019. The Nittany Lions visit Minnesota on Saturday.

Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Jordan Howden (23) celebrates with defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. (11) after intercepting a pass to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions at TCF Bank Stadium in 2019. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Penn State's James Franklin wasn't interested Monday in scouting his team's, or the Big Ten's, playoff preparedness just yet. The Nittany Lions head this weekend to Minnesota to face a team that has derailed its postseason chances before.

"I get the question and appreciate the question and understand the question, but if I start talking about things other than Minnesota, then so do our coaches and so do the players, and we lose focus, and then we come out and don't play well," Franklin said. "Then my press conference next week is miserable because you guys are all over me because we didn't play the way we should have played.
There will be a time and a place to talk about that in great detail, but right now our focus is on Minnesota completely."

Fair enough, and the proper response, considering Penn State's big-game history against Minnesota. Though it has no bearing on Saturday's visit to Huntington Bank Stadium, that history certainly will resonate with fans who remember two unbeaten Penn State teams falling to the Gophers in 1999 and 2019. Minnesota can't deliver Penn State's first lost this season but could make for a tenuous wait for an at-large berth to the College Football Playoff.

Twenty-five years ago, Penn State was 9-0, ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and a 17-point favorite against Minnesota (5-3). The Gophers had just one winning record over their previous nine seasons. But they had some pep that year, having lost to a pair of top-25 teams by a combined six points.

Still, the Nittany Lions were talented: Their defense featured the top two picks of the 2000 NFL Draft, including LaVar Arrington, who was on the cover of Sports illustrated's preseason magazine. And they were tested. Penn State had beaten four ranked teams, including a 41-7 opening-day drubbing of No. 4 Arizona and a 27-23 win at No. 8 Miami, where quarterback Kevin Thompson hit receiver Chafie Fields for a 79-yard touchdown pass in the final 2 minutes. Arrington blocked a field goal to preserve a three-point win over Pitt and scored after sack-fumbling Purdue quarterback Drew Brees in a 31-25 win over the Boilermakers.

But in early November, Penn State could not prevent the Minnesota miracle. On 4th-and-16 with 1:22 remaining, Gophers quarterback Billy Cockerham lofted a "Hail Jane" toward the left sideline. The ball bounced off receiver Ron Johnson's hands and into the diving arms of Arland Bruce at the Penn State 12-yard line. Minnesota freshman kicker Dan Nystrom made a 32-yard field goal as time expired, and the Gophers won 24-23.

With its chances fractured of reaching the Bowl Championship Series title game, Penn State fizzled. The Nittany Lions lost their final two regular-season games and played Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.

Twenty years later, the circumstances against Minnesota were different, but the bitterness was similar. Penn State was 8-0 in early November, its best start under Franklin, and No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Minnesota was 8-0 as well, ranked 17th and primed for a signature moment. The Gophers sold out Huntington Bank Stadium for the first time in four years. Penn State was favored by 6.5 points, but Minnesota took a 14-point lead in the first half.

The Nittany Lions rallied, cutting Minnesota's lead to five points late in the second half, and had a shot at the go-ahead score late in the game. However, receiver Daniel George was called for offensive pass interference on a Journey Brown reception to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Minnesota's Jordan Howden intercepted Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford in the end zone, sealing the Gophers' 31-26 victory.

Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan completed 90 percent of his passes (18-for-20) for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Rashod Bateman cauyarght seven passes for 203 yards. Gophers fans danced on the field alternately to Prince's 1999 and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." And Penn State finished the season in the Cotton Bowl.

Looking for better Penn State-Minnesota memories? Three of Penn State's Big Ten title runs have included wins over Minnesota. In 1994, Ki-Jana Carter ran for 210 yards in a 56-3 win. In 2005, the Nittany Lions routed Minnesota 44-14. And there's always 2016, when Irv Charles changed the season, Saquon Barkley scored in overtime and the Nittany Lions began a nine-game win streak with a 29-26 victory over the Gophers. That run culminated in Indianapolis with a victory in the Big Ten championship game.

Penn State and Minnesota have split their past four meetings since 2013. The Nittany Lions won the most recent, 45-17, in 2022. Penn State meets the Gophers on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium, where the Nittany Lions are 0-2. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.