I was at this game....left at halftime:
Nov. 21, 1987, the day Penn State won by stopping Rice on that two-point try, was the worst weather day in Beaver Stadium history. Winds of 30 mph howled and the windchill factor dipped as low as minus-20. “It was so cold you couldn’t feel most of your body parts,” recalled Lions tailback Blair Thomas.
Several Penn State players, defying the elements, tied the bottoms of their uniform tops to expose midriffs. “They wanted to show how tough they were,” Jay Paterno said. “I know Trey Bauer and a couple of other guys ended up with frostbite on their stomachs.”
The upper decks at Beaver Stadium’s north and south ends had not been built yet and the roaring winds made passing nearly impossible. Penn State sometimes punted on third down to keep Notre Dame from employing Tim Brown, its all-purpose star, as a punt returner. Thomas, the junior from Philadelphia’s Frankford High, carried the underdog Lions on his back, rushing for 214 yards on 34 carries in the 21-20 victory. “That was as good a performance by a running back as I ever saw,” said Jay Paterno, “because everybody knew you couldn’t throw the ball.”
