Huskies, Penn State Meet for Fourth Time, Yet First on Nittany Lions' Turf

The home team holds a 3-0 series record over the UW.

Huskies defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) got ready to face the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania -- They've played in Honolulu, Phoenix and Seattle -- in a pair of bowl games and at a brand-new Husky Stadium -- but never squared off in one of the toughest places in the country for the visiting team to win a college football.

On Saturday night, Washington and Penn State will get together for the first time at 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium in State College, a college town in the middle of the state, halfway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

No matter where they've played, the Huskies haven't beaten these Nittany Lions -- and the prospects for a breakthrough this weekend appear steep for a number of reasons.

Jedd Fisch's rebuilding team (5-4 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) is a 14-point underdog to Penn State's sixth-ranked entry (7-1, 4-1).

Beaver Stadium five hours before kickoff for the UW and Penn State. / Dan Raley

For a White-Out Game, the home followers will get all dressed up in, you guessed it, all in white and the Nittany Lions usually reward them with a lopsided victory whenever they do this.

And, finally, the Huskies have never beaten Penn State, losing three previous outings spaced out over 103 years.

Before round four begins, here's a review of the prior damage done to the UW by their now Big Ten brethren, results that have taken place from the beaches of Hawaii to the Arizona desert and in the beginning at what was a one-year-old stadium on the shores of Lake Washington.

1921 -- PENN STATE 21, UW 7

With Husky Stadium opened just 12 months earlier, a powerful Penn State team showed up for a season-ending game for both teams, a match-up held on an extremely cold December afternoon in the Northwest. With temperatures hovering around 35 degrees, the Nittany Lions capped off an 8-0-2 season by powering through a UW team known then as the Sun Dodgers before a shivering crowd of 13,827.

The local press hailed it as a victory of sorts for Enoch Bagshaw's UW team because it wasn't beaten by 30 or 40 points by this Eastern power and running back Ray Eckmann managed to score a third-quarter touchdown against a defense that during the season posted four shutouts and held four other opponents to a lone score, as well.

1983 -- PENN STATE 13, UW 10

On the day after Christmas, the Huskies and the the Joe Paterno-coached Nittany Lions faced off in the Aloha Bowl. Offense was an afterthought in this island holiday gathering. The UW's only touchdown came on Danny Greene's 57-yard punt return midway through the second quarter.

Trailing 10-3 entering the fourth period, Penn State pulled closer on a 49-yard field goal and won this one on freshman running back D.J. Dozier's 2-yard run with three minutes left to play. Three years later, Dozier did this again, only on a much bigger scale, r scoring on a game-winning 6-yard run late in the fourth quarter to make the Lions a 14-10 winner over Miami and the national champion at the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.

Huskies running back Myles Gaskin takes off on a 69-yard touchdown run against Penn State during the second half of the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

2017 -- PENN STATE 35, UW 28

In the Fiesta Bowl, the Huskies fell behind 28-7 in the second quarter before making things respectable in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. Most of all, they couldn't handle running back Saquon Barkley, who scored twice, with his second touchdown run coming on a 92-yard scamper, and finished with 137 rushing yards on 18 carries.

The Huskies rallied behind their running back Myles Gaskin, who likewise scored on a pair of touchdowns runs, with his second one covering 69 yards late in the game. Penn State finished with a 545 to 331 edge in total offense yardage.

Seven years later, they'll get after it again on a brisk but sunny fall day in a place called Happy Valley, which is a misnomer for all of those who visit here.

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