Minnesota v Penn State 1999

BilldGopher

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In case you didn't watch or listen to this game at the time, here's some great Gophers history:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6q-4b2rNSQ

Went nuts in my living room when THE CATCH was made, the even more nuts with THE KICK when we took the lead at the end.

Great shock in Unhappy Valley. Fun moment.

Will never forget Dan Nystrom's name. This should be part of the team's game prep for this one.
 

I also remember jumping up and down in the living room when the kick was good. What's really strange, before the "Hail Mary" I thought to myself "I bet we catch this." 2 years prior at their place they were ranked #1 and we blew a 15-0 lead in the 2nd half to lose 15-16. It just felt like we were due. What a fun memory, one of my favorites.
 

I skipped to the Gophs final drive. It gives me goosebumps to this day. What a fun season.
 

Not sure why, but in general the Gophers have played Penn State tough over the years and have won several games even though there have been coaching changes, obvious changes in players, etc.

The 1999 game may always be the most memorable game for Gopher fans (perhaps this year will eclipse it?) but I do also remember some tough losses when underdog Gopher teams came tantalizingly close to winning but falling just short. A couple games in the 90's and of course 2016 loss in overtime.

One game that really sticks out to me was an overtime loss in the Metrodome where the Gophers should have won but got absolutely screwed on a ridiculous pass interference penalty in the end zone. I normally try to steer clear of ref controversies but this one was really really bad and it cost the Gophers a potential overtime victory over Penn State. It still bugs me.

After the 1999 shocking win over Penn State, my next favorite was a home win a few years back where the Gophers played really well and throttled Penn State in TCF Bank Stadium - Penn State's last visit to MN.
 

In case you didn't watch or listen to this game at the time, here's some great Gophers history:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6q-4b2rNSQ

Went nuts in my living room when THE CATCH was made, the even more nuts with THE KICK when we took the lead at the end.


Great shock in Unhappy Valley. Fun moment.

Will never forget Dan Nystrom's name. This should be part of the team's game prep for this one.

Guest Picker? If Gameday doesn't come to Minnesota for State Pen, does the BTN go? If so, do they have a guest picker also? Just a thought.
 


One game that really sticks out to me was an overtime loss in the Metrodome where the Gophers should have won but got absolutely screwed on a ridiculous pass interference penalty in the end zone. I normally try to steer clear of ref controversies but this one was really really bad and it cost the Gophers a potential overtime victory over Penn State. It still bugs me.

That was 2006 and it still bugs me too. That was an especially difficult year with Mason/Maturi having a public feud about his contract and then the team started 0-5 in conference play. This loss put us at 0-3 with the next two conference games being @Wisconsin and @OSU. At the time everyone loved Paterno but his whining to the ref to get that PI call was a joke.
 

I also remember reading an article from a Penn St media blurb about how that game (1999) put them in a tailspin for several years later. It was like this grand tower they had built got knocked down by one team and it took them most of a decade to rebuild it. Wish I could find that now...
 

I also remember reading an article from a Penn St media blurb about how that game (1999) put them in a tailspin for several years later. It was like this grand tower they had built got knocked down by one team and it took them most of a decade to rebuild it. Wish I could find that now...

We made up for it by blowing that game in 2016. That was Franklin's 3rd year and they were languishing a little bit, having gone 7-6 in his first two seasons. Entering that game Franklin was 6-11 in Big Ten play with his only wins being
Indiana x 2
Rutgers x 2
Maryland
Illinois
Penn State was simply not a factor in the East and not even close to competing with Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. Their 49-10 loss the previous week in Ann Arbor was making the fans restless and there was a very real chance that a home loss to Minnesota could have derailed their season. Instead, the Lions pulled it out, shocked Ohio State two weeks later and used it as a springboard to a Rose Bowl run.
 

We made up for it by blowing that game in 2016. That was Franklin's 3rd year and they were languishing a little bit, having gone 7-6 in his first two seasons. Entering that game Franklin was 6-11 in Big Ten play with his only wins being
Indiana x 2
Rutgers x 2
Maryland
Illinois
Penn State was simply not a factor in the East and not even close to competing with Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. Their 49-10 loss the previous week in Ann Arbor was making the fans restless and there was a very real chance that a home loss to Minnesota could have derailed their season. Instead, the Lions pulled it out, shocked Ohio State two weeks later and used it as a springboard to a Rose Bowl run.

I see similarities with PJ. People were ready to run him out after his first year, then even worse his second year until Rossi took over D. Then the Purdue win, then the Skunk win, then a bowl win. Now he has quite a bit of support. Point being, maybe PJ is on the same trajectory of a perennial top 15-10 team with stints in the top 5.
 



I was there in that end of the stadium. You could here the ball being kicked. It was epic. I believe the year before we had a horrible call against us that cost us the game and Joe Pa came to our locker-room and apologized for it.
 

That was 2006 and it still bugs me too. That was an especially difficult year with Mason/Maturi having a public feud about his contract and then the team started 0-5 in conference play. This loss put us at 0-3 with the next two conference games being @Wisconsin and @OSU. At the time everyone loved Paterno but his whining to the ref to get that PI call was a joke.

One of the most frustrating of the Mason losses.

Mason had already started across the field to shake Paterno's hand and Paterno had started to come across, too. Mason was a good 25 yards onto the field thinking the game was over and we had won. Then, the phantom PI call and the rest is history. They score in OT and only needed to make the extra point to win since (of course we did) missed the extra point kick in our part of OT earlier.

The Mason-Maturi contract feud was actually 2005. Mason signed a deal at the end of that season, so the 2006 season had Mason under a brand new deal, of which he only lasted the first season.
 

One of the most frustrating of the Mason losses.

Mason had already started across the field to shake Paterno's hand and Paterno had started to come across, too. Mason was a good 25 yards onto the field thinking the game was over and we had won. Then, the phantom PI call and the rest is history. They score in OT and only needed to make the extra point to win since (of course we did) missed the extra point kick in our part of OT earlier.

The Mason-Maturi contract feud was actually 2005. Mason signed a deal at the end of that season, so the 2006 season had Mason under a brand new deal, of which he only lasted the first season.

You are correct. 2006 was when the student section started the "Fire Mason" chants and that helped make it a difficult season.
 

I prayed to the football gods on my knees. Didn't cry but was close to it.
 



I prayed to the football gods on my knees. Didn't cry but was close to it.

One of the handful of "you remember where you were when it happened" Gopher moments. It was just a great day
 

My dad is a Penn State alumni and marched in the Blue Band back in the 60's. To say he is a PSU football fan is a massive understatement. When the Gophers lined up for the game winning field goal in 1999 I called him and simply said "I think we should experience this together". In hindsight it may have a little bit of a jerk move because I put the odds at about 90% that the field goal would be made. It was lined up in the middle of the field and it wasn't exactly long. I started screaming into the phone when the kick was good.

I will never forget that day or that kick. I hope my dad forgave my enthusiasm.
 

Man, I remember watching this game but I really didn't understand the magnitude at the time.

Probably close to the first team I really liked of the Gophers. Ron Johnson was of course my guy.
 

God that was amazing. I remember that and I got chills just watching The replay on YouTube!
 

I was there in that end of the stadium. You could here the ball being kicked. It was epic. I believe the year before we had a horrible call against us that cost us the game and Joe Pa came to our locker-room and apologized for it.

For me I honestly don't know that a football moment will ever top that 99' Penn State game. Sounds like we were at the opposite ends of the stadium that day but I will never forget when that kick went through being able to hear a small pocket of Minnesota fans going nuts while 100,000 fans sat in total disbelief as to what had just happened.

I will say though that their fans were super cool and respectful about the loss, very classy group.
 

I was driving to the airport and listening to the play by play on the radio. I got so excited I had to pull over as I was not focusing on the road and other drivers. When that field goal went thru the uprights, my car was jumping and rocking!!
 

Watched the game in a sports book in Vegas. I believe I may have been the only Minnesota fan in the place.
 

Other than the 1999 win, my favorite Penn State memory (memories) was Mason opening the 2003 game in Happy Valley with a successful onside kick, then doing it again to open the game the following year at the Dome. Mason always wore a collared shirt and tie when facing PSU as a nod to Paterno, but he pulled one over on the old man in those back-to-back wins.
 

I was there in that end of the stadium. You could here the ball being kicked. It was epic. I believe the year before we had a horrible call against us that cost us the game and Joe Pa came to our locker-room and apologized for it.

I'm nearly sure that was when the receiver (Atwell?) had clearly come down with his foot inbounds in the endzone and the ref called him out. After the game the ref claimed the color of the shoes was too close to the color of the sideline or something like that. Joe Pa went the to locker room as you mentioned and then blasted the officials in his post game news conference and got fined afterward. That was the second time the Gophers had gotten hosed, but this was more blatant and literally cost them the game.

I remember the Friday before the 1999 game I was talking to a coworker who worked in Atlanta and knew next to nothing about B1G football, just knew PSU was really good and MN was "not" (though they turned out to be better than people thought). He said something like "how many touchdowns do you expect to lose by?" and I said "Mark my words - the Gophers always play tough in Happy Valley. I'm telling you, it will be a close game. The Gophers got screwed the last two times out there. They will be in the game until the end."

My phone was ringing when I came in Monday morning. I literally answered it right before it would have gone to voicemail. The guy from ATL couldn't believe it. He said he figured I was full of crap (not a bad assumption), but as the game went on and the Gophers were right there, he started to believe. He actually turned the channel from his alma mater (Texas, if I remember right) to watch the end of the Gopher game so he saw the final drive. I almost think he was more excited about it than I was, and I was pretty darn excited about it.
 

The picture in the paper the next day was great. The line was not letting anything through on that kick.
 

Minnesota vs Penn State has been a great series
 

I'm nearly sure that was when the receiver (Atwell?) had clearly come down with his foot inbounds in the endzone and the ref called him out. After the game the ref claimed the color of the shoes was too close to the color of the sideline or something like that. Joe Pa went the to locker room as you mentioned and then blasted the officials in his post game news conference and got fined afterward. That was the second time the Gophers had gotten hosed, but this was more blatant and literally cost them the game.

I remember the Friday before the 1999 game I was talking to a coworker who worked in Atlanta and knew next to nothing about B1G football, just knew PSU was really good and MN was "not" (though they turned out to be better than people thought). He said something like "how many touchdowns do you expect to lose by?" and I said "Mark my words - the Gophers always play tough in Happy Valley. I'm telling you, it will be a close game. The Gophers got screwed the last two times out there. They will be in the game until the end."

My phone was ringing when I came in Monday morning. I literally answered it right before it would have gone to voicemail. The guy from ATL couldn't believe it. He said he figured I was full of crap (not a bad assumption), but as the game went on and the Gophers were right there, he started to believe. He actually turned the channel from his alma mater (Texas, if I remember right) to watch the end of the Gopher game so he saw the final drive. I almost think he was more excited about it than I was, and I was pretty darn excited about it.

That was against Purdue. We got hosed that game as well.
 


We have alwasy been a thorn in their side. I expect that to continue come november 9th.
 







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