Every team has “that year”, maybe it’s the year they won a
championship, or maybe it’s the year they finally got to the postseason after so
many years. For Penn State, 2005 was the year.
And October 8th was the day.
The two previous seasons for Penn State football were in a
word, abysmal. In 2003 the Nittany Lions went 3-9 and in 2004 they went 4-7 and
the “Fire Joe Paterno” headlines took over. Penn State wasn’t going to fire Joe
Paterno, let’s get that out of the way, if anyone could turn a program around
it was Paterno. All he needed was a little help and he would get that help in
the form of an 18-year 5-star recruit named Derrick Williams, and a running
back/wide receiver turned quarterback named Michael Robinson.
Derrick Williams was the most prized recruit in 2005. The
Maryland native could have gone anywhere he wanted and would have most likely
had a better college career. But when the 78-year old head coach made a visit
to Williams’ Greenbelt, Maryland home, it sealed the deal, "I did it because I trusted in [Paterno].
He promised me I could help turn the program around and leave my mark there,
which I did." That’s what Penn State needed and that’s what they got. 
The
Nittany Lions started off the season 5-0 before #6 Ohio State came to town in
what would be the biggest game of the year and the game that would put the
program back on the map for good. Two weeks prior to the Buckeyes coming to
Happy Valley Paterno had his first test of the season against Northwestern as a
conversion on 4th and 15 set up the
aforementioned Derrick Williams to make his first impact in the blue and white.
Quarterback Michael Robinson hit Williams on a 36-yard touchdown to seal
victory.
Fast forward two weeks, October 8th,
2005, the game that changed it all. The eight o’clock matchup was set. Ohio
State came in 3-1 after an early season loss to eventual National Champions the
Texas Longhorns. ESPN’s College GameDay made
their way to State College to showcase the resurgence of the Penn State
football program, and what a showcase it would be. That broadcast would be the
most-viewed edition in the show’s history.
The game was a classic Big Ten game,
low scoring, minimal big plays, great defense, and a GREAT atmosphere. Standing
room only, 109,839 people witnessed the game that would turn heads across the
college football landscape. Derrick Williams got the scoring started with a
13-yard touchdown run. Three minutes later Michael Robinson punched it in for a
touchdown to make it 14-3. The defense led by Paul Posluszny and Tamba Hali
held an Ohio State offense that had a future Heisman Trophy winner in Troy
Smith at quarterback, future Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, and speedster Ted
Ginn, to just 10 points.
During the halftime show in the south
endzone, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit pointed to his left and the Penn State student
section and uttered something that still resonates with Penn State fans today,
“That’s the best student in the country-they’re crazy”.
On the final play that the Buckeyes had
the ball, Tamba Hali beat tight end Ryan Hamby off the edge and got to Troy
Smith forcing him to fumble the ball, which was then recovered by Penn State’s
Scott Paxson. The Lions ran out the clock and Penn State was back on the map
with a 17-10 victory.
The season would end with an 11-1
record and a triple overtime victory against Bobby Bowden and the Florida State
Seminoles. But that’s not why we remember the 2005 Penn State football team; we
remember them for giving the fans hope that good things were coming and that
the season wasn’t just a one-night stand. We remember the greatness that was
Michael Robinson, Derrick Williams, Paul Posluszny, Tamba Hali, and Alan
Zemaitas. We remember the promise Joe Paterno made to Derrick Williams and the
promise Williams followed through on by bringing Penn State back to where it
belongs, at the top. The 2005 football season was one Penn State fans will
always remember because it put the “We Are” back in the “We Are, Penn State”.
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