and other years they were bad despite those parts, I know I was there in in '83 and '84. Let's also not discount the "dark years" when we are fondly reminiscing.
Was '86 Miami the best football team Penn State ever defeated?
- Thread starter saturdaysarebetter
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To be clear, PSU won the ‘86 game.
OSU was declared the winner of the 2002 game after one of the worst officiating calls in championship game history.
Actually, the 1983 team was not a bad team and as the season went on they turned into a pretty decent team after the 0-3 start. It was arguably one of Paterno’s best coaching performances to get that team turned around, especially with Strang as a first year starter and Dozier carrying the load as a true freshman.
The 1984 team definitely underperformed. I think Paterno even said the team played like a bunch of babies (or something along those lines) after they lost to ND and Pitt. In his autobiography he barely mentions 1984 other than to say they were lucky to go 6-5.
Funny thing about 1984, PSU went out to Iowa City and beat Iowa, who was one of the better teams in the big ten that year, even though Strang seemed to be struggling and I believe Dozier was hurt. I think Tony Mumford had a career day against Iowa.
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Walsh never won the Heisman. Gino Torretta won the Hesman in 1992 and was not on the 1986 Miami team. His older brother Geoff was a back up to Testaverde on the 1986 team.
My feelings exactly wrt the '83 team. Doug Strang turned into a very good QB in '83, starting with a wild comeback effort that fell short vs. Iowa at home. Then he fell off in a big way in '84, giving way to John Shaffer on and off later in the season. Paterno was so disappointed in the '84 team that he turned down a minor bowl trip, saying they had not earned it.
That '83 team had a bunch of freshmen and RS freshmen talent who emerged as the season went on, and who would become the core of the great '85 and '86 teams. They ended '83 at 8-1-1 after that 0-3 start, then started '84 at 3-0, albeit 2 nail-bitingly close wins and a 1AA win, and we all thought things were back to normal. Went 3-5 after that start, with the already shaky offense completely disappearing in those losses. Ironically, we beat Heisman winner Doug Flutie and BC late in the season, while completing all of 4 passes, iirc. 1984 was a weird season.
A few years ago, I was talking with a starting offensive player from the '84 team. He said that as the season wore on and the younger backups were playing better and better, the understanding was that the older starters (on O), still producing or not, were expected to get the younger guys ready for their turn in the next couple seasons, both in practice and via game time.
he called the cry babies......and started playing under class men in their place, which led to 85 and 86 teams.......
Very memorable game. I remember listening to that game on my transistor radio. They stopped the Ohio State offense cold. Funny thing is, Pitt nearly upset #1 (?) Notre Dame on that same day. I think they lost 17-15. One of the few teams in which I would pull for Pitt in those days.
P.S. Thanks for the post. Fond memories of those days when college football was college football.
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Tony Mumford was a really nice guy. Met him a few times when we were at PSU - we are both from the same area, and knew a couple of the same people. He dated a girl I went to Commonwealth Campus with. I think they might have gotten married later.
Yeah, nice to hear the names of good players who weren’t necessarily stars. Mike Meade, Booker Moore, Skeeter Nichols.
Mumford played with the St. Louis Cardinals for a year or two, if I recall.
The girl he dated and that I knew had really big..........eyes....
Since we are reminiscing about that great Fiesta Bowl, I will throw in my "Where Were You" story. Apologies if I told this before, but I think it is pretty good.
The game of course was Friday night Jan 2. I was on active duty then and we had left Norfolk on a Med deployment on Wednesday morning, New Years Eve. So two days out we were still close enough to the East Coast to get the broadcast up until taps at 2200.
I was on watch on the 20-24. I was still breaking in as Office of the Deck, my watch partner was LT Mike Herman from Pittsburgh. Just so happens Mike was a walk-on TE at Pitt. He played on special teams and got in enough to earn his letter which of course is damn good considering how strong Pitt was in the late 70's-early 80's. Needless to say our rooting interests were well established.
At taps (7-7 in the third) we had to secure the broadcast throughout the ship but the radio shack still had the game on and they were sending updates to the bridge. Miami got the FG to go up 10-7 in the fourth and 'ol Mike is smiling like the cat that just caught the canary.
We finally got the final - the radio shack comes on the circuit and they go, Final score Miami 10 . . . (pause for dramatic effect) . . . Penn State 14. I'm standing behind the radar jumping up and down giggling like a little girl. Mike pulled off his ball cap and threw it from one side of the pilot house to the other, he's going F . . .F . . . F. It was hilarious. He turns to me and says I don't wanna hear shiz outta you. Took about three more watches before he would talk to me again.
Mike was a great guy and an outstanding officer. Great teacher. I would expect no less from a loyal Pitt man and letterman. Anyway when we got to Spain waiting for me at mail call was a package - Mom came through with a VHS of the game. How we won is one of the all-time mysteries. Not only were we completely putrid on offense, we had three turnovers. But that defense was something else. Played Vinnie like a chump. They had 99 plays which is absurd and 450 yards - and one TD. Every single time, without fail, when we needed a play, somebody stepped up and made it.
I think I'm going to go find that tape. From one of the Scranton TV stations complete with all the old commercials for Sugarman's Eynon Drug and all the old local advertisers.
The game of course was Friday night Jan 2. I was on active duty then and we had left Norfolk on a Med deployment on Wednesday morning, New Years Eve. So two days out we were still close enough to the East Coast to get the broadcast up until taps at 2200.
I was on watch on the 20-24. I was still breaking in as Office of the Deck, my watch partner was LT Mike Herman from Pittsburgh. Just so happens Mike was a walk-on TE at Pitt. He played on special teams and got in enough to earn his letter which of course is damn good considering how strong Pitt was in the late 70's-early 80's. Needless to say our rooting interests were well established.
At taps (7-7 in the third) we had to secure the broadcast throughout the ship but the radio shack still had the game on and they were sending updates to the bridge. Miami got the FG to go up 10-7 in the fourth and 'ol Mike is smiling like the cat that just caught the canary.
We finally got the final - the radio shack comes on the circuit and they go, Final score Miami 10 . . . (pause for dramatic effect) . . . Penn State 14. I'm standing behind the radar jumping up and down giggling like a little girl. Mike pulled off his ball cap and threw it from one side of the pilot house to the other, he's going F . . .F . . . F. It was hilarious. He turns to me and says I don't wanna hear shiz outta you. Took about three more watches before he would talk to me again.
Mike was a great guy and an outstanding officer. Great teacher. I would expect no less from a loyal Pitt man and letterman. Anyway when we got to Spain waiting for me at mail call was a package - Mom came through with a VHS of the game. How we won is one of the all-time mysteries. Not only were we completely putrid on offense, we had three turnovers. But that defense was something else. Played Vinnie like a chump. They had 99 plays which is absurd and 450 yards - and one TD. Every single time, without fail, when we needed a play, somebody stepped up and made it.
I think I'm going to go find that tape. From one of the Scranton TV stations complete with all the old commercials for Sugarman's Eynon Drug and all the old local advertisers.
“How we won is one of the all time mysteries.”
I knew the last Miami play wouldn’t work, that Penn State would win. I jumped out of my seat as Miami broke the huddle and yelled, “They’re not going to score!” Sublime moment.