1985 Season

[mnuccio2]

I know PSU finished 11-0 regular season and made an appearance in the NC game vs OK. However, what was the thoughts going into that season? Expectations?

How about the NC game? Was PSU expected to win? What was the game like?

You just hear so much about the 78, 82, 86 seasons but not much about 85.

 

[Mister Magoo]

I know PSU finished 11-0 regular season and made an appearance in the NC game vs OK. However, what was the thoughts going into that season? Expectations?

How about the NC game? Was PSU expected to win? What was the game like?

You just hear so much about the 78, 82, 86 seasons but not much about 85.

Expectations weren't very high. Joe didn't want the 84 team to even go bowling. I believe he said they were immature. We were ranked 19th headed into the season opener at Maryland. They were 7th. It was brutally hot that day and that was a big win. I thought Oklahoma had a talent edge but our defense would keep us in the game. Honestly, I didn't think we'd win that game. Or, beat Miami.

 

[psuro]

If you ever watch the program on the 1986 team, they start with the 1985 team, and that no one - not even Joe - expected them to be in the NC game vs. OU.

 

[joeparules]

This was a team that won their first six games by a combined 24 points (including a two point win over Temple and 7 points over Rutgers). Some where in that stretch I vividly remember my Dad and I watching Beano Cook say "I don't know if it will be in the Sugar or Orange Bowl, but Penn State will be playing for the National Championship on New Year's Day". We both thought Beano was more drunk than usual!

I went to that Orange Bowl game and that is probably when Shane Conlan became my favorite Nittany Lion. He was absolutely everywhere on that field chasing down Jamelle Holieway.

 

[JoeBatters1]

OU was definitely considered the favorite but I remember feeling good about PSUs chances. Basically, PSUs Defense played pretty well, but John Schaffer had a very poor game as I recall. PSU was still in the game at least midway through the second half, but a long TD pass to TE Keith Jackson put the game out of reach. I rember that play because Ray Isom went out of the game on that play due to injury and Barry Buchman subbed for him. Switzer must have taken notice because OU went right to Jackson on the next play and Buchman got beat. I also remember Timpson with a nice punt return deep into OU territory in the second half only to fumble the ball and have it recovered by Mike mantle of OU - Mickeys nephew. That hurt bigtime as well. There were a lot of missed opportunities by PSU in that game. I remember Schaffer not seeing a wide open Dean DiMidio for an easy touchdown - I think Schaffer through a pick on the play. I ran into Blair Thomas a few years ago and he told me that the coaches were so uptight in preparing for that game. He indicated that the staff wAs just the opposite the following year in playing Miami in the Fiesta Bowl - very laid back going into the Miami game. Despite the loss those were some of the great days of PSU football.

 

[We Are . . .]

One thing I remember besides the very close early wins was the complete turnaround vs. Notre Dame and some school from Allegheny County (Carnegie Mellon, perhaps?). In '84, we collapsed completely against those two schools which prompted Joe to claim that we played like a bunch of babies. We played ND at home in heavy rains and, if I recall correctly, Tim Manoa ran over them and through them. The following week, we handled Pitt fairly easily.... Then came the Orange Bowl vs. Okie. (sigh...)

 

[Connorpozlee]

I didn't think Blair Thomas was on the '85 team? I thought he played as a true freshman in '86.

 

[JoeBatters1]

I didn't think Blair Thomas was on the '85 team? I thought he played as a true freshman in '86.

Thomas was a true freshman in 85.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Interesting. In looking him up I see that his birthday is in October, meaning he played as a 17 year old as a freshman.

 

[LionJim]

OU was definitely considered the favorite but I remember feeling good about PSUs chances. Basically, PSUs Defense played pretty well, but John Schaffer had a very poor game as I recall. PSU was still in the game at least midway through the second half, but a long TD pass to TE Keith Jackson put the game out of reach. I rember that play because Ray Isom went out of the game on that play due to injury and Barry Buchman subbed for him. Switzer must have taken notice because OU went right to Jackson on the next play and Buchman got beat. I also remember Timpson with a nice punt return deep into OU territory in the second half only to fumble the ball and have it recovered by Mike mantle of OU - Mickeys nephew. That hurt bigtime as well. There were a lot of missed opportunities by PSU in that game. I remember Schaffer not seeing a wide open Dean DiMidio for an easy touchdown - I think Schaffer through a pick on the play. I ran into Blair Thomas a few years ago and he told me that the coaches were so uptight in preparing for that game. He indicated that the staff wAs just the opposite the following year in playing Miami in the Fiesta Bowl - very laid back going into the Miami game. Despite the loss those were some of the great days of PSU football.

Good post. The long TD pass to Jackson was on an all-out blitz and Isom was this close to sacking the qb.

 

[Chris92]

Good post. The long TD pass to Jackson was on an all-out blitz and Isom was this close to sacking the qb.

The crazy thing is, it was 3rd and 20 something. That's the time to play the big cushion zone defense against the mobile QB. I don't think we saw another safety blitz for 20 years.

 

[LionJim]

Oh, I forgot to mention that our first game was against Maryland and Sport Magazine had the Terps rated #1 that year. We went to Byrd and beat them. I have more than a few cousins who went to Maryland and, boy, were they pissed. I myself was in grad school at Maryland at that time and I remember how much I enjoyed walking around campus the week after the game.

 

[kijana]

OU was definitely considered the favorite but I remember feeling good about PSUs chances. Basically, PSUs Defense played pretty well, but John Schaffer had a very poor game as I recall. PSU was still in the game at least midway through the second half, but a long TD pass to TE Keith Jackson put the game out of reach. QUOTE]

Actually, the game was technically ever out of reach, albeit, the way our offense was playing, being down 10 points was out of reach in a sense. Still, right before OK got their last TD with 90 seconds left in the game, PSU missed a pretty easy FG that would have cut the lead to 6 points. Yeah, we still would have lost but losing by only 6 looks a lot better than losing by 15.

 

[BOSCO2]

Good post. The long TD pass to Jackson was on an all-out blitz and Isom was this close to sacking the qb.

Did Isom charge the QB from off the bench? I thought he was out of the game at the time. At least JoeBatters thinks so.

 

[LionJim]

Did Isom charge the QB from off the bench? I thought he was out of the game at the time. At least JoeBatters thinks so.

I read Joe's post, but that's how I remember it. Whether or not Isom was on the field, the long TD to Jackson came in the second quarter, not the second half, and put them up 10-7. Whatever. We lost.

 

[Chris92]

Here's the play: