What was the single greatest game performance on defense by a Penn State football player?

Mr. Potter

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I like this question. I am going to say, and they both happen to be season openers and Kick Off / Pigskin Classics. Curtis Enis, Kick off Classic '96:


;and or Chafie Fields '99 Opener against Miami:



Not the most important yet exciting might mean more
 

Got GSPs

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I like this question. I am going to say, and they both happen to be season openers and Kick Off / Pigskin Classics. Curtis Enis, Kick off Classic '96:


;and or Chafie Fields '99 Opener against Miami:



Not the most important yet exciting might mean more

Defense?
 

MacNit

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Oct 12, 2021
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What was the greatest single-game performance by a Penn State football player on defense?

Anyone have any highlight footage of Mike Reid?

In person, it seemed like Paul Posluszny was in on every tackle like a heat-seeking missile against Ohio State in 2005. He ended up with 14 tackles.

Others?
Shane Conlan…January 2, 1987
 

PSU1969A

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For me it was by Mike Reid in the 1969 game versus Colorado which we won 27 to 3. We received the opening kickoff in which Charlie Pitman injured his one ankle because a Colorado player twisted his foot in making the tackle. Reid went on a tear when Colorado got the ball; it lasted the whole game. Colorado QB who was substituting for the regular QBs swore that he would never play QB again.
 

cavic

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What was the greatest single-game performance by a Penn State football player on defense?

Anyone have any highlight footage of Mike Reid?

In person, it seemed like Paul Posluszny was in on every tackle like a heat-seeking missile against Ohio State in 2005. He ended up with 14 tackles.

Others?
So hard to say. Given the setting/stakes, I'll say Shane against Miami in the dessert
 

s1uggo72

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I cant remember who it was against but
IIRC Jeff Hite had like to int's for TD's to save the game
also Mike Hartenstine had a game that was one for the ages, iirc he went on to win ABC player of the year, defense.
 
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PSU Mike

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Ummm, didn’t Mike Reid register three safeties in one game in 1968?
 

LionJim

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C
I cant remember who it was against but
IIRC Jeff Hite had like to int's for TD's to save the game
also Mike Hartenstine had a game that was one for the ages, iirc he went on to win ABC player of the year, defense.
Hite’s big game was against Maryland. This is how I remember it: he had an interception for a TD and on the subsequent kickoff Maryland tried a lateral which Hite intercepted and took to the end zone. I remember this clear as day: after the second TD he was on the bench with the camera right up in his face, “Hi mom, hi dad.” Lol.
 

Nitt1300

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So many- I remember Bruce Clark terrorizing the Alabama offensive line in a losing effort in the Sugar Bowl
 
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Bob78

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Ummm, didn’t Mike Reid register three safeties in one game in 1968?
1966 vs. Maryland in Paterno's first game as Head Coach. PSU won 15-7, iirc.

I heard within the past few years that Reid was incorrectly credited with one of the safeties. I don't recall the circumstances, but while it was a safety, apparently someone else should have been credited with the tackle. Regardless, the record shows 3 safeties - crazy enough as is - and all credited to Reid, which is even more remarkable.
 
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psu31trap

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With 18 seconds left in the fiesta bowl Giftopoulos intercepted Testaverde for the 2nd, maybe 3rd time! That interception was inside the 10 yard line on a 4th down in a 14-10 game. Also, the hit on michael Irvin early in the game was also devastating, unfortunately I can’t remember the CB’s name.
 
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Bob78

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For me it was by Mike Reid in the 1969 game versus Colorado which we won 27 to 3. We received the opening kickoff in which Charlie Pitman injured his one ankle because a Colorado player twisted his foot in making the tackle. Reid went on a tear when Colorado got the ball; it lasted the whole game. Colorado QB who was substituting for the regular QBs swore that he would never play QB again.
I think the Colorado QB was Bob Anderson, who later was a DB in the NFL. That's off the top, so confidence level of "meh".

Reid also completely took over the previous season's Orange Bowl vs. Kansas when they were up 14-7 in the 4th. He was in on the Kansas QB, Bobby Douglass (lefty who played for the Bears for many seasons), and forced him into errant throws and disrupted the running game, which was led by John Riggins. Reid may have also partially blocked the punt that resulted in us getting the ball in decent field position (around midfield) for the game winning drive. From there, Chuck Burkhart's long pass to Bobby Campbell that took us down inside the Kansas 5 yard line. With just seconds to play, on 3rd down, we scored, went for two, KU was penalized for 12 men, we went for two again, and made it. Replays later showed that KU had 12 men on the field for that goal line sequence, iirc, and the refs didn't notice til the 2-point conversion.

Reid had any number of dominant games from his DT position that could be considered in this topic. He and Steve Smear were 10 years ahead of the other other-worldly pair of DTs at PSU, Clark and Millen.
 

EricStratton-RushChairman

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I was at The Cotton Bowl in 2019 and I've never seen anyone all over the field like Parsons was. I know Conlan 1/2/87 is tough to breast butt it was clear MP was a man amoung boys in that game
 
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